Erasmus+-Project „eduDanube“ (2026-2028) The project aims to strengthen young people's democratic education through game-based, experiential approaches

Background, Objectives and Project Partners

At a time when many young people feel increasingly alienated from democratic processes and trust in political institutions is waning, traditional political education faces a major challenge. Growing social polarisation, the spread of disinformation and a shift in political socialisation towards social media platforms such as TikTok or Instagram mean that traditional, often theory-heavy teaching methods are reaching young people less and less. The ‘Edu Danube’ project addresses this by transforming political education into an immersive experience. By combining eduLARP (educational live-action role-playing) and urban games, we create spaces where young people are not merely passive recipients of knowledge, but actively step into political roles. Against the backdrop of the historical and political contexts of the Danube region, they learn to navigate complex dilemmas, make decisions and experience the significance of shared European values in a playful yet well-founded way. The project team consists of four partner organisations from three countries bordering the Danube. They bring different areas of expertise and experience to the project: Anthropolis from Hungary: critical thinking and a sense of responsible global citizenship Jugendagentur from Germany: digital communication and relationship-building Play:Vienna from Austria: Urban Games Waldritter from Germany: experiential adventure games, including edularp Through cross-border cooperation, approaches are being developed that can be scaled up and applied across Europe despite differing political and legal frameworks. Our aim is to use these innovative methods to improve the quality of youth work in the long term and to strengthen the democratic resilience of a new generation.

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.