Game On P.L.A.Y.

In March 2020, AMSED hosted a kickoff meeting for the Game On P.L.A.Y. – Participate, Learn, & Activate the Youth project. The meeting brought together one person of every partner organization who is charged with the project. It lasted 2 days, in which the following activities took place:

  • Getting to know each other and each organization
  • Discussing the objectives and expected results of the project
  • Defining the methods of execution, follow-up, assessment and distribution of the results
  • Identification and distribution of tasks for each partner for different steps of the project

Once guests arrived at AMSED, each representative introduced themselves and the organization they were representing. First, Manfred Tawiah introduced his organization: Organisation for Strategic Development in Africa (Ghana). Their goals include youth development, poverty relief, and linking organization/networking. They frequently host volunteers that work in local schools for a year and they have been a part of Erasmus + since 2015. Next, Kerron Vaishnav of Disha International Foundation Trust (India) spoke about his organization’s goals: youth development, formal and non-formal education, skill development, social entrepreneurship, and female empowerment. Often they will send their youths abroad to different parts of Europe and Russia as well as host youth volunteers themselves. Attila Nagy Geza followed by explaining his NGO in Romania: Asociatia de Tineri din Ardeal. The NGO centers around local impact by focusing on 3 main areas: hosting and sending volunteers, strategic partnerships, and task building projects. They do a lot to support the elderly and disabled too. Sonia Degroote went next to explain the main goals and projects at AMSED in France, Europe, and the world. And finally, Mohamed Chaabouni spoke on behalf of Solidarity Tracks/Monopatia Allileggiis (Greece). This organization works on development, hosting volunteers from all over the world, organizing training and seminars with workers, and creating tools for learning. They use 2 platforms: supporting volunteers and an e-club to train young people to become social entrepreneurs. Other partners involved in this project include Irene Caro Campana of Diagonal (Spain), Indra Prasad Khaitu of Toit Nepal and Jarinya Krit Tikan of Volunteer Spirit Association (Thailand).

 

The kickoff meeting was the first step to this project to connect all partners and define goals and objectives. Some of these goals being to use games and toys as tools for education, create tools that can be useful for other youth workers and organizations to put into use, and develop skills for youth workers around the world. During this meeting, the participants were able to not only clarify these expectations, but also discuss the project budget and financials, create drafts of surveys about the use and consumption of games and toys by young people, call partners that could not be physically there, and update the project plan.