Debate Game Engages Youth in Active Citizenship and Societal Exploration

On November 2nd, we held a testing event for the Active Youth Hub project. We tested the newly developed educational game, designed to enhance critical thinking and teamwork. Young participants joined us at Erasmus University Rotterdam to explore the game, provide feedback, and contribute to refining this tool aimed at youth, youth workers and educators.

The testing session focused on the game’s first mission, Constitution - Rights - Freedoms, where players were tasked with an imaginative scenario: as space explorers on a newly discovered planet, they needed to make contact with an alien civilization and prepare a comprehensive report for Earth. This report required detailed descriptions of the alien planet’s social structure, resource distribution, community organization, and comparisons to life on Earth. The players’ mission involved exploring how rights, freedoms, and problem-solving approaches differ across cultures—real or fictional.

The game encouraged participants to collaborate and think critically, especially as they debated and resolved key questions:

• What kind of leadership and decision-making exists in this new society?
• How are essential resources like water and minerals managed?
• What social issues are present, and how are they addressed?

Matija, an experienced trainer, provided a pre-event workshop on debate skills. This preparatory session focusing on principled arguments and weighing equipped youth with strategies for analyzing complex issues and formulating persuasive arguments, enhancing their engagement with the game.

Feedback from the event was positive. Participants liked the game for its ability to stimulate critical thinking and open discussion on rights and freedoms, all within an engaging, fictional context. The structured yet flexible format allowed them to think creatively and practice presenting their perspectives, mirroring real-world skills in a playful setting.

The insights gained from this testing event will inform the final version of the game, making it even more valuable for educators aiming to teach topics like digital literacy, community involvement, and critical thinking in interactive ways.