🇮🇹 Erasmus+ Training Course in Italy 🎮 Exploring Youth Mental Health Through Gamification 🧠

Do you want to learn how to open up conversations about mental health with young people through play, digital tools and gamification? MindPlay is an Erasmus+ training course in Milo, Sicily, bringing together youth workers from Italy, Serbia and Latvia to combine mental health awareness, digital literacy and gamification in non-formal education.

About the Project

Young people across Europe are increasingly facing mental health challenges linked to digital stress, social media pressure and social isolation. Despite growing awareness, many youth workers report feeling unprepared to address mental health topics in a safe and constructive way, particularly in the digital environments where young people spend most of their time. At the same time, gamification and digital tools offer powerful and underexplored opportunities to make sensitive conversations more accessible, engaging and stigma-free. MindPlay responds to this gap by bringing together three youth organisations from Italy, Serbia and Latvia to develop and share practical methods that combine mental health awareness, digital literacy and gamification in non-formal education.

🧩 Contextual challenge: conventional mental health support infrastructures frequently present significant systemic barriers regarding accessibility, outreach and active engagement for youth.

🎮 Methodological innovation: MindPlay integrates gamification strategies and advanced digital tools to establish highly interactive, inclusive and readily accessible mental health resources.

🎯 Strategic aim: to modernise youth work by equipping practitioners with standardized, secure and engaging digital methodologies designed to support young people aged 16 to 25 who are navigating psychological and emotional challenges.

Project Objectives

🧠 Space & Mind: build trust and safety through play, and explore youth mental health, stress and digital pressure via empathy and mapping.

🕹️ Gamification: master mechanics such as missions and loops, and experience interactive storytelling, roleplay and escape games.

🌿 Design & Action: slow down with a nature-filled reflective journey, combine gamification and mental health activities, and close with Youthpass certification.

🌍 Another 🇮🇹 Italy opportunity worth a look: Erasmus+ Training Course in 🇮🇹 Italy – Growing Quality in KA1 Youth Work → https://youthworkshub.org/20837

Who Can Apply

🌍 The training is for youth workers who reside in one of the partner countries (Italy, Serbia and Latvia).

🤝 Participants should be actively involved in youth work or non-formal education, motivated to share and learn new methods, motivated to actively participate throughout the entire project, and open to working in a team and exploring new tools.

🎮 Applicants should be interested in the topics of gamification and mental health, and willing to disseminate what they learn afterwards.

🎯 A close match for your interests: Erasmus+ Training Course in 🇧🇬 Bulgaria – Building Emotional Safety and Connection → https://youthworkshub.org/20679

Accommodation and Meals

🏨 Participants are accommodated in a recently renovated hotel located in Milo, a wonderful village between the Etna volcano and the Ionian Sea. Shared rooms with private bathroom are provided.

🍽️ Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks are included. The food is varied and Mediterranean-style.

What's Covered

💶 The project is funded by the Italian National Agency for the Erasmus+ youth programme of the European Union. All costs for the programme, materials, accommodation and meals during the training are covered.

✈️ Travel costs must be paid in advance by participants, with reimbursement made after the activity, up to the set limit and in EUR. Reimbursement of travel costs can only be done upon full attendance of the training course.

🩺 Every participant must bring their European Health Insurance Card or a substitute, and it is mandatory to provide your own health and travel insurance. Insurance is not applicable for reimbursement.

Plan Your Travel

🛬 Please plan your travel to Catania airport and Milo, and your return, according to the arrival and departure times. Arrival is on 22 July between 2 and 6 PM, and departure is on 30 July until 10 AM. Let the organisers know your travel plans in advance.

Preparation and What to Bring

🎁 Bring some traditional food, games and stories to share during the international evening, plus non-formal methods, games and group-dynamics activities you would like to share to empower youth work, and some energizers for the group.

🎒 Bring indoor shoes/slippers, a swimming suit, clothes and shoes for outdoor activities and low-intensity hiking, and a notebook. Bed linen, towels and a hairdryer are provided, but bring an extra towel for the swimming pool.