The Network for International Youth Mobility – MOST – has developed a new product: the escape room “Ema’s Expedition,” which introduces young people to opportunities for international mobility, volunteering, and youth work in a playful and inclusive way, primarily through the Erasmus+ and ESE programs.
The escape room is designed to encourage young people to explore, think critically, and connect with their peers through puzzles, group collaboration, and the story of Ema, who decides to volunteer abroad. It enables young people to learn about international programs in a fun way, strengthens facilitators’ competencies, connects organizations, schools, and universities, and contributes to the development of high-quality youth work. We have incorporated all three priorities of the Erasmus+ program into the game: sustainability and the environment, social inclusion and diversity, and digital youth work.
In May and June, we tested the escape room with the help of five pilot groups consisting of young people, youth leaders, and representatives of organizations. At the Baza Youth Center in Ljubljana, we also conducted training for game masters who work within their own organizations and can run the escape room themselves with the young people they work with. The role of the game master—or facilitator—is to manage the dynamics of the game, help participants understand the tasks, and connect the experience to real-world opportunities. Game masters receive detailed instructions, tools, and mentoring support to ensure a successful session.
Below, you can read a few words from a training participant, a future game master:
“The ‘Ema’s Expedition’ escape room is brilliantly designed and perfect for young people who are currently exploring their paths in life. In a fun and interactive way, it shows us Ema’s decision-making about the future and introduces us to the European Solidarity Corps program. Alenka and Sašo also led the training exceptionally well. First, we got acquainted with the escape room, played through it, and reflected on the experience. Then we systematically dove into each puzzle individually and explored how different solution approaches can influence the course of the game—especially from a young person’s perspective. A great experience.”
How does it all work?
The escape room is mobile, which means that organizations can borrow all the materials from us; they just need one room to set it up. Beforehand, their representative must complete the game master training to run the escape room. For more information on rentals and game master training, please contact the Voluntariat Institute.
What is the MOST Network, and who is part of it?
To make international youth mobility programs (ERASMUS+ and ESE) accessible to as many organizations and young people as possible, we established the MOST Network. This network works to promote, develop, and implement international youth mobility programs in the City of Ljubljana. Five organizations operate within the network: the Voluntariat Institute, the OS Institute, the TiPovej Institute, the ODTIZ Institute, and the Slovenian Youth Friends Association. All partners in the network have many years of experience supporting young people in international mobility and volunteer projects. Sašo Kronegger and Alenka Oblak from the OS Institute played a leading role in the development of the escape room. Sabina Belc guided us through the initial design of the escape room.
*The project is co-funded by the City of Ljubljana, Office for Youth.
