Preparing refugees and asylum seekers for European civic and democratic values, environmental protection and the use of digital tools through visual language and gamification

The primary objectives of the project were to develop three series of comic strips, each spanning two pages, accompanied by two interactive games designed to reinforce the concepts introduced in t...

The primary objectives of the project were to develop three series of comic strips, each spanning two pages, accompanied by two interactive games designed to reinforce the concepts introduced in the comic strips. Our aim in creating these educational and engaging resources was to enhance the teaching materials available to our partners over the long term. Additionally, by offering this collection free of charge, we aimed to extend the benefits to other local or international organizations working with individuals in exile, migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers. These tools would facilitate their understanding of European concepts, values, and priorities, including respect for civic and democratic values, civic engagement, environmental conservation, and health awareness, as well as the acquisition or enhancement of digital skills. Importantly, they would also raise awareness about the potential risks associated with improper use of digital tools.

We organised five co-design labs to meet the specific needs of each partner in terms of the results we were going to co-create, and to sketch out the scenarios for the comic strips together. In collaboration with artists, we created fifteen two-page comic strips and thirty interactive games. The partners translated the comic strips and the games created in English into five languages: German, Arabic, French, Turkish and Ukrainian. After each co-design laboratory, as part of the process of creating the comic strips and games, the partners tested them with their beneficiaries locally, in Paris, Marseille, Berlin and Kiev. These workshops provided an opportunity to evaluate the results and make changes, as well as to test additional activities linked to the themes of the comic strips and games. We set up an open-access website where we structured the content by adding user tips and other complementary resources. Finally, we organised three multiplier events to share the results of the project in Paris, Berlin and Marseille, where we invited representatives from other local organisations.

We have created a set of teaching resources comprising fifteen comic strips and thirty games in six different languages, categorised into three groups: 1/ civic and democratic values, 2/ environment and health, 3/ the digital world. All these results are available on the Eu-Prepare website : www. eu-prepare.com. The complementary tangible results, also available on the site, are 'reading guidelines' including suggestions for complementary activities to reading the comics, as well as a creative resource explaining the basics of creating visual and digital content, as well as those of comics, to enable users to experiment with creating comics themselves. Thanks to a Facebook page, we have opened up a communication interface with other civil society organisations and/or trainers in the countries involved in the project. Close collaboration has also been established between the partners, enriched by the exchange of knowledge between researchers, social workers and artists, opening up the possibility of working together on new projects.