BE THE GAME CHANGER 17-28 October TSAGHKADZOR, ARMENIA
CONTENT Information about Erasmus+.......................................3
Introduction...................................................................4
Main objectives of the project......................................5 Methodology...................................................................6 National and traditional games.....................................7 Participants' Feedback..................................................20
What is Erasmus+? Erasmus+ is open to education, training, youth and sport organisations across all sectors of lifelong learning, including school education, further and higher education, adult education and the youth sector. The 2021-2027 programme places a strong focus on social inclusion, the green and digital transitions, and promoting young people’s participation in democratic life
ec.europa.eu
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Introduction The project "be the game changer" provided hands on knowledge on different cultures, traditions and habits through practicing national games. Those national games were tools for self-expression as well as they were used to represent group dynamics, teambuilding activities, energizers.
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Main Objectives To boost participants awareness about European multiculturalism,cultural values, tolerance. To advance intercultural dialogue, solidarity, social inclusion and mutual understanding To provide knowledge about partner countries' traditional games and explore them from educationaland cultural point of view. To transform traditional games into team building activities, energizers and icebreakers, that can be used non formal educational methods. To identify opportunities provided by Erasmus+ . To identify the competences obtained through European non-formal education projects and their certification by YouthPass.
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Methodology
The project was based on nonformal learning methodology. Different methods, such as outdoor education, hiking trips, cooperative games, individual work, small discussion groups, plenary work, group dynamics and etc. were used. The participants got new skills and competences in the field of human rights, mainly discrimination in peer to peer learning atmosphere by exchanging their own experience.
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National Games of Spain (Handkerchief) Introduction Its origin in the 15th century. It was introduced to Europe by French sailor traveling to the East. Which was initially adopted by ladies of the upper class who used them as objects of distinction. Its use was restricted to wear it in their hands, shake it for a farewell or let it fall in a suggestive way.
Rules and explanation Two teams. Each participant has a number. A person in the middle of the two groups holds a handkerchief. This person says a number and the participants with that number must run to cath the handkerchief. Whoever comes back with the handkerchief first wins.
Needed Materials Handkerchief
What competences and skills does it develop Improves psychomotor skills, response agility and helps to socialize
Number of players Minimum 20
Application Energizer
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National Games of Spain (Blind Chicken) Introduction Its origin in the 18th century. It was used by adults as a way of relating to the new bourgeois societies of the time. The Dutch painter Brueghel the Elder recorded this game in 1560 in the painting Children's Game.
Rules and explanation One person is blindfolded (the Chicken). The other participants move around the Chicken. The Chicken must catch the others. When someone is caught, the Chicken has to guess who is the person.
Needed Materials Something to blindfold
What competences and skills does it develop You develop location, hearing and touch skills.
Number of players Minimum 2
Application Energizer and ice breaker
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National Games of Moldova (Killed Ducks) Introduction
Needed Materials
In the past, Moldavian men had to go hunting so as to feed their families. The more catches they were bringing, the more respected they were. Children also were taught how to hunt but through games.
A ball
What competences and skills does it develop It develops attention, swiftness, rapidity Rules and explanation and strategy-making Players are divided into ducks and hunters. 2 are hunters, and the rest are ducks. At each end of the playground is a hunter, who is not allowed to enter the playground. Between the hunters are the ducks. Hunters aim to hit as many ducks as they can with the ball. When a duck is hit by the ball, it goes out of play. The ducks must avoid the ball, without leaving the playing space. The game ends when all the ducks have been hit. The hunter who has more catches wins.
Number of players 10-12 people
Application Energizer
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National Games of Moldova (The kissing game) Introduction When our ancestors were gathering at traditional seats, they played this game to have fun and win the hearts of girls. So far, this game is still practiced at holidays, weddings, etc.
Rules and explanation
Needed Materials Square piece of cloth or silkl
What competences and skills does it develop The game develops a sense of community and brings all different people together.
People dance in pairs in the middle of a rotating circle. They start with common steps, keeping the rhythm of the music and the local manners, evolving into interesting solo combinations, improvising new choreographic elements performed in a crescendo tempo. After this, the boy need to kiss the girl's hand.
Number of players Minimum 5
Application Energizer
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National Games of Georgia (Thief in prison)
Introduction This game was fully popular in the 90s in Georgia and every people, especially, boys were playing it.
Needed Materials None
What competences and skills does it develop To develop self-responsibility
Rules and explanation We make a circle or a line and one of them should be a policeman. This policeman starts asking some qusetions to each person and the one who will laugh will be beaten from other participants.
Number of players 10-20
Application Energizer
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National Games of Latvia (Hand-Polka)
Introduction The game is following a pattern of traditional choreography and is danced in pairs. Elements of the dance are seen in different folk festivals.
Needed Materials music, space, speakers
What competences and skills does it develop Coordination, orientation, listening
Rules and explanation Two circles are formed- one inner and one outer. People face each other, forming pairs and start with the music. The first round is with clapping hands. The second one is clapping with elbows, the third with knees, the fourth with ankles. The pattern of the movement is clap-clap right, clapclap left. After that pairs lock their elbows and spin around clockwise.When melody repeats, patterns change.
Number of players Unlimited
Application Energizer, ice-breaker
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National Games of Armenia (7 Stones)
Introduction As Armenians were most of the times at war, the majority of the games are connected to fighting the enemy. It was played with fragments of enemy fields. Participants collected seven fragments, rebuilt them, fortified their fortress and expelled the enemy. Later flat stones were used instead of the fragments of the shield.
Needed Materials Ball, flat stones, chalk.
What competences and skills does it develop It develops team-building competences
Rules and explanation The participants are divided into two teams. One of the teams stands next to the stones to protect them, while the other, rolling the ball from a certain distance, tries to destroy the stone pyramid. When one of the participants succeeds in destroying the pyramid, the other team members must take the ball and try to hit their opponents with it so that they cannot collect all the stones again. The team that manages to collect stones again wins. Of course, the game continued until everyone was tired or until it got dark.
Number of players 10-20 people
Application Energizer, ice-breaker
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National Games of Ukraine (Stream)
Introduction It is a widely popular game in Ukraine that comes from antient times. It was played by people on big holidays. Our ancestors used to play this game to help young people to find a partner through the game.
Needed Materials Doesn’t require any material but it is better to play with active Ukrainian music.
What competences and skills does it develop
Rules and explanation People stay in couples in front of each other and holding their hands up so that they make a “corridor” of people. A person without a couple goes through the “corridor” and chooses (steals) a person that he/she likes and they run together in the beginning of the “corridor” and stay in front of the “stream” so they become a new couple. The person who left without a partner goes in the very beginning of the “corridor”, then he/she runs in the end of the corridor of the people, dives in it, and chooses a partner that he likes. Then they run together in the front of the “corridor”. And the actions repeat as many times as people want. People can play the game until they get tired.
The game helps people to become more closer emotionally and maybe to express their feelings to someone they like.
Number of players 10-20 people
Application
Energizer, ice-breaker
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National Games of Belgium Koekhappen (biscuits bites)
Introduction The oldest mention of biscuit bites comes from 1870 when a school in Leuven was 225 years old. The game was part of the so-called 'folk amusements'. In the past, a slice of gingerbread was tied on the arm of birthday children to show everyone that it was his or she's birthday. Gingerbread was associated with birthdays and so snacking became part of a birthday party. Also that of our kings and queens.
Needed Materials Wires, biscuit, pin and 2 chairs to stretch the wire.
What competences and skills does it develop Listening skills, trusting teammates, positioning and instinct
Rules and explanation Hanging cookies on a wire from a height of about 2 meters, players are blindfolded and need to eat the cookie in order to win the game. Players get instructions of a teammate across him/her to bite the cookie off the wire, as the whole cookie must be eaten that team won.
Number of players Minimum 15
Application Energizer
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National Games of Belgium Stoelendans (Chair Dancing)
Introduction Chair Dancing has been around since 1700, first, it was considered a ‘well-spoken saying’ in various activities during that time once there were nog enough chairs to be used for attending special activities, also known as the Enlightenment Era of Europe.
Needed Materials Room, Chairs and Music
What competences and skills does it develop Listening skills, physical agility, and socializing
Rules and explanation Putting chairs in the middle in the form of a circle so players can walk around the chairs, the number of chairs should be 1 less than the number of players (for example 4 chairs, 5 players) in the background there are some Belgium songs playing. once the song stops the players need to sit down, the player that is left has lost that round, the rest continues to play in this order until 1 player remains standing.
Number of players Minimum 20
Application Energizer
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Participants' Feedback 21
The project is great because it gives a change to getting to know different cultures, their traditions and national games. I think that playing games allows you to get to know each other better, also gives the opportunnity to know about their childhood and etc. In this project I learn a lot of communication games which I will release by working with students in school.
-Gabriele(Lithuania)
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The project teaches tolerance, new forms of communication. Games connect people in any language.Youth exchanges broke my stereotypes about countries, that i had before. I learned how to plan trips.
-Gediminas(Lithuania)
The games we play during the project you will get to know different cultures from all the participating countries
-Sophie(Belgium)
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To bring change is needed in certain countries, cities and communities for the younger generations for their voices to be heard. In the form of games this can be easily done because of the joint-aspect of entertainment, fun, and social interaction. For example; to learn from various countries and their games, understandings, and behaviours youngsters can become more creative in communicating their message clearly. I can highly recommend youngsters to join Erasmus+ projects like these to learn and experience more.
-Ramon (Belgium)
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I have learned a lot about discrimination in different countries and how people deal with it. Also I watched And than we dance movie thanks to Georgian team, that I really enjoyed and saw real example of discrimination. I learned a lot of national games. And I understood that games can really help to deal with discrimination because it connects people and I would like to share new games that I learned with others. I really enjoyed project. I liked activities that we had, I learned a lot about discrimination and national games, I saw a lot of beautiful places in Armenia, I met awesome people from different countries and learned about their culture, and I had great time here
-Ekaterina(Latvia)
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In my opinion, the project "Be the Game Changer" is a point that connects people of different nationalities, develops communication skills and enables participants to learn more about the cultures of our world.
-Anastasia (Moldova)
In my opinion, National Games are a great tool that can be used to build bridges between different cultures as well as to confront stereotyping and discrimination.
-Iulia (Moldova)
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-Saba(Georgia)
In this youth exchange I learned I have learned about national games of each country participating and it was great. We’ve had great time to know about each other’s country and traditions more. When I come back to my country I will try to play theses games with my friends to teach them another country’s games and traditions.
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I loved the sessions of national games, because despite the fact that we were all very different we did have similarities in the games that we played in our countries. And I loved the process how each participant was involved in those sessions. I learnt so much, and I tried to grasp everything I could. It was very interesting to get to know how other countries were fighting against discrimination. I am going to share my knowledge on social platforms and share everything we did during the project by posting articles with pictures.
-Madlen(Armenia)
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To my mind this is the best tool to exchange diferent cultures because it is both attractive and educacional. This national games help to get to know other cultures and do it with a good mood.
-Deniz(Latvia)
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During the project ive realized we are so similar even though we come from very different countries. I saw it from how we play presented games. They all are alike, doesn’t matter the county it comes from. So it shows we have the same basic needs and same feelings, emotions and issues. They make us humans. And in the end of the ends we are all just grown kids.
-Jenya(Ukraine)
This project has been amazing. There were too may russian speakers. Traditional games bring people from different cultures together regardless of their background and context. In this project I have learned that Russian is very important, and I have learned many games that I will play with my friends.
-Adriana(Spain)
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