Part 2: Project “Fostering Edu-LARP use on migration topics”

From 23 to 26 June 2025 we continued our project ‘Fostering the use of EduLARP methods on migration topics’ in Meißner (North Hesse) with the second Minosia Labyrinth training seminar. Once again, learners from Greece, Spain, Italy and Germany came together to spend four days exploring the Educational Life Action Roleplay method in non-formal political education. This time, it was a particularly large group of more than 40 youth workers of different age groups, because after XX youth workers had completed the training cycle for implementing the Minosia Labyrinth method in the spring, they now led the seminar themselves. This enabled around 30 additional learners from the partner organisations, their networks and freelancers to gain a new, deeper understanding of the topics of migration and inclusion from the perspective of those affected and with strong self-reflective elements. The new Minosia Labyrinth trainers arrived two days earlier to make all the preparations on site and finalise arrangements. Then things got hectic again when several participants cancelled at short notice for various reasons and replacements had to be found quickly from the waiting list. In addition, one trainer had to drop out for family reasons, which also required quick action from the new management team. All in all, it was a very realistic scenario that the new team had to deal with. Fortunately, they had the full support of their two experienced instructors from the solar team.

The weather and the local conditions in the middle of the Hoher Meißner nature reserve helped to put the learners in a relaxed, open and positive mood on Sunday. And they did well over the following four days :-). Good preparation and precise seminar planning, as we had already done at the training seminar in May in the northern Italian Alps, now paid off for the new trainers from the partner organisations.

This time, they met a very diverse group with a high proportion of migrants. Due to spontaneous cancellations, two additional participants from Germany joined, which made the group somewhat unbalanced. However, this did not matter greatly, as there were a large number of migrants among the participants from Germany, whose participation enabled the group to have many perspectives, backgrounds and experiences, particularly in the evaluation.

The local conditions in Meißner also offered the opportunity to significantly expand the EduLARP playing field compared to training in Berlin, making the LARP experience even more realistic and complex. Based on their own experiences as learners in Berlin, the new team also wanted to try out the effects of interrupting the evaluation exercises with a free afternoon for the participants and extending the programme slightly on the last day. This turned out to be a very good option, as it allowed the learners to exchange ideas more informally during their free time on a guided hike or to rest, depending on their needs and capacities. It also gave the new team of trainers a little more time for relaxation and coordination. The next day, everyone was able to start the evaluation part on the social dimensions of the Minosia Labyrinth experience with a fresh mind and think about perspectives and their options for action. The subsequent evaluation brought up many interesting aspects. The new team of trainers received a lot of recognition and also some suggestions for improvement for their work. We collected feedback on the method itself, and the co-trainers from the solar team also noted down some aspects for the internal team evaluation the next day. But first, everyone needed a short break after the learners had left the next morning. The materials had to be packed up, the accommodation cleared out, etc.

In the afternoon, the team of trainers met again for their internal evaluation. First, they looked at things from the perspective of the trainees. Then the trainees received detailed feedback from the trainers at solar e.V. Finally, this intensive week ended with a last evening together on the terrace of Haus Schwalbenthal, where most of the training had taken place.