What happens when people from six different countries come together, united by a shared goal: supporting young people and building a more just and open world? Magic happens🪄
And that’s exactly what we experienced in last week in Warsaw during the latest meeting of the Better Cooperate project. We’ve just wrapped up a few incredibly intense days – full of energy, connection, and purpose. Days in which we brought together knowledge, experience, ideas, and heart – to create something that truly matters.
Our wonderful host was the amazing team of Futuregames, who not only opened their space to us, but also created an atmosphere of trust, collaboration, and togetherness. In this creative environment, we tested a prototype of an educational computer game – designed with young people in mind, helping them learn how to work as a team, make decisions, and engage with their communities. This isn’t just “a game” – it’s a tool for building the essential skills of the future.
At the same time, we were also working on a board game – more analog, but equally engaging. Because education isn’t just about screens and apps – it’s also about sitting around a table, having real conversations, feeling emotions, and finding solutions together. We want both games – digital and board – to be available to anyone who supports youth development: teachers, educators, NGOs, youth centers, and community spaces.
The project brings together trainers and educators from Italy, Sweden, Serbia, Germany, Spain, and Poland. And it’s amazing how quickly – despite cultural and language differences – we found a shared understanding. Because values like empathy, engagement, and belief in young people are truly universal. Each of us brought our own perspective, and together we created something bigger than the sum of our parts.
One of the most moving moments of our gathering was visiting the cooperative Kuchnia Czerwony Rower in Warsaw’s Praga – a place that connects people through food and collective action. We shared a warm, home-cooked meal and listened to powerful stories about what it means to run a social enterprise – one that gives people a second chance, creates jobs, and builds real community. It was a beautiful lesson in humility, authenticity, and the importance of local action.
So what was the common thread running through these days? Sensitivity. Openness. And a deep belief that education can look different – and better. We want to create spaces, tools, and methods that don’t just teach, but truly empower. That show young people they have a voice – and that working together actually works.
