Educators can face difficulties when teaching about migration decision-making and its impacts on migrants and host societies. It is currently a highly politicised topic.

Young people, their families and friends have different opinions and migration-related experiences. Public debate that shapes these opinions is not always well grounded in facts and can lack balanced representation of different points of view.

This innovative learning tool uses role play and other game mechanisms that minimise potential tensions among users.

The players will:

• Experience the complexity of migration decision-making at different levels: EU, national, city.
• Get to know the positions and interests of different actors: EU and national policymakers, civil society, employers, migrant associations, different sections of EU public.
• Consider possible impacts of migration and integration policies on different groups of migrants: asylum seekers and refugees, irregular migrants, labour migrants.
• Develop 21st century skills such as critical thinking, collaboration, communication and leadership.

The educators and trainers will get:

• An innovative learning and training tool that teaches and raises awareness about a politically and socially salient issue.
• A tool that players should be able to use independently without the need for teachers’ and trainers’ direct supervision. (Instructions are included in the Rulebook and in a dedicated instruction video)
• Customized background material that introduces the tool and the topics covered in it and guides players towards additional preparatory work to enhance their learning experience.

Destination Europe was developed together with migration experts from various European countries joined in the European Migration Network. It was tested with over 230 users including teachers, young people, migration experts, policymakers, and practitioners.

Game design & content: Dr. Alice Szczepanikova with contribution from Gamesandlearning.nl

Graphic design & artwork: Heiko Günther

Destination Europe is played in 3 rounds, each round representing a group of decision-makers at a different level:

1. Ministers from EU countries & EU Commissioner
2. National Government
3. City Council in the capital of the country

In each round, participants take on the role of specific persons or groups that have to balance migration-related challenges.

No single player wins, success is measured as a group based on:

• How the participants shaped the lives of 3 migrants
• The attitude of the public towards migration

The decisions taken create a unique future for the European Union, the country and the migrants.

Details:

• Players: 4-6
• Age:16+
• Time: +- 90 min
• Versions: 2 regional versions with different starting scenarios
• Challenges: 6 total challenges (2 per round)
• Migrant personas: 3 migrant personas (slightly differ between regional versions)

Destination Europe will be gradually translated into different European languages.

The educational tool is currently available in 12 languages: Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Latvian, Lithuanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Spanish and Ukrainian.

With the help of European Migration Network’s National Contact Points, printed copies will be disseminated to secondary schools. The print-and-play version of the tool (downloadable below) will also be made freely available online in different languages.

If you are a secondary school teacher, contact your country’s EMN National Contact Point to find out about access to printed copies.

If you want to use the print-and-play version: 

1. Print the content listed below by following the instructions on the first page of each document
2. Cut if needed
3. Fold if needed
4. Play by following the instructions in the Rule Book

Destination Europe is available in two regional editions:

• Northern, western and southern EU
• Central and eastern EU.

Migration and integration issues are specific to each country based on its geography, economy, history and politics.

Scenarios and storylines must be relatable in different parts of Europe, for practical reasons, we have produced two different regional editions. Both versions reflect some of the different regional realities in Europe.

The vast majority of content is identical in both editions. The regional editions only differ in terms of migrant personas, some of the roles’ descriptions and several migration events. Most importantly, there are different starting scenarios specific to the regional context.

If you are uncertain about which regional edition to use, contact your country’s EMN National Contact Point.

Regional editions and starting scenarios: