Summer meet-ups

August warmed us all the way up with heatwaves but also wonderful meetings with amazing people. Let’s look back, before we start tackling the fact that we have to start embracing a whole new season again. Time sure flies when you’re staying active!

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Events in Pernik – by Ayo

On the 12th of August I was able to join Raya to the exhibition of youth organisations in Pernik! At first I didn't really know what to expect but was pleasantly surprised by how nicely the event was organized. Again, thanks to the amazing International Youth Center Pernik and Pernik na mladite, who gave their all to make the event as put together as it was. We got a little booth to set-up our activities on and went to work!

Throughout the event we had the chance to interact with people who just passed by and discuss important topics in relation to projects we are working on, but we also made a lot of connections with the organizations who attended! I'd say, it was not only a chance to reach out to more people but also an amazing networking opportunity!

Oh, and I almost forgot the most exciting part - the giveaway! Alongside having interesting discussions with people, we also gave them the opportunity to enter a small giveaway, which you can see (and also the winners) in a previous post of ours! I think it was a very neat idea. Very refreshing event!

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Youth groups in the park and in the city – by Raya

Our youth groups have been going on for some time! But in July, we took a break as everyone was traveling and it was difficult to find time for everyone to meet. We tried to amend that and in August, we managed to meet several times – in the community center, which sadly couldn’t host us anymore, in cafes, once even as a full-day park picnic in the Borisova gardens. It’s so lovely having the chance to discuss important topics with bright young people who care – and they do care. I keep hearing how they care about each other, about society, about the issues that surround us. About bullying, discrimination, youth empowerment, violence prevention. This makes all the difference. ?

Soon, as we’re wrapping up the 17 meetings that were planned, I want to invite the participants to become facilitators of the next round of youth groups, so that we keep on this wonderful energy. Interested in joining our next groups? Interested in becoming a facilitator of one? Have a suggestion for a safe space we can use for our groups? We would love to hear from you on any of these – just send us a message wherever is easiest for you. ??

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Improv Games in Varna: Breaking Job Stereotypes with a Little Theater and much Laughter – by Bozhidar Panayotov

I recently attended an event, organised by The Future Now with the support of Игриказки / Playtales , that promised to shatter job stereotypes—and it did just that, with a mix of improvisational theatre games and a healthy dose of laughter. We gathered in Varna’s Sea Garden, ready to explore why some professions still carry the labels "male" or "female." The improv games were fantastic—they placed us in various career scenarios where we had to improvise and tackle stereotypes head-on. It turned out that even the most ordinary situations could reveal how deeply rooted our biases are. With plenty of humour and spontaneity, we realized just how often outdated ideas guide us. After the games, we had a discussion, we shared stories—some funny, others inspiring, but all of them made us rethink our career paths. And, of course, the event wrapped up with a bit of networking—because what’s an event without making new connections and friends? Between the laughs and serious reflections, we managed to peek beyond the stereotypes. It was a fantastic 3-hour event that made me wonder if I’ve been overlooking any "female" professions that might be just right for me.

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Coming up on the 11th – in Sofia – one more event for HEY PEOPLE! – by a very excited Raya

We organized the Impro games event within the framework of our HEY PEOPLE! project, in which we discuss gender stereotypes in career orientation. We will continue having this conversation with a new framework – sci-fi and fantasy and how they have explored the topic, in a format including an interactive lecture (by the ever-wonderful Joro Penchev ) and discussion, on the 11th of September in Hyperspace, Sofia. You can see more about the event here and sign up! https://fb.me/e/2r5upQIvx

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Free space in our Newsletter – by Ali ?

I guess this is my turn to join the freeform section of this newsletter!

August is over and I’m grateful that the heat will be over soon, hopefully. We at TFN got also some great news that a project was granted funding. Circles is a project that is essentially the continuation of CETERIS, a game that we hold dearly in heart! I’m very glad that Erasmus and even universities are thrilled and supporting the subject of gamification!

As an old school gamer, this is music to my ears. I loved games, the nostalgia of them, the stories and lore that video games provided. I remember buying cornflakes that had a CD of a “watered down” video game such as Crazy Taxi. Now, we get to create them and change the way that people view video gaming especially regarding its approach to education.

The more I think about it, the more I see how my favorite educators and teachers used similar techniques that my favorite games used as well. Stories and fun! Tests in schools were minigames, and stories about my favorite teacher was essentially lore that I collected.

This led me to explore different video game engines that allow almost anyone to start creating video games! Here are my recommendations for this month ?? RGP Maker MV,MZ (and any previous version, paid), GameMaker Studio (free) and lastly Ren'Py (free). If you start creating you can tag us @weare.tfn and we can showcase your progress in future newsletters :D Stay creative, stay healthy!

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One more thing, related to Ali – he took part in the Training Course CitizenSphere in May, in Slovakia, and the result from that activity just came out – a series of educational videos made by the participants. If you’re interested, you can take a look over here: https://europeandialogue.notion.site/CITIZENSPHERE-Pathways-to-Active-Participation-and-Citizenship-b82636faa654417798d3f36b9739149c

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And if you made it all the way here until the end, we would love to hear from you – comment below in however long you feel like writing. How was your August? Do you have a memory from this month you want to share with us, and we will together keep and cherish it?

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With lots of love,

The TFN team