PLAYADR: Promoting Learning in ADR through Youth-oriented Playful Approaches

The project PLAYADR: Promoting Learning in ADR through Youth-oriented Playful Approaches aims to equip youth workers with the knowledge and skills to use games and educational tools to teach Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) concepts to young people.

What is ADR?

ADR stands for Alternative Dispute Resolution. It's a collective term for methods of resolving disputes outside of traditional legal avenues like litigation. ADR methods include arbitration, mediation, negotiation, and conciliation. These approaches are often preferred because they can be quicker, less expensive, and more flexible than going to court. They also offer parties more control over the outcome and can sometimes preserve relationships better than adversarial processes.

PLAYADR will involve 37 participants from 10 countries: Hungary, Croatia, Italy, Armenia, Albania, Poland, North of Macedonia, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Estonia. 

The specific objectives are:

• to create the best condition for mutual understanding;
• to define Alternative Dispute Resolution and explain its different types in order to understand its various forms, such as negotiation, mediation, conflict management, conflict resolution, and Non-Violent Communication.
• to identify the benefits of using games and educational tools to teach ADR in order to recognize the advantages of employing games and educational tools as effective methods for teaching ADR, including increased engagement and enhanced retention.
• to select and adapt games and educational tools to teach specific ADR concepts: Participants should be capable of choosing appropriate games and educational tools that align with specific ADR concepts and modifying them to suit the learning environment.
• to learn how to facilitate games and educational tools in a way that is engaging and effective in order to acquire the skills to lead game-based and educational activities in a manner that captures participants' interest encourages participation, and effectively conveys ADR concepts.
• to evaluate the effectiveness of games and educational tools in teaching ADR in order to be able to assess the success of using games and educational tools to teach ADR by measuring participants' comprehension, engagement, and overall learning outcomes.
• to increase international cooperation: networking and advocating

The project also matches up with the European Training Strategy, which means it helps participants learn important skills like Cooperating successfully in teams and Communicating meaningfully with others.

Additionally, PLAYADR supports European Youth Goal #8, which is all about making education better. It does this by introducing new ways of learning that help people develop their personal skills. These skills include conflict resolution, mediation (helping people talk and find solutions), and negotiation (finding agreements). These skills are important not only for ADR but also for personal growth.