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A digital simulation game helping learners build empathy, challenge stereotypes and strengthen intercultural dialogue through the power of play.
What if the most powerful way to understand someone else’s life was simply to live it for a moment? In classrooms and youth spaces across Europe, that question is being answered not through lectures or textbooks, but through a digital simulation game. Become an Agent of Social Changes put players directly in the shoes of Ukrainian refugees navigating discrimination, misunderstanding and exclusion – and challenges them to choose how to respond. Every decision matters, every outcome teaches something real.
Developed by an international team of partners from Ukraine, Romania, Greece and Poland as part of Erasmus+ UTOPIA project, the game is already reaching students, youth workers and educators across Europe. In its first pilot, more than 160 participants played their way to greater empathy – with 87% reporting a better understanding of refugee experiences, 85% an increase in empathy, and 91% describing the activity as engaging or very engaging. In a world where displacement and integration are among the social challenges of our time, this innovative practice is turning game-play into a genuine force for inclusion.
“The scenarios felt very realistic. The game helped me see situations from different perspectives and understand how small actions can make a big difference.” Karyna, student participant
Read on to find out why this initiative was selected as one of the nine finalists of the New Learning Award 2026.
The project
The war in Ukraine forced millions to rebuild their lives in new communities and countries. For refugees, this often meant facing issues of discrimination and cultural misunderstanding, while host communities lacked the tools to empathise and help.
Become an Agent of Social Changes was developed to help address this shortfall in empathy and understanding. The game places learners inside six interactive scenarios drawn from the real experiences of Ukrainian refugees, including hate speech at school, barriers to the labour market, social stereotypes and cultural misunderstandings. Players choose their character, either a Ukrainian refugee or a local youth witness, and navigate each situation through a series of decisions, with every choice leading to one of up to 16 outcomes. It challenges players to consider complexity, face the consequences of their decisions, and then try again.
Facilitators guide structured reflection once the game ends, encouraging participants to question their assumptions and connect their experience in the game to their world outside it. By combining citizenship, life and transversal competences into every decision, the simulation transforms abstract social issues into personal learning experiences that foster empathy, ethical reasoning and a deeper sense of civic responsibility. Available online in five languages and adaptable across schools, universities and youth organisations, it is a game that puts us in others’ shoes – at a time when that has never mattered more.
Why this practice stands out
The ETF and its partners have selected this initiative as one of the nine finalists for the New Learning Award 2026. Here is why this learning practice stands out:
- Empathy you can feel, not just understand: The real-life inspired scenarios create emotional engagement with refugees’ experiences. 85% of players report an increase in empathy.
- An innovative bridge between communities: The game brings refugees and host community members together in a unique learning experience, developing mutual understanding and social cohesion. 87% of players report a better understanding of refugee experiences
- Multiple competences, one coherent experience: Citizenship, digital, entrepreneurial, and personal and social competences are blended into every decision players make. This strengthens critical thinking and ethical reasoning
- Designed to travel: Freely accessible online, multilingual and requiring no specialist equipment, the game is a transferable model for empathy-centred learning across Europe and beyond.
“The simulation creates a bridge between refugees and host communities. It encourages dialogue and helps people move beyond stereotypes.” Anna, youth worker
The future
Become an Agent of Social Change is ready to grow. The team plans to expand across schools, universities and youth organisations throughout Europe, using teacher training as a key route to scale. New scenarios addressing wider themes of diversity and social cohesion are in development, and further language versions will open the experience to more leaners across Europe and its neighbours.
For a game designed to change how people see one another, the next level is already in sight.
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- Back to: ETF New Learning Award 2026
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