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Come out & Play!
Start date: Jun 25, 2014, End date: Jan 24, 2016 PROJECT  FINISHED 

Young people nowadays spend half of the hours that they are awake in computers, cell phones, TVs, and monitors for video games. The consequences of this phenomenon (called “videophilia”) are especially negative for their psychological, mental and physical health. Major role to combat this phenomenon are considered to have outdoor activities. The project “Come Out & Play!” has an aim to outline the importance of outdoor activities and street games as means of dealing with young people's addiction to internet and the “videophilia” phenomenon. This will be achieved with a very entertaining, participatory and learning way. The main idea of the project will be based on the street games that are or were played in various countries, usually by the older generations. The participant youngsters will leave their computers and cell phones aside and they will get out to play with each other and with the locals. They will present the outdoor games that are played in their countries, they will test and play them with the rest, they will run, laugh and entertain themselves. After the games, there will be discussions and workshops, whereby the impressions from the experience of outdoor games will be described, issues of addiction to internet and computers will be examined and the importance of healthy behaviors and way of living will be analyzed. All activities and workshops will be realized in the frame of non-formal and informal learning. Some of the most important goals of the project are the following: • To encourage outdoor activities as means of promoting healthy behaviors and way of living and as a means of reinforcing the mental, psychological and physical health of young people. • To create intercultural learning and to discover cultural elements and identities of participants and their countries through the street games played today and in the past. • The inclusion and active participation in the project of young people with fewer opportunities. • The intergenerational approach of youngsters with older people. • The development of social, personal, group skills amongst participants and to reinforce their self esteem and self confidence. • To sensitize and provide knowledge about the side-effects of modern technological means, about the dangers hidden in getting addicted to internet and about the phenomenon of “videophilia”. • To create a handbook (with a catalogue of all games and detailed instructions) and a DVD/electronic material with all outdoor games that were presented from the various countries of participants. It is expected that this youth exchange will have multiple benefits for participants, most important of which are that they are going to acquire useful and detailed knowledge about the dangers of internet and about the “videophilia” phenomenon, they will appreciate the value and benefits of outdoor activities and healthy ways of living, their intercultural learning and understanding will be reinforced and they will develop useful skills. The project gives an opportunity for inclusion and participation to many young people with fewer opportunities and its impact can be wide and on a long-term, since a lot of concrete and useful material will be produced in the end, a big part of the local community will be included and will have an active role and there is a detailed, clear and ambitious plan to spread and disseminate the results of the project. The youth exchange will be realized in the heart of the summer in the town of Edessa in Greece and 31 young people aged 18-30 years, together with their group leaders, will participate from 7 countries of Europe (Italy, Romania, Hungary, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Greece).
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