One of the main results of the Youth Green Compass project is its educational, cooperative, discussion-based board game designed to help young people explore sustainability, climate change and environmental responsibility. Developed by the project partners, the game aims to promote dialogue, cooperation and critical thinking, and to turn abstract concepts such as carbon footprint, circular economy or sustainable consumption into concrete experiences that are easier to understand and relate to everyday life.
How the Game Works
At the heart of the game is a tower of wooden blocks representing three interconnected systems: Nature, Society and Economy. Designed for groups of three to four players aged 15 and over, the game invites participants to face challenges inspired by real-life environmental and social problems.
In each turn, players choose a Challenge Card, discuss it with their teammates and agree on a solution, using Theme Cards that suggest approaches such as circular economy or collective action. A Number Card then determines how that decision affects each system, and players move the blocks of the tower accordingly.
Every third challenge solved triggers an Event Card, which introduces an unexpected situation, such as a major power blackout, and puts the tower under new pressure.
The game ends when a set number of challenges have been played or when the tower collapses, a very visual way of showing how our decisions affect the balance between people, the planet and the economy.
The game also includes some playful touches, like the “Pickle Block”, which is passed from player to player as a talking stick. Beyond the gameplay, the discussions connect directly with key European frameworks such as the European Green Deal, the European Climate Pact, the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and the European Youth Strategy, showing young people that their ideas relate to real European goals.
Download It and Make It Your Own
The game is available online, so anyone can download it, print it and start playing. On the project’s educational game page, you can watch a video tutorial and find all the materials you need in these links:
- Educational game page (video tutorial and downloads)
- Full Instructions + Printable Cards
- DIY Guide “Transforming your Wooden Blocks set for your Youth Green Compass board game”
The instructions and cards are also available in French, German, Spanish, Italian and Lithuanian. In fact, printing is exactly how it all began: the first prototypes were printed on cardboard and cut out by hand to make the cards.
The only element not included in the download is, obviously, the tower, but which can be built with a standard set of wooden stacking blocks. The tower uses 45 blocks, 15 for each system, in three colours: natural wood, light green and dark green, plus one extra block that serves as the Pickle Block. Following the DIY guide, only the short ends of the blocks need to be coloured, using non-toxic, water-based markers rather than solvent-based or acrylic paints. This way, the set stays true to the sustainable spirit of the project and can still be used for regular stacking games.
To support facilitators, the project has also published the Guidelines for Youth Workers, an open-access resource with practical tips, activity ideas such as role-playing, collaborative problem-solving and simulation games, and references to relevant EU strategies to help integrate the game into everyday youth work.
Physical Copies Available in Spain
The physical copies of the game have finally arrived. Each partner has printed its own sets, and in Spain Cultura Creativa now has 13 sets in Spanish and 10 sets in English, together with their wooden towers.
During November, Cultura Creativa will organise one or more events in Alicante and the surrounding area to present the project, its objectives and results, and to share the game with organisations working with young people and with youth workers. The aim is for these sets to be used in associations, schools and other educational settings, as well as by organisations we collaborate with in international projects.
Why two languages? English makes the game suitable for international settings, such as youth exchanges and other European projects. However, in Spain many young people may not yet have the level of English needed to get the most out of the experience. Since the game deals with complex topics and relies on discussion, playing in their own language allows participants to engage more deeply and make the most of its educational value.
A Game Built to Last
Whether downloaded and printed at home or picked up at one of our events, the Youth Green Compass game is designed to keep sparking conversations about sustainability long after the project ends. Any youth worker, educator or organisation can now bring it into their work and help young people turn learning into action.
Youth Green Compass is a project co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EACEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
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