Developing active citizenship and entrepreneurial skills is essential for equipping young people, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, with the tools to overcome socio-economic challenges and contribute meaningfully to society. Youth workers play a pivotal role in fostering these competencies, especially in under-resourced areas where opportunities are limited. Their ability to nurture active citizenship and entrepreneurial mindsets can have a transformative impact on their development. However, many youth workers, often volunteers, face challenges due to a lack of access to quality learning resources and effective methodologies to support youth development.

Research increasingly recognizes game-based learning as a powerful and engaging methodology to address this gap, offering an evidence-informed approach to building critical skills. The Active Youth Hub project, funded by the European Commission under the Erasmus+ Program (Cooperation Partnerships in Youth), was developed to address these needs. This strategic initiative focuses on empowering youth workers by equipping them with innovative game-based learning tools. Its primary objective is to design, prototype, and implement engaging educational experiences that foster active citizenship and entrepreneurial skills among disadvantaged youth, enhancing their personal and professional development.

This paper presents two card games and one digital game developed to achieve these goals. The card games, designed for small group play, involve players taking turns drawing cards that pose questions or scenarios related to entrepreneurship or active citizenship. Each card prompts players to respond to challenges, with feedback and counterarguments facilitated by a coordinator to encourage deeper reflection. The entrepreneurship card game addresses key topics such as understanding business fundamentals, budgeting, teamwork, and the role of technology, helping players cultivate essential entrepreneurial skills. The active citizenship card game explores themes such as voting, human rights, community engagement, and media literacy, encouraging young people to become proactive, informed citizens.

The digital game offers an immersive and interactive learning experience designed to enhance active citizenship and youth entrepreneurship skills. Structured as a six-room challenge, it covers topics such as pitching business ideas, leveraging social media, understanding democracy, fostering community organization, and promoting volunteering. Each room contains five engaging challenges that test participants’ knowledge, foster critical thinking, and provide immediate feedback. An AI-powered avatar adds a realistic dimension by enabling participants to practice their skills in simulated real-life scenarios. Accessible on various devices, the game seamlessly blends gameplay with educational objectives, serving as a valuable resource for both youth workers and young people.

Testing of the card and digital games with over 250 participants from Greece, Romania, and the Netherlands demonstrated significant positive outcomes. These findings highlight the transformative potential of such innovative learning initiatives in fostering active citizenship and entrepreneurial skills among youth, underscoring their value as tools for empowerment and growth.

Keywords: Active citizenship, youth entrepreneurship, game-based learning, youth work, youth development, Erasmus+.