INCLUSIVE MINDS

Funding programme

Erasmus+ KA210-ADU – Small-scale Partnerships in Adult Education

Project reference

2023-2-AT01-KA210-ADU-000179309

Period

2024–2026

Coordinating organisation

Fremde werden Freunde (Austria)

Participating countries

Austria, Greece, Sweden

Official project website

Visit official website

Inclusive Minds aimed to promote the mental well-being, emotional awareness and social inclusion of migrant women through participatory adult education, community activities and cooperative board game-based learning.

The project focused particularly on women aged 40–60 who may experience language barriers, limited social networks, difficulties accessing employment, family responsibilities and challenges adapting to a new cultural and social environment.

Its educational approach combines the Wheel of Life framework with realistic stress scenarios, coping strategy cards, collaborative discussion and facilitated reflection.

Specific learning objectives

• Mental health awareness: Encourage participants to recognise the importance of emotional and psychological well-being in everyday life and social integration.
• Stress awareness: Help participants identify sources of stress associated with migration, housing, employment, language barriers, family responsibilities and social exclusion.
• Coping strategies: Introduce possible ways of responding to stressful situations through practical examples and supportive group discussion.
• Emotional literacy: Encourage participants to recognise, describe and communicate emotions associated with challenging experiences.
• Self-awareness: Support reflection on personal needs, available resources, priorities and different dimensions of well-being.
• Holistic well-being: Introduce the Wheel of Life framework to encourage discussion about the relationships between social, financial, professional, family, physical, intellectual and spiritual aspects of life.
• Empathy: Encourage participants to consider other people’s experiences, perspectives and possible responses to challenging situations.
• Social inclusion: Create opportunities for migrant and local women to interact, exchange experiences and build supportive relationships.
• Communication: Strengthen confidence in expressing personal ideas, listening to others and participating in group conversations.
• Intercultural understanding: Promote respectful dialogue among participants with different languages, cultural backgrounds and migration experiences.
• Problem-solving: Encourage groups to identify possible responses to realistic difficulties and discuss their potential advantages and limitations.
• Collaborative decision-making: Provide opportunities for participants to select coping strategies collectively and pursue shared game objectives.
• Peer support: Help participants recognise the value of supportive relationships, community networks and mutual assistance.
• Confidence in seeking assistance: Encourage awareness of the possibility of requesting help from trusted individuals, community organisations and relevant professional services.
• Social connectedness: Promote shared experiences that may encourage trust, belonging and continued interaction within community groups.
• Adult educator competences: Equip facilitators and community workers with a structured board game and educational guidance for introducing sensitive topics through non-formal learning.
• Inclusive educational participation: Reduce barriers to learning through multilingual materials, cooperative activities and adaptable facilitation.

The game’s intended educational contribution lies primarily in discussing realistic challenges, identifying possible coping responses and sharing perspectives within a supportive group.

These objectives should be distinguished from demonstrated clinical or psychological outcomes. The board game is an educational and social-support resource, not a validated mental health treatment or a substitute for professional psychological care.

Inclusive Minds developed an original cooperative educational board game designed by Dracon Rules Design Studio within the Erasmus+ project “Inclusive Minds: Migrant Women’s Mental Health”.

The game uses realistic stress scenarios and coping strategy cards to encourage discussion, empathy, emotional awareness and social connection among migrant women and other adult participants.

Its design is based on the Wheel of Life framework, which represents different dimensions of personal well-being through a shared visual board.

Game developed

1. Inclusive Minds

Inclusive Minds is a cooperative, card-based tabletop game in which participants respond to everyday stressors by proposing coping strategies and discussing the possible consequences of different approaches.

The central educational experience involves examining situations that may be familiar to migrant women, including difficulties related to employment, housing, legal circumstances, communication, family responsibilities and social exclusion.

Participants work collectively to improve the symbolic balance of the different domains represented on the Wheel of Life board.

Main game characteristics

• Game designer: Dracon Rules Design Studio, Greece.
• Game origin: Original educational game developed within the project.
• Format: Physical cooperative board game with cards, trackers and a digital tabletop adaptation.
• Target population: Primarily migrant women aged 40–60, although the game may be used with other adult groups.
• Player count: The Tabletopia edition supports 1–8 participants. Educational workshop arrangements may differ.
• Duration: The Tabletopia listing indicates approximately 15–45 minutes. Facilitated discussion and reflection may extend a complete educational session.
• Shared objective: Work together to bring the markers representing the different Wheel of Life domains into the green area of the board.
• Cooperative interaction: Participants discuss challenges and possible responses rather than competing to accumulate the highest individual score.
• Scenario-based challenges: Stress Cards introduce situations associated with everyday difficulties.
• Coping strategy selection: Mindfulness Cards present possible responses and strategies that players can use to address the scenarios.
• Initial hand: The published game description specifies that each participant begins with three Mindfulness Cards.
• Collaborative discussion: Players are encouraged to explain their choices, consider alternatives and share relevant perspectives.
• Point allocation: Points are awarded for the effective use of Mindfulness Cards, contributing to the group’s progress.
• Domain progression: Trackers represent the group’s progress towards greater symbolic balance in the areas of the Wheel of Life.
• Round tracking: A separate Round Tracker supports the organisation of the game sequence.

Game components

Wheel of Life Board

The principal game board represents seven dimensions of well-being: social, career, financial, spiritual, physical, intellectual and family life.

The board provides a shared visual representation of the different areas that may influence personal well-being.

The objective is to move the relevant markers towards the green zone, representing a more balanced situation.

Stress Cards

Stress Cards introduce realistic challenges and difficulties that may arise in everyday life.

The project identifies examples relating to exclusion, legal status, housing and work.

These fictional scenarios provide a starting point for discussion without necessarily requiring participants to reveal their own personal experiences.

Mindfulness Cards

Mindfulness Cards present possible coping strategies, supportive actions and responses to stressful situations.

Participants select or use these cards to respond to the challenges introduced by the Stress Cards.

During discussion, they can consider why a particular strategy may be appropriate and whether different approaches could also be helpful.

Domain Trackers

These markers represent progress within the different areas of the Wheel of Life.

Their movement provides feedback concerning the group’s progress towards the cooperative objective.

Round Tracker

The Round Tracker provides a visual reference for the progression of the activity.

Rulebook

The project provides a dedicated rulebook explaining preparation, components, the sequence of play and game completion.

Trainer’s Guide

A separate publication supports adult educators and facilitators in using the game within group activities, community programmes and well-being workshops.

Documented gameplay structure

1. Preparation: The Wheel of Life board, Stress Cards, Mindfulness Cards and progress trackers are arranged for the session.
2. Initial cards: Each participant begins with three Mindfulness Cards, according to the published gameplay description.
3. Challenge: A Stress Card introduces a realistic situation requiring an appropriate response.
4. Strategy selection: Participants consider available Mindfulness Cards and identify possible ways of addressing the challenge.
5. Discussion: Players explain their choices and consider the relevance of the proposed strategies.
6. Progress: Successful responses generate points and contribute to progress within the relevant Wheel of Life domains.
7. Collective objective: Players seek to bring the domain markers into the green area of the board.

The exact turn sequence, numerical scoring rules and conditions for exhausting the game were not independently reconstructed from the complete rulebook during this review.

Educational integration

The game’s principal educational content is embedded in the relationship between Stress Cards and Mindfulness Cards.

Players encounter a challenging situation, consider available responses and explain why a proposed coping strategy might be suitable.

The cooperative board provides a representation of collective progress and encourages participants to consider different aspects of personal well-being.

However, the quality of a response and the interpretation of a coping strategy depend substantially on the discussion and facilitation associated with gameplay.

The game is therefore best understood as a cooperative, scenario-based educational board game with a strong facilitated reflection component.

Digital adaptation

Inclusive Minds is also available through Tabletopia as a digital tabletop game.

The platform lists the game as free, supporting one to eight players and sessions lasting approximately 15–45 minutes.

The digital implementation is an adaptation of the physical board game, not a separate educational game developed by the consortium.

Multilingual availability

The official partner website lists the project’s educational materials in English, German, Greek, Swedish and Arabic.

The game’s multilingual design is particularly relevant to the intended population, as participants may have different levels of proficiency in the language used by the facilitator.

Game approach: Custom-designed cooperative educational board game, with scenario-based card selection, group discussion, shared progress tracking and a digital tabletop adaptation.

Official resources:

• Inclusive Minds – Game Components, Rulebook and Trainer’s Guide
• Inclusive Minds – Digital Tabletopia Version
• Inclusive Minds – Game Mechanics and Objectives

Inclusive Minds adopts a cooperative Board Game-Based Learning methodology combining scenario-based discussion, peer learning, emotional awareness and facilitator-supported reflection.

The educational activity is based on the Wheel of Life framework, which encourages participants to consider different dimensions of personal well-being and their relationships with everyday experiences.

The methodology was developed for adult learners, particularly migrant women, and aims to create opportunities for communication, mutual understanding and the exploration of coping strategies.

Methodological approach

1. Needs identification: The project investigated the challenges faced by migrant women in Austria and Sweden, including barriers associated with language, employment, integration, housing and access to supportive networks.
2. Development of realistic scenarios: Information gathered through interviews and project activities informed the design of situations represented in the game.
3. Game-based learning design: The partnership developed a cooperative tabletop game combining Stress Cards, Mindfulness Cards, a Wheel of Life board and shared progress tracking.
4. Preparation of the learning environment: Facilitators prepare the physical components and establish an appropriate setting for respectful discussion and voluntary participation.
5. Introduction to the Wheel of Life: Participants are introduced to the different domains represented on the board and the idea that well-being involves several interconnected aspects of life.
6. Introduction to the cooperative objective: The group is informed that its aim is to achieve greater symbolic balance across the Wheel of Life domains.
7. Presentation of stress scenarios: Stress Cards introduce fictional but realistic situations involving difficulties participants may recognise from everyday life.
8. Selection of coping strategies: Participants examine their available Mindfulness Cards and consider which responses could help address a particular situation.
9. Collective reasoning: Players discuss the potential benefits and limitations of different responses, drawing on their perspectives and knowledge.
10. Gameplay feedback: The use of appropriate cards generates points and supports the movement of the group’s domain trackers.
11. Progress towards a shared goal: The group works cooperatively to move the relevant domain markers into the green area of the board.
12. Reflection: Facilitators encourage participants to connect the fictional situations with broader questions concerning well-being, support networks and possible coping resources.
13. Formative feedback: Observations and comments collected during testing are used to improve the game and its educational implementation.

Scenario-based learning

The game’s Stress Cards introduce situations associated with challenges that may affect migrant women’s everyday lives.

These include difficulties involving employment, legal circumstances, access to housing, communication, social relationships and adaptation to a new environment.

Participants do not need to provide a personal account of experiencing the problem represented on a card.

Instead, the scenario creates a shared fictional situation that can be examined through discussion and the selection of coping strategies.

This distinction is particularly relevant when addressing sensitive topics, as it allows participants to engage with the learning activity while maintaining control over how much personal information they disclose.

Use of the Wheel of Life

The Wheel of Life provides a visual representation of several dimensions of well-being, including social relationships, work, finances, family life and other personal areas.

As the game progresses, participants work towards improving the symbolic state of the different domains.

The board makes the collective objective visible and allows the group to discuss how difficulties in one area of life may be connected with challenges in others.

However, the movement of game markers should be interpreted as a representation of gameplay progress rather than a clinical measure of psychological well-being.

Cooperative learning

The project presents Inclusive Minds as a cooperative game in which participants work towards a shared objective.

The cooperative structure is intended to reduce the emphasis on individual competition and create opportunities for mutual support.

Players are encouraged to listen to others’ suggestions, explain possible strategies and consider different approaches to stressful situations.

This interaction can provide opportunities for communication, empathy and perspective-taking.

Nevertheless, the educational value of cooperation depends on the opportunities provided for all participants to contribute meaningfully to decisions.

Facilitator’s role

Facilitators are particularly important because the game addresses personal and potentially sensitive subjects.

The partner’s account of the Vienna testing activity describes two groups accompanied by two facilitators each.

Facilitators helped participants understand the rules, supported discussion and encouraged engagement with the educational content.

Recommended facilitation considerations

• Explain the rules using accessible language.
• Check that participants understand the scenarios and available responses.
• Encourage contributions from different group members.
• Allow participants to decline to discuss personal experiences.
• Avoid treating a single coping strategy as universally appropriate for every individual.
• Respect differences in cultural background, personal circumstances and access to resources.
• Encourage supportive rather than judgemental responses.
• Provide opportunities to ask for clarification or receive language assistance.
• Avoid pressuring participants to disclose traumatic experiences or sensitive personal information.
• Recognise when a discussion requires support beyond the competence of an adult educator or game facilitator.

These considerations are appropriate safeguards for transferring the game to new settings. They should not be interpreted as a fully verified reproduction of every procedure in the original Trainer’s Guide.

Reflection and debriefing

Reflection is an important part of the documented gameplay experience.

The discussion of Stress Cards and possible Mindfulness Cards encourages participants to interpret challenges and consider different coping responses.

During the Vienna testing activity, participants shared experiences and discussed mental health challenges and resilience strategies.

The partner reports that facilitators encouraged this interaction and used the experience to gather feedback.

However, a complete standardised post-game debriefing protocol could not be independently reconstructed from the available indexed material.

It is therefore more accurate to describe the project as involving facilitated discussion and reflection during gameplay than to attribute a uniform post-game procedure to every implementation.

Complementary workshops

The project also developed two workshop activities described as “The Wheel of Life” and “The Suitcase of Resources”.

These activities supported reflection on personal challenges, available coping strategies and self-awareness.

They form part of the wider educational programme but should not be classified as additional standalone board games without specific evidence.

Multilingual participation

The project provides resources in English, German, Greek, Swedish and Arabic.

The availability of several languages may help participants understand the fictional scenarios and contribute to group discussion.

However, multilingual printed materials alone do not guarantee accessibility for participants with limited literacy or unfamiliarity with the terminology used in mental health education.

Adaptations may be needed according to individual language proficiency and educational background.

Distinction between educational facilitation and therapeutic intervention

Inclusive Minds is presented as an adult education and social inclusion resource.

Its activities may encourage emotional awareness, discussion and the exploration of coping strategies, but they do not constitute a clinical treatment protocol.

Facilitators should not interpret successful gameplay, positive participation or symbolic progress on the Wheel of Life as evidence that a participant’s mental health condition has improved.

Distinctive methodological feature

Inclusive Minds combines an explicitly cooperative tabletop structure with realistic stress scenarios and a visual representation of different life domains.

The educational activity relies on the relationship between fictional challenges, the selection of coping strategies and discussion within a supportive group.

This approach makes the game particularly relevant to examining how physical board games can be used to facilitate sensitive social and emotional conversations in adult education.

Inclusive Minds was implemented through an Erasmus+ small-scale partnership involving three organisations from Austria, Greece and Sweden.

The project combined research into the needs of migrant women, educational game development, international workshops, testing with participants and dissemination of multilingual resources.

Implementation

• European consortium: Fremde werden Freunde (Austria, coordinator), Dracon Rules Design Studio (Greece) and IKF Malmö – Internationella Kvinnoföreningen (Sweden).
• Official funding: EUR 60,000 under Erasmus+ KA210-ADU, confirmed by the Austrian National Agency.
• Project period: 1 February 2024 – 30 April 2025.
• Target population: Migrant women aged approximately 40–60, particularly those experiencing social, economic, cultural or linguistic barriers.
• Initial needs assessment: Project partners collected information concerning migrant women’s perceptions of mental health, experiences of social inclusion and available coping resources in Austria and Sweden.
• Identified challenges: Partner communications describe language barriers, limited employment opportunities, difficulties in social integration and the importance of supportive community networks.
• First international meeting: Dracon Rules Design Studio hosted project partners in Karditsa, Greece, in June 2024.
• Game development: The partnership designed an original cooperative board game based on the Wheel of Life framework and situations informed by the experiences of migrant women.
• Stress scenarios: The game incorporated fictional situations representing employment, legal, housing and integration-related challenges.
• Coping strategy cards: The partners developed Mindfulness Cards presenting possible ways of responding to everyday difficulties.
• International testing in Vienna: A second Learning, Teaching and Training Activity took place in Vienna in October 2024, hosted by Fremde werden Freunde.
• Testing organisation: The partners organised the game testing with two groups, each supported by two facilitators.
• Participant interaction: During testing, women discussed experiences, mental health challenges and possible resilience strategies.
• Feedback collection: Facilitators and partners collected comments concerning the game, its rules and the participants’ experience.
• Iterative development: The partnership reported that the feedback informed changes to the final version of the game.
• Additional workshops: The project introduced activities such as The Wheel of Life and The Suitcase of Resources, supporting reflection on life challenges, coping resources and self-awareness.
• Awareness activities: The project published newsletters and a podcast discussing mental health, integration and the challenges experienced by foreign-born women.
• Game publication: By April 2025, the project presented its completed cooperative board game and publicly described the final gameplay components.
• Multilingual resources: Game cards, the board, tokens, rules and trainer documentation were listed in English, German, Greek, Swedish and Arabic.
• Digital adaptation: The completed game was also made available through Tabletopia.
• Post-project access: The Swedish partner continues to list Inclusive Minds among its completed Erasmus+ projects, while Dracon maintains a dedicated page presenting the game and its educational resources.

Evaluation approach

The project’s available evidence is primarily qualitative and formative.

The initial needs assessment gathered information to inform game development and identify topics relevant to the intended participants.

Prototype testing provided opportunities to observe engagement, identify problems with the rules and gather suggestions for improving the final game.

The second project newsletter summarises participants’ experiences and comments following testing.

Documented findings

• Perceived relevance: The game’s challenges were based on circumstances identified through the project’s needs assessment.
• Engagement: The project reports that many participants found the game engaging and expressed interest in playing again.
• Communication: Testing sessions generated conversations about personal experiences and challenges.
• Group interaction: Facilitators described opportunities for shared reflection and discussion.
• Language-related difficulties: Some participants initially experienced difficulties understanding the rules but appreciated opportunities to practise or encounter language during the activity.
• Participation barriers: The project acknowledges that personal circumstances affected the ability of some women to participate fully.
• Development feedback: Testing generated comments that were incorporated into the final game design.

Evidence classification

Official project identity: Independently confirmed through the Austrian National Agency for Erasmus+.

Original physical game: Completed cooperative board game documented.

Game components: Wheel of Life board, Stress Cards, Mindfulness Cards, Domain Trackers, Round Tracker, rulebook and trainer guide listed publicly.

Implementation: Workshop-based game testing with participants in Vienna documented.

Formative evaluation: Participant comments, facilitator observations and iterative improvements described.

Learning outcomes: No independently verified controlled study establishing improvements in coping competence, emotional literacy or social inclusion attributable to the game was identified.

Mental health outcomes: No publicly verified clinical assessment demonstrating reductions in anxiety, depression, stress symptoms or other psychological outcomes was identified.

Long-term effects: No longitudinal evaluation demonstrating sustained improvements in psychological well-being, social networks or community participation was identified.

Methodological limitations

Participant reporting: The available public documentation does not establish a complete final sample size for the game-testing activities.

Qualitative feedback: Positive comments and expressions of enjoyment provide information about participants’ experiences, but do not demonstrate educational or clinical effectiveness.

Research design: No controlled comparison with an equivalent non-game intervention was identified.

Psychometric assessment: The reviewed sources do not document validated pre-test/post-test instruments measuring changes in psychological well-being or social inclusion associated specifically with gameplay.

Facilitator effects: The group discussions were supported by facilitators, making it difficult to isolate the contribution of the game components from the benefits of facilitated social interaction.

Disclosure and participation: Participants may differ in their willingness to discuss personal circumstances, especially when experiences involve legal status, discrimination or previous trauma.

Sample representativeness: Without detailed participant characteristics and recruitment information, findings from the pilot cannot be generalised confidently to migrant women in other settings.

Short-term observations: A successful workshop does not establish lasting changes in coping skills, psychological symptoms or the availability of supportive relationships.

Evidence status: Completed physical board game and formative implementation documented; participant engagement and discussion reported; educational and mental health effectiveness not established through rigorous outcome evaluation.

Inclusive Minds provides educational resources intended to support the use of a cooperative board game within adult education, community integration and group-based well-being activities.

The main results include the physical game components, rules, facilitator guidance, an instructional video and a digital tabletop version.

The official partner website presents the materials as open-access resources in five languages.

Available educational resources

• Inclusive Minds Board Game: An original cooperative educational game connecting everyday stress scenarios with possible coping strategies and a shared Wheel of Life objective.
• Wheel of Life Board: A physical board representing seven domains of personal well-being and displaying the group’s progress towards symbolic balance.
• Stress Cards: Multilingual cards presenting fictional situations associated with social exclusion, legal status, housing, employment and other challenges.
• Mindfulness Cards: Multilingual cards introducing possible coping strategies and supportive actions that participants can consider when responding to stressful situations.
• Domain Trackers: Physical markers representing the group’s progress within the different Wheel of Life domains.
• Round Tracker: A component supporting the organisation and progression of gameplay.
• Rulebook: A dedicated game manual covering preparation, rules and the sequence of play.
• Trainer’s Guide: A resource for educators and facilitators using the game in adult education, integration programmes and well-being workshops.
• How-to-Play Video: An instructional video introducing the main gameplay procedures and supporting preparation for a facilitated session.
• Tabletopia Edition: A digital tabletop adaptation identified as Inclusive Minds and linked to the correct Erasmus+ project reference.
• Multilingual Materials: Resources listed in English, German, Greek, Swedish and Arabic.
• Needs Assessment Findings: Project communications summarising challenges and support needs identified among foreign-born women in Austria and Sweden.
• Project Newsletters: Publications describing the development process, testing activities, participant feedback and educational approach.
• Podcast: A discussion concerning migrant women’s mental health, social inclusion and the importance of supportive communities.
• Implementation Documentation: Articles describing the international meeting in Karditsa, the board game testing activity in Vienna and the completed game.
• Complementary Workshops: The Wheel of Life and The Suitcase of Resources, activities intended to support reflection on personal needs, challenges and coping resources.

Availability of physical game materials

As of 12 November 2026, the Dracon Rules Design Studio project page remains operational.

The page identifies separate download sections for Game Cards, Board and Tokens, Rulebook and Trainer’s Guide.

The project explicitly describes these resources as available in English, German, Greek, Swedish and Arabic.

However, the direct download functionality of every individual file could not be independently verified during this review.

The existence of a complete resource listing provides strong evidence that the physical game was prepared for educational dissemination, but exact print-and-play reproduction should be confirmed by downloading and inspecting the files.

Digital game availability

The Tabletopia platform maintains a dedicated page for Inclusive Minds.

The listing identifies Dracon Rules Design Studio as designer and associates the game with Erasmus+ project 2023-2-AT01-KA210-ADU-000179309.

It is listed as free and provides player configurations for one to eight participants, with an estimated duration of 15–45 minutes.

The digital platform offers an alternative means of accessing the game, although this does not replace the physical materials for organisations specifically interested in analogue Board Game-Based Learning.

Website maintenance issue

The Dracon project page contains an apparent editorial error in its digital-version section.

Some instructions refer to the game “Light Box”, and one Tabletopia link leads to the Light Box project rather than Inclusive Minds.

For this project, the appropriate digital game page is https://tabletopia.com/games/inclusive-minds.

Original project domain

The independent domain www.inclusive-minds.eu is referenced in project communications but could not be accessed successfully during this review.

However, the continued operation of the Dracon resource page and the Tabletopia edition provides alternative public access to the main results.

Open access and licensing

The official partner website describes the game materials as open-access resources.

Nevertheless, no single explicit Creative Commons licence covering every board, card, rulebook and supporting file was independently confirmed.

The availability of free downloads should therefore be distinguished from permission to modify, translate, commercially reproduce or redistribute the materials.

Users should check the licence attached to the individual files before publishing adaptations.

Transferability

The game may be relevant to adult education centres, migrant support organisations, intercultural programmes and community groups.

Its cooperative structure and scenario-based learning approach offer opportunities for facilitated discussion about everyday challenges and possible coping resources.

The multilingual materials may support use in culturally diverse groups.

However, transferring the methodology requires attention to the participants’ language proficiency, cultural contexts, personal circumstances and the availability of suitably prepared facilitators.

Special care is required when discussing topics such as discrimination, legal insecurity, housing difficulties or previous traumatic experiences.

Replicability assessment

Inclusive Minds offers substantial documentation at the resource level, including the main physical components, a rulebook and facilitator guidance.

The operational Tabletopia edition provides independent confirmation of the game’s identity and digital availability.

The main remaining practical task is to confirm that all direct physical-resource downloads work and contain the components required for a complete game.

Independent replication of the project’s educational evaluation would require additional information about participant samples, implementation procedures, assessment methods and outcome data.

Replicability status: Strong public documentation of the game and its resources; direct physical-file verification recommended; limited information for replicating learning-outcome evaluation.

Official resources:

• Inclusive Minds – Board Game and Educational Resources
• Inclusive Minds – Tabletopia Digital Edition
• Inclusive Minds – Game Components, Rules and Educational Objectives
• Inclusive Minds – Vienna Game Testing Activity

Inclusive Minds is a relevant example of European Board Game-Based Learning focused on social inclusion, emotional awareness and community-based support for migrant women.

Its principal methodological contribution lies in combining a cooperative tabletop game with realistic stress scenarios, coping strategy selection and opportunities for facilitated interpersonal dialogue.

The project is especially interesting because it uses a physical board game to introduce potentially sensitive subjects within adult education and intercultural community settings.

However, its educational value should be distinguished from claims about clinical mental health improvement, and the role of gameplay should be evaluated separately from the benefits of guided social interaction.

Methodological strengths

1. Development of an identifiable cooperative board game. Inclusive Minds includes an original physical board, two types of cards, domain and round trackers, a scoring system and a shared objective. This establishes a recognisable tabletop game structure rather than a simple discussion worksheet.
2. Direct connection with the intended population. The game addresses situations identified through the project’s research with migrant women, increasing the relevance of its educational scenarios to the circumstances of the target group.
3. Use of fictional scenarios. Stress Cards allow participants to examine difficult situations without necessarily having to disclose personal experiences. This creates an opportunity to maintain a useful distance between the educational challenge and the individual’s private circumstances.
4. Cooperative rather than competitive objectives. The shared goal emphasises collective progress instead of ranking participants according to their individual ability to respond to stressful situations.
5. Connection between challenges and coping responses. The relationship between Stress and Mindfulness Cards introduces a clear educational task: considering possible strategies for responding to different problems.
6. Holistic representation of well-being. The Wheel of Life encourages participants to consider several dimensions of everyday life rather than focusing exclusively on psychological symptoms or isolated emotional responses.
7. Visible collective progression. Domain Trackers provide a shared representation of progress, creating a game objective that can support discussion and group coordination.
8. Opportunity for perspective-taking. Participants may suggest different responses to the same situation, encouraging recognition that experiences, priorities and available resources vary between individuals.
9. Facilitated communication. The gameplay structure encourages participants to explain their choices and listen to others, creating opportunities for interpersonal interaction.
10. Potential contribution to social connectedness. Group activities involving shared tasks and discussions may help participants establish contact with others in a supportive setting.
11. Multilingual educational materials. The publication of resources in five languages, including Arabic, is particularly relevant given the project’s intended population.
12. Participant-informed design. Project communications indicate that the cards were informed by interviews and the needs assessment undertaken in Austria and Sweden.
13. Formative testing with the target population. The Vienna activity involved migrant women and facilitators, generating practical feedback before the game was finalised.
14. Recognition of participation difficulties. The project’s second newsletter acknowledges that some participants experienced difficulties with the rules or faced personal circumstances affecting their engagement.
15. Availability of practical resources. The project maintains a resource page with game components, rules, trainer documentation and an instructional video, alongside an identifiable Tabletopia edition.

Methodological limitations

1. Symbolic progress is not psychological improvement. The game’s principal objective is to move the Wheel of Life markers into the green area.

These markers represent progress within the game system, not measured changes in participants’ psychological well-being.

A successful game session cannot therefore be interpreted as evidence that participants’ mental health has improved.

2. Simplification of complex stressors. The game introduces situations involving employment, housing, legal insecurity, social exclusion and other difficulties.

These problems may involve structural barriers beyond the individual’s control.

It would be inappropriate to imply that selecting a coping strategy is sufficient to resolve challenges caused by discrimination, restrictive legal conditions, economic insecurity or inadequate access to services.

3. Unequal suitability of coping strategies. A response that is helpful in one context may be inappropriate, inaccessible or ineffective in another.

Participants may differ in financial resources, legal status, language proficiency, family circumstances and availability of social support.

The educational approach should therefore avoid treating every Stress Card as having a single universally correct Mindfulness Card.

4. Unclear standardisation of response evaluation. The available public descriptions state that points are awarded for effective use of Mindfulness Cards.

However, the detailed numerical criteria and procedures for evaluating responses were not independently reconstructed from the complete rulebook.

This creates uncertainty about how consistently different facilitators or groups would evaluate the same scenario.

5. Dependence on the quality of facilitation. Participants are expected to discuss potentially sensitive circumstances and possible responses.

The educational quality of the experience therefore depends substantially on the facilitator’s ability to manage group interaction, support respectful discussion and recognise situations that require additional assistance.

6. Potential pressure to share personal information. Although fictional scenarios can support discussion, participants may feel encouraged to disclose personal experiences when others begin sharing their stories.

The facilitator should make clear that personal disclosure is voluntary and that participation does not require discussing traumatic experiences or other sensitive circumstances.

7. Risk of emotional distress. Some scenarios may remind participants of discrimination, displacement, insecurity or other difficult experiences.

Appropriate safeguards are therefore important, including the possibility of declining a scenario, taking a break or accessing additional support.

8. Limited evidence of clinical expertise in implementation. The published material identifies organisations with experience in inclusion, adult education and game design.

However, the reviewed sources do not establish that every session was delivered by a qualified mental health professional or followed a clinically validated protocol.

The activity should therefore be presented as educational and supportive rather than therapeutic.

9. Language accessibility remains challenging. The availability of five written languages is a strength, but participants may differ in literacy and familiarity with mental health terminology.

The project itself reports that some participants initially found the rules difficult to understand.

Multilingual materials may therefore need to be complemented by accessible explanations and suitably paced facilitation.

10. Cooperative participation does not guarantee equal participation. Group members may differ in confidence, verbal fluency and willingness to express opinions.

Some participants may dominate discussions while others remain silent.

Facilitators should distinguish successful group completion from meaningful opportunities for participation by each individual.

11. Limited intrinsic simulation of well-being. The Wheel of Life domains and the card responses establish a game system, but the published descriptions do not show that the mechanics simulate the complex relationships between social, economic, psychological and environmental determinants of mental health.

The learning experience is based primarily on considering scenarios and discussing possible responses rather than observing the consequences of decisions through a detailed simulation model.

12. Possible reduction of well-being to game points. Quantifying progress can provide useful feedback during play, but well-being is a complex construct that cannot be represented comprehensively by a small number of game markers.

The visual progression should be described as a motivational and educational representation rather than an assessment of participants’ mental health.

13. Limited empirical outcome evidence. The available project sources describe needs assessment, workshop implementation and positive participant feedback.

However, no controlled study demonstrating improvements in emotional regulation, mental health, perceived social support or social integration attributable to the board game was identified.

14. Unverified learning transfer. Discussing a suitable coping strategy during a game does not necessarily demonstrate that a participant can apply that strategy effectively when facing a similar real-life challenge.

Follow-up assessments would be required to investigate the transfer of learning beyond the workshop.

15. Need for careful interpretation of participant feedback. Expressions of enjoyment, willingness to play again and appreciation of group discussion are useful indicators of acceptability.

They do not, however, demonstrate psychological improvement or sustained changes in social inclusion.

16. Incomplete research reporting. The public sources do not provide a complete final evaluation sample, detailed outcome instruments, comparative analyses or sufficiently precise implementation data for independent replication of an effectiveness study.

17. Resource maintenance inconsistencies. The Dracon project page contains an incorrect digital-game reference to Light Box, another educational game.

Although the correct Inclusive Minds Tabletopia edition is independently accessible, this error illustrates the importance of verifying resource links before recommending them to educators.

Ludus Magnus assessment

Inclusive Minds is a particularly relevant example of how a purpose-designed cooperative board game can be used to facilitate conversations about social inclusion and everyday emotional challenges.

Its principal strength lies in organising sensitive topics into fictional scenarios that participants can examine collectively.

The use of Stress Cards creates a shared problem, while Mindfulness Cards provide alternative responses for discussion.

In this sense, the game’s mechanics support a structured process of problem interpretation, coping strategy selection and communication.

The Wheel of Life board adds a visual representation of progress and introduces several dimensions of well-being.

This structure offers advantages over an entirely unstructured group conversation because the cards and common objective provide an external focus for the activity.

Participants are not required to begin by discussing their own personal difficulties. Instead, they can first consider a fictional situation and decide whether they wish to share related experiences.

This distinction may be particularly useful in intercultural settings where participants differ in their familiarity with mental health terminology or their comfort discussing personal circumstances.

Nevertheless, the game’s educational mechanism should be examined carefully.

The main activity consists of relating a stressful situation to a possible coping response and discussing its suitability.

The physical components organise and motivate this process, but the game’s published description does not establish a complex simulation in which psychological, economic and social factors interact according to autonomous rules.

The strongest educational contribution may therefore arise from the relationship between the scenarios, the participants’ reasoning and the quality of facilitated discussion.

From a Board Game-Based Learning perspective, this approach is legitimate but should be distinguished from games in which the educational concepts are represented through interacting mechanical systems.

For example, a game representing the relationship between employment, income, housing stability, social networks and available time would create a different experiential model of the challenges associated with social integration.

In such a system, player decisions could produce different consequences across several connected variables.

Inclusive Minds instead uses a more accessible card-based approach to encourage participants to recognise problems and consider possible responses.

This choice may be appropriate for the intended population and educational setting, where the opportunity for conversation and mutual support is a central objective.

However, its relative educational effectiveness should not be assumed without empirical evidence.

One important methodological question concerns the contribution of cooperation.

The shared objective of balancing the Wheel of Life may encourage participants to consider the group’s progress rather than their individual success.

Nevertheless, further analysis of the rules would be useful to establish how strongly players depend on one another’s decisions and whether cooperation involves genuine interdependence or primarily collective discussion.

Another important question concerns the degree of autonomy participants have when choosing coping strategies.

If the game rewards predetermined combinations of Stress and Mindfulness Cards, it may encourage recognition of suggested responses rather than open-ended problem-solving.

If participants can justify different strategies and receive meaningful feedback, the game may offer broader opportunities for critical reasoning and perspective-taking.

The exact evaluation rules are therefore important for assessing the pedagogical depth of the game.

The target population also requires particular methodological attention.

Challenges related to migration and social exclusion cannot always be addressed through individual coping strategies.

Financial insecurity, housing difficulties, legal restrictions and discrimination may require institutional intervention or professional assistance.

A responsible educational interpretation should distinguish between identifying personal coping resources and resolving structural problems.

This is especially important because the project explicitly addresses mental health.

The game may provide opportunities for emotional awareness and supportive interaction, but no clinical effects should be inferred from successful gameplay or positive participant feedback.

Future evaluation could examine outcomes such as emotional literacy, knowledge of support resources, perceived social connectedness and confidence in seeking assistance.

Validated instruments and appropriately defined comparison groups would be required to determine whether participation produces measurable changes.

A particularly useful research design would compare three conditions: a facilitated discussion using the same stress scenarios without game components, the Inclusive Minds board game with equivalent facilitation, and a separate community activity involving comparable group interaction.

This would help distinguish the contribution of the board game structure from the effects of discussing relevant topics and participating in supportive social activities.

Another potential research direction would involve assessing the effects of group composition.

For example, sessions involving migrant women and women from host communities might generate different forms of dialogue from sessions involving participants with more similar backgrounds.

However, such comparisons should respect participants’ preferences, privacy and the need to maintain an appropriate learning environment.

Finally, the project provides an important example of resource dissemination through a partner website and a digital tabletop platform.

The availability of multilingual components, rules and facilitator documentation increases opportunities for adaptation beyond the original consortium.

Confirming the functionality of every physical download and correcting the erroneous digital-game reference would further improve the reliability of the public resources.

Transferable methodological lesson: Cooperative board games can provide structured opportunities to discuss sensitive social and emotional challenges through fictional scenarios, shared objectives and facilitated reflection. Their educational potential should be evaluated separately from clinical mental health outcomes, with particular attention to participant safety, cultural accessibility, facilitator competence and the distinction between symbolic game progress and real-world well-being.