Throughout 2024, we successfully organised three cultural exchanges involving 28 young people aged 12–14 from Czechia, Portugal, and the UK. These exchanges aimed to connect creativity, innovation, and young voices to support our work on collaborative immersive experiences for young people.

The first exchange took place in April at the Unicorn Theatre in London, followed by a second gathering in Brno, Czechia, in June, and concluding in Torres Vedras, Portugal, in early October. These events, facilitated by our talented team from the Unicorn Theatre and other members of the ASPbelong consortium, were important moments in co-designing our collaborative immersive game for mobile phones aimed at fostering a sense of belonging in school classes.

Why involve young people so deeply in this process? Because they are our experts in experience. As our team member Adam Barnard noted: “We all think we remember what it’s like to be 12 or 13. But when you look a little more closely, you discover how imprecise your memories have become. And meanwhile, the world, and its social dynamics, have changed. Designing a program like this for young teenagers, especially in an international context, raises many questions we can’t answer alone.” Their participation ensured the game would reflect their lived experiences, avoiding potential missteps and capturing the essential truths of being a young teenager in Europe today.

Each exchange had a unique focus. In London, participants shared their relationships with games, their expectations, and ideas for how such a tool could thrive in school environments. By the time the group convened in Brno, they tested the first playable prototype and had the opportunity to influence a storyline set in the past. Finally, in Portugal, the participants playtested a more advanced version of the game and further engaged with a story centered on the mysterious disappearance of a schoolgirl named Lina. Their feedback and ideas helped refine both the narrative and the gameplay.

These cultural exchanges served as a bridge between science, art, and lived experience, helping to bring to life a collaborative immersive experience designed to connect young people and address the challenges they face in everyday life.