From 4th to 9th of May 2026, the Shokkin PRO team participated in a study visit in Saronno, Caronno Pertusella and Milan (Italy) together with our colleagues from Fondazione Artos, who opened the doors not only of their office, but of the many educational institutions they collaborate with… and of our hearts! Here are the reflections from our team members:
“My expectations about the study visit were to learn about how youth work is done in Italy, meet possible future partners and get new ideas for useful methods and practices to use in education.
All those expectations were met, but from all this, the most interesting thing was to see how engaged and excited the youth in Italy is. I also acknowledge that I saw only a small part of their educational system, schools and practices, but still it felt like the youth is more engaged in community and education there. Of course I have to mention the outdoor escape game that we found in Milan, that was fun.
My biggest takeaway from this study visit is more understanding of game based learning and why and how is it useful in education. That is from the workshops, game sessions and discussions we had there, one of which I also facilitated and learned through this process.
This experience has left a mark on my journey in education as a teacher and I will keep promoting the idea and practices of game based learning in schools in Estonia. Overall the study visit was just a great team building and partnership building event and those connections I cherish the most.”
Tanel (Shokkin PRO)
“Before the project, I was really excited about the idea of going to Italy because I love Italian food, and I had already met Roberto at other projects before and heard good things about his organisation. I also knew that we were going to explore TTRPG games and their connection to youth work, so I was looking forward to visiting youth centres, meeting new people, and experiencing the activities ourselves.
What I found the most interesting was discovering a different perspective on youth work and seeing how games, including video games, can be used for reflection, communication, and cooperation. It was especially interesting for me to see how the role of a youth worker can differ in another country.
After this project, I would really like to try TTRPG games with young people myself. We also accidentally discovered a city escape room activity with different puzzles spread around the city, and I found this idea incredibly fun and engaging. It even made me think that maybe one day we could create something similar in Tallinn.
What I will remember the most is the atmosphere of the whole project — playing games together and having long conversations with the Italian colleagues, who were incredibly warm and welcoming. I was also very inspired by the educators we met there. Seeing teachers stay at a conference from 8 PM until 11 PM just because they were genuinely interested in learning and exchanging experiences left a really strong impression on me.”
Nastja (Shokkin PRO)
“Before the event, I was really curious to learn more about how youth centres and the education system work in Italy. After visiting, I learned a lot, especially from Roberto and the other educators. It was very interesting to understand their education system, and I also noticed that some aspects were similar to India.
One of the most interesting parts for me was learning more deeply about TTRPGs and educational games. I really enjoyed playing different tabletop games at the youth centre. I also loved the session where we learned how to design a game by first identifying a problem and then creating a game around it. That workshop by Tanel was very creative and inspiring.
An important learning for me was understanding how games can be used as powerful educational tools. I also learned that an educator, teacher, and youth worker are three different things and they have different roles and approaches. I hope to use these ideas in my future work with children and young people.
Another memorable part of the visit was the escape room activity in the city. It was exciting, fun, and showed the importance of teamwork and communication under time pressure. I also met many kind and inspiring people during the visit, which made the experience even more meaningful. And of course, the food was delicious, I enjoyed trying many different dishes throughout the program.”
Sana (Playversity member)
