MEMORY ESCAPE's kicked off in Labin on 25 and 26 February
06/03/2026
Developing a phygital escape room experience and actively involving young people in its design will be at the core of the MEMORY ESCAPE project. These two key elements emerged as central priorities during the project’s Kick-off Meeting, held on 25–26 February 2026 in Labin, Croatia, and hosted by the Lead Partner, the Municipality of Labin.
Running from 1 January 2026 to 30 June 2027, the project brings together partners from Italy and Croatia to develop an innovative learning tool aimed at exploring shared history and heritage in the Italy–Croatia cross-border area through multiple perspectives. The main output will be a jointly developed and replicable phygital escape room, combining physical elements and digital technologies to create an immersive educational experience.
The two-day meeting allowed partners to align on the project’s vision, structure, and first implementation steps. The event opened with welcome remarks from the Lead Partner, followed by an introduction to the Interreg Italy–Croatia 2021–2027 Programme, which provided an overview of its objectives, financial framework, and recent developments related to Small-Scale Projects.
While the first day was dedicated primarily to project management, the second day focused more on the conceptual and technical development of the phygital escape room. Partners explored the principles of game-based learning, which encourage active participation, critical thinking, and immersive learning experiences compared to traditional educational formats. The session also introduced examples of educational escape rooms developed in previous EU-funded projects, highlighting both digital and physical formats as well as hybrid “phygital” solutions.
A step-by-step approach to designing the escape room was presented, covering the definition of the thematic framework, the selection of historical content, the identification of artefacts, and the development of the narrative and game mechanics. Partners also discussed how digital and physical components can be effectively combined to create an engaging and educational experience.
A key topic of discussion was the active involvement of young participants throughout the development process. Partners agreed that engaging young people not only as testers but also as contributors to the design of the escape room – including both its physical and digital elements – will significantly enhance the relevance and impact of the final product.
The Kick-off Meeting marked an important first step in building a shared vision among partners and launching the collaborative process that will lead to the creation of MEMORY ESCAPE’s innovative cross-border learning experience.
