Esports is already a real meeting place for many young people. It is where they compete, collaborate, negotiate status, learn social rules, and build a sense of belonging. Youth work can either stand outside that space or step in with intention and help shape it into something safer, more inclusive, and more educational.
That is the idea behind D-Engage, an Erasmus+ Youth project designed to help youth workers integrate esports into their practice in a structured way. Not as a trend. Not as “just gaming.” As a youth work tool that can support learning, wellbeing, and positive participation when it is delivered with the right values and safeguards.
Start here: Begin with the Introduction & Pre-Assessment on the e-learning platform, or visit the project website to understand the project scope and outputs.
https://portal.d-engage.eu
Why D-Engage exists
In many youth organisations, esports arrives before the structure does. Young people are interested and engaged, but youth workers often face a familiar set of tensions: keeping the activity meaningful (not just entertaining), keeping participation respectful, managing concerns about toxic behaviour or online safety, and being able to explain the “why” to colleagues, families, and stakeholders.
D-Engage responds to those everyday realities. It offers a practical pathway for youth workers to build competence in esports-related delivery so they can make informed decisions, set clear boundaries, and design activities that lead somewhere.
What youth workers gain (in practical terms)
D-Engage is not trying to turn youth workers into esports professionals. It is designed to help youth workers become confident facilitators of esports-based learning and community.
That includes understanding how esports works, but also knowing how to handle what matters most in youth settings: digital literacy, ethical participation, inclusion, and wellbeing. The focus stays on practice how to run sessions with learning outcomes, how to create a culture of fair play, how to support young players without pushing unhealthy performance expectations, and how to design esports activities that are accessible for different young people (not only the “best players”).
How the project works
At the centre of D-Engage is an e-learning platform that guides youth workers through a structured course. It starts with a short introduction and pre-assessment, continues through six modules (from esports fundamentals and digital literacy to ethics, event management, supporting young players, and coaching/mentorship), and ends with a post-assessment to help learners recognise progress and translate learning into their own context.
The platform also functions as a networking hub for youth workers. The intention is to make learning social and sustainable: a place to exchange approaches, share resources, compare challenges, and collaborate across settings. In addition, D-Engage includes community building activities such as webinars and an international tournament component, which helps demonstrate what ethical and inclusive esports can look like when competition is shaped by youth work values.
Who is behind D-Engage
The project is delivered by a partnership across Poland, Norway, and Türkiye, combining youth, education, and sector expertise. If you want the full partner list, reference code, and timeline, you can find it on the project website.
https://d-engage.eu
Co-Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Foundation for the Development of the Education System (FRSE). Neither the European Union nor FRSE can be held responsible for them.
