From E+ LAB to UNRING: the journey of a European fellowship begins
Every European project has a story behind it. This one began not with a funding call or an application form, but with people sitting around a table in Portugal, sharing ideas and discovering they wanted to change the same thing.Welcome to the first edition of ENHI Chronicles, and to the story of UNRING.
Chapter I – Where it all began: Beja, January 2026
In January 2026, ENHI travelled to Beja and Lisbon for E+ LAB, a partnership-building and project-design training hosted by Check-IN – Cooperation and Development.For one week, organisations from across Europe working in youth, education and inclusion came together. They presented their work, found shared priorities and designed new Erasmus+ ideas side by side.Among the many conversations, one stood out. Several organisations kept coming back to the same worry: people are losing real connection to screens, and few tools offer an alternative that is fun, inclusive and based on evidence.That conversation became the seed of a fellowship.
Chapter II – The quest is accepted
Nine months later, the news arrived: UNRING – Unlocking Non-digital Recreation for Inclusion, Resilience and Growth was approved under Erasmus+ Cooperation Partnerships in Youth.Competition was fierce. Only 22 of 246 submitted projects were funded, an approval rate of under 9%. For us, this is proof of what trust and good partnerships can achieve.What UNRING will do UNRING offers an offline alternative to compulsive smartphone use. It brings together:
- psychology, through a family support programme on healthy digital habits;
- non-formal education, through methods for youth workers;
- modern board games, through “Fellowship Game Nights” that bring people back around the same table.
Duration: January 2027 – December 2028
Chapter III – The fellowship
Every quest needs a fellowship. Ours brings together:
- LudusMagnus – European Institute for Modern Board Games (Spain), coordinator and guide of the journey
- Check-IN – Cooperation and Development (Portugal), where it all began
- Agrado (Italy)
- ICSCC - Gamma Institute (Romania)
- ENHI – European Network for Holistic Integration (Sweden)
- Spanish Tolkien Society, associated partner
Chapter IV – The journey begins
This November, the fellowship met for the first time. Faces from Spain, Portugal, Italy, Romania and Sweden, some first met in Beja, gathered on one screen with the same purpose: to help young people and families rediscover the joy of real connection.The map is drawn and the companions are ready. The road ahead is long, and we can’t wait to walk it.
Stay tuned
A beautiful and magical story is about to unfold. Inspired by the Fellowship of The Lord of the Rings, UNRING will set out on a journey to help young people and families break free from the pull of the screen and rediscover the magic of real connection, one game night at a time. In the next editions of ENHI Chronicles, we will share:
- the first steps of the UNRING family programme;
- stories from our other European projects, CREATE and REBALANCE;
- news from our work with migrants, women and young people in Malmö.
A big thank you to Check-IN for creating the space where this partnership was born, and to Ludus Magnus for leading the way. Sometimes, the best European projects start with one conversation over a coffee in Beja. ☕Read the full story by Ludus Magnus: https://www.ludusmagnus.es/from-e-lab-to-unring-a-european-partnership-born-in-portugal/
