DreamMatch

About the project

Have you ever felt pressured to choose a career path, only to realize later that it wasn’t the right fit? You are not alone.

Late childhood and early adolescence are critical periods for cognitive and social development, but young people aged 14-23 often have underdeveloped decision-making mechanisms. This can lead to wrong career choices, a lack of motivation, and ultimately, a “skills mismatch” in the labor market.

The DreamMatch project was born out of a desire to solve this problem. The partnership developed an innovative, comprehensive career guidance model for Vocational Education and Training (VET) learners. By moving away from traditional, boring career counseling and introducing game-based learning and visual storytelling, the project aimed to help young people discover their true talents and step confidently into their future careers.

Our innovative approach

DreamMatch provided vocational high school teachers and career counselors with modern, interactive tools to guide students. Our core methodologies include:

• Career Escape Rooms: Physical, scenario-based puzzle games where students must solve skill-based challenges to “escape” the room and find their ideal career path.
• Short Films: Professional cinematic adaptations of our Escape Room scenarios, allowing students to visually and emotionally experience the journey of finding the right career.
• Real Youth Voices: A podcast series featuring honest conversations with youth who have navigated the struggles of choosing the “wrong” profession.

Key outcomes & results

Throughout this 12-month project, the international partnership worked to produce concrete, free-to-use resources for educators and youth:

• The State-of-the-Art Report: A comprehensive research report based on surveys and focus groups with over 230 students across 4 countries.
• 3 Career Escape Room Scenarios & Educator Booklet: A complete guide for teachers to implement these interactive games in their own classrooms.
• 3 Short Films (20 minutes each): Visual learning tools translated into 5 languages.
• 8 Podcast Episodes: Created by youth, for youth, sharing real career journey stories.
• Local Career Workshops & Cinema Screenings: Face-to-face events bringing these tools directly to students and educators in our local communities.

The partnership

DreamMatch brought together a diverse consortium of organizations with expertise in creative arts, digital learning, inclusive education, and career guidance.

• Menų ir dizaino mokymo centras (Lithuania) – Project Coordinator
• Veselības attīstības skola (Latvia) – Lead Partner for Dissemination & Digital Outreach
• Open Mind Better Future SRL (Romania) – Lead Partner for Short Film Production
• NEXUS Eğitim ve Danışmanlık Merkezi (Turkey) – Lead Partner for Escape Room Scenario Development

Follow our journey

The partnership invites educators, VET learners, parents, and policymakers to use the tools and join the conversation. As the lead partner for project dissemination, the Latvian team at Veselības attīstības skola shared the project’s progress with the world.

Disclaimer: 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 National Agency. Neither the European Union nor National Agency can be held responsible for them.