It is early December 2023, and we have just returned from Budapest, where partners from across Europe ( Italy,Belgium,Transylvania,Hungary and Cyprus) gathered for the kick-off meeting of the SPIRIT project. The Hungarian capital welcomed us beneath a soft blanket of winter. Christmas lights shimmered through the streets, festive markets filled the squares, and the sweet scent of cinnamon and freshly baked chimney cakes lingered in the crisp December air. Looking around, it was difficult to imagine a more fitting place for a project called SPIRIT to begin. There was something quietly symbolic about starting our journey in a city so full of warmth and celebration. Before the first workshop had even begun, we were reminded that the most meaningful collaborations often start with people coming together around a shared purpose. That purpose is to support primary school teachers and students by developing practical, engaging ways to nurture the skills children need to flourish in an increasingly digital and ever-changing world. Through traditional games, gamified STEAM learning and innovative educational approaches, SPIRIT aims to help children strengthen their creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and curiosity, while providing teachers with practical resources and training that can make a genuine difference in the classroom.

Although my journey with European projects is still in its early chapters, this meeting felt different from the very beginning. What stayed with me most was not the presentations or the planning documents, but the way the project invited us to experience its vision ourselves. Instead of remaining within the familiar boundaries of agendas and administration, our project coordinator encouraged us to step into the shoes of both teachers and students. We learned through energisers, workshops, conversations and play. We challenged one another, laughed together and reflected on our own ability to collaborate, communicate and solve problems—the very transversal skills we hope to cultivate in young learners. We did not always share the same perspective, and perhaps that was one of the meeting’s greatest strengths. Genuine collaboration is not about thinking alike; it is about listening, questioning and building something better together. As we left Budapest, there was a shared sense that SPIRIT has the potential to become more than a collection of project results. Our hope is that it will become a meaningful contribution to classrooms across Europe and, above all, to the children whose future inspires this work.