Participants: 8 teams from schools in Gabrovo
Steps along the way: 13
Approximate distance: 2.5 km
Approximate duration: 2 hours
Language of the game: Bulgarian
Organized by: Inner Voice and Gabrovo Municipality
On May 21, 2025 at 10:00 a.m., on the occasion of the 165th anniversary of Gabrovo’s declaration as a city, Inner Voice organized a special urban quest game together with the Municipal Commission for Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency at Gabrovo Municipality, an institution that works to prevent and counteract antisocial behavior among children and minors and to encourage positive activities. The main goal was to offer students a fun and educational activity that would introduce them to their own city in a new way.
The Commission approached Inner Voice with the desire to engage students from local schools in an event that would combine:
- prevention of risky behavior through useful activities
- increasing interest in the history and culture of Gabrovo
- creating a healthy competitive environment between schools in the city
The challenge was to come up with a format that would be dynamic enough to hold the students’ attention and educational enough to meet the objectives of the Commission.
Inner Voice created the educational urban quest game “The Chronicles of Gabrovo,” which included a series of riddles and challenges scattered across key locations in the central part of Gabrovo. The teams had the opportunity to explore the city in an interactive way. The riddles prepared for them varied in difficulty, stimulating observation, logical thinking, teamwork, and curiosity.
The game was fully adapted to the age group of the participants, focusing on topics close to their everyday lives, and included visits to important city landmarks and local institutions, whose activities the students could learn about.
The game was launched on May 21, 2025, in front of the Gabrovo Municipality building. Sixth and seventh graders from eight schools in Gabrovo took part in the adventure and were welcomed by Ms. Nevena Mineva, deputy mayor of the city. Each team consisted of five students and one teacher, who had to work together to overcome a series of challenges. The atmosphere was filled with energy and competition. Moving around the city, the students solved riddles and earned points for their school.
The game became an integral part of the city’s celebration. The participants shared that they had learned new things about Gabrovo and had fun with their classmates, and the competition between the schools motivated them to give their best.
The Municipal Commission for Prevention of Juvenile Delinquency expressed its satisfaction with the event, emphasizing that the format had achieved its main goal - to offer young people a meaningful and inspiring alternative to their usual activities.
This project shows that urban quest games can be a powerful tool for working with young people, especially when they are linked to specific local institutions and their goals. Through the game, Inner Voice’s team managed to unite the students, create a positive atmosphere, and show that learning and prevention can go hand in hand with fun.
