Gaming hubs & participation
An accessible place where young people walk in and have a real say. Participation that gets further than a policy paper.
- Accessible
- Genuine reach
- Co-created
FOR GOVERNMENT
Connect with young people.
Reach and connect young people in their online world, with gaming hubs, serious games and programmes around digital resilience.
Gaming hubsYouth participationDigital resiliencePrevention
IN SHORT
GLHF helps municipalities and public organisations reach young people in their online world. We set up gaming hubs where young people walk in and have a say, develop serious games for policy questions and deliver programmes around digital resilience and prevention. Always linked to your policy goals and with a clear route to funding.
- Gaming hubs as a permanent, accessible base for youth work and participation
- Serious games that make policy themes tangible for young people and civil servants
- Programmes around digital resilience, prevention and social cohesion
- Alignment with action plans on the online world of young people
- Advice on funding, from municipal budgets to national funds
WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Reach young people where they already are
Digital resilience & serious games
Young people learn through play to navigate the online world and its risks. Serious games that match the world they live in.
- Resilience
- Serious games
- Media literate
Prevention & social cohesion
Positive activity, early signalling and connection between subcultures. Gaming crosses social barriers.
- Prevention
- Cohesion
- Early signalling
WHAT WE OFFER
Three routes to reach young people
Every route is productised with a fixed structure, timeline and evaluation, so the results can be accounted for towards the council and the executive.
Municipal gaming hub and youth participation
A gaming hub gives young people a permanent place where they walk in, take part and have a say in the programming. Youth work gains a meeting point where contact happens naturally, including with groups that would never visit a community centre. GLHF takes care of the concept, the fit-out, the programming and the training of facilitators. Founder Geoffrey van der Vet previously set up the operation of Virtuocity in Doha, the first dedicated gaming hub in the region with room for 250 gamers.
- Concept and fit-out plan for the location
- Programming with tournaments, workshops and open evenings
- Training for youth workers and volunteers
- Evaluation of reach and participation
Serious games for policy and organisation
A serious game makes a policy theme tangible: from poverty and debt support to digital safety. For young people it is a way to think along about their neighbourhood, for civil servants a working format that sparks more than a presentation. Serious games are an accepted instrument within government, as seen at DigitaleOverheid.nl, Platform31 and VNG among others. We design the game, facilitate the sessions and summarise the outcomes in a practical report.
- Game design around your policy question
- Facilitated sessions with young people or staff
- Report with insights and next steps
- Digital or physical format possible
Digital resilience and prevention
Young people grow up online, with all the opportunities and risks that come with it. In this programme they learn through play to handle peer pressure, manipulation and strangers online. The approach follows the frameworks of Mediawijsheid, Trimbos and NJi, and strengthens social cohesion at the same time: gaming connects groups that rarely meet otherwise.
- Programme on location: school, community centre or hub
- Alignment with prevention and wellbeing goals
- Early signalling together with youth work
- Evaluation and advice for follow-up
ALIGNED WITH POLICY
Connects with the online world of young people
Municipalities are looking for ways to reach young people in their online world. Serious games are now an accepted instrument within government. We link our work to digital resilience, social cohesion and prevention, and we think along about funding.
Sources include: municipal action plans on the online world of young people · SIDN fonds · Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie.
- Connects with action plans around the online world of young people.
- Serious games are an accepted instrument within government and municipal practice.
- Contributes to digital resilience, social cohesion and prevention.
- Fundable through municipal budgets and national funds such as SIDN fonds.
HOW WE WORK
From policy goal to a working practice
- 01
Sharpen the policy question
We start with your challenge: participation, resilience, prevention or cohesion. Together we define the target group, the neighbourhood and the intended result.
- 02
Plan and funding
You receive a plan with setup, timeline and budget, plus advice on funding through municipal budgets or funds such as SIDN fonds.
- 03
Delivery with partners
We deliver together with youth work, schools and local partners, so the programme takes root in the neighbourhood.
- 04
Evaluation and anchoring
An evaluation shows the reach and impact, with recommendations to anchor the programme locally.
$66.8 million Dutch esports market towards 2029 market estimate 2025
4.6 million esports users in the Netherlands market estimate 2025
47% of Dutch people game together, gaming connects young people Mulier Instituut
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions from municipalities
How does a municipality reach young people through gaming?
Young people are online and in games every day. A gaming hub or a serious game meets them there, in an accessible way and in their own language. GLHF helps with the setup, the programming and the on-site facilitation.
Can gaming be used for prevention and wellbeing?
Yes. Gaming offers a positive activity, room for early signalling and connection between different groups of young people. It contributes to digital resilience and social cohesion in the neighbourhood.
What does a gaming hub deliver for a municipality?
A gaming hub gives young people a permanent place where they walk in, take part and have a say. That strengthens participation, extends the reach of youth work and enables early contact.
How is something like this funded?
A programme can be funded through municipal budgets and national funds, such as SIDN fonds and Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie. We think along about the route that fits your plans.
How do you involve young people in the setup?
From the very first moment. Young people help shape the programming, the house rules and the layout, and they take on roles in organising events. That makes the hub feel like their place and keeps the reach intact.
Does this work for smaller municipalities too?
Yes. A gaming hub can grow from an existing space in a community centre or library, with programming that matches the scale of the municipality. The setup scales with budget and ambition.
How does this relate to existing youth work?
As reinforcement. Youth workers know the neighbourhood and the young people; we bring the format, the equipment and the gaming expertise. Youth workers join in at the hub and gradually take over the facilitation, so the programme stays anchored locally.
FURTHER READING
Further reading for municipalities
What is a gaming hub?
The setup, the audience and the day-to-day practice of a gaming hub explained.
Play the government world (in Dutch)
Experience in our 3D world how we engage and connect young people. The world itself is in Dutch.
All our services at a glance
From gaming hubs to serious games: see what GLHF takes care of for public organisations.
A youth challenge in your municipality?
Describe your situation in an email or give us a call, and we will explore the first step together.
Explore the first step