We created ZONE 300 after years of working with children and young people through comics, workshops and non-formal education. We repeatedly saw that young people engage more deeply when difficult topics are placed inside a story rather than presented as abstract information. Since 2018, our educational activities have reached more than 3,000 young people across over 80 schools, libraries and cultural institutions. This experience led us to develop a new learning model where students are not passive recipients of information, but active participants who make decisions, see consequences and reflect on them. ZONE 300 is built around a simple principle: Safe space to fail. Safe space to learn. We want young people to be able to explore real-life issues, make mistakes without fear and learn through story, choice and reflection.
ZONE 300 is a digital learning world made up of thematic zones focused on real-life issues such as mental health, financial literacy, ecology, digital safety, civic education and responsible gaming. Young people enter a comic story, follow the characters and encounter situations where they must make decisions. Their choices affect what happens next and allow them to discover different consequences. Short educational inputs, reflection and discussion help them connect the fictional situation with real life. The aim is not simply to choose a correct answer. It is to understand why different choices can lead to different outcomes. ZONE 300 combines comic-book storytelling, decision-making, interactive tasks and digital technology, and can be used individually or as part of facilitated workshops and educational activities.
ZONE 300 is currently in development, but it grows out of an educational practice that we have been developing since 2018. Through our comic-based workshops and educational projects, we have worked with more than 3,000 children and young people and collaborated with over 80 schools, libraries and cultural institutions across Slovakia. These existing relationships give us a strong network for testing and introducing ZONE 300 in real educational settings. The first digital demo is already available online, and we are developing additional thematic zones and interactive branching elements. Our next step is to pilot the model with young people and educational institutions, collect feedback and gradually make the platform usable across different topics, schools and countries.
ZONE 300 has evolved from our years of comic-based education and workshops into a digital, interactive learning model. Our earlier activities focused mainly on storytelling, creative tasks and facilitated discussion. We are now adding decision-making, branching narratives, interactive checkpoints and consequences that allow learners to influence the story themselves. The current demo is an early test version, and the next stage will introduce more developed branching scenarios, additional thematic zones and feedback from young people, educators and subject-matter experts. The innovation is therefore designed to grow continuously through testing and iteration.
The first ZONE 300 demo can be accessed online through the Sestry Jančové website. Users can enter the current Mental Health Zone, follow Peter’s story and experience the first version of our interactive learning approach. The platform is still in development, so the demo represents an early version of the larger ZONE 300 concept. Schools, libraries, educators and organisations interested in testing the innovation or developing a thematic zone with us can contact us directly through our website.
