12 October 2022 |Borås, Sweden [Krõõt Lõbus and Linda Schwartz with tedNEWS]
On the evening of Saturday the 1st of October, the AV team at the Swedish Borås Café Church set up an impressive array of cameras and lights, while still managing to keep the place looking cosy and warm. They were preparing to welcome a crowd of excited teens and their leaders who were ready to take part in Games Without Borders.
Games Without Borders is a virtual event that allows youth groups from across the Trans-European Division (TED) to connect and spend an afternoon of fun and fellowship. The initiative, designed to combat the isolation brought by the COVID-19 pandemic, proved so popular it is now running as a regular event. This second round of Games Without Borders welcomed 230 teens – a new record, consisting of 28 teams, representing 10 countries.
The virtual event was hosted by the much-loved Magda Niewolik and her new fun co-host Vincent Benetatos, both from Sweden. They started the programme leading everyone in prayer, specially petitioning for young people suffering in Ukraine and those facing hardships around the world. This was followed by a live musical performance by Johannah Mathew (pianist) and Vania Mathew (vocal), from England. Evangelist Costa Vegas then shared a message, reminding all about the importance of living a life of authenticity and emotional integrity.
After the inspired message, the teens were ready to play! “With fun videos, picture and physical challenges, friendly competition amongst the teams, the evening was filled with laughter,” organisers said. Even the event organisers got involved and had fun when the hosts challenged them to a balloon duel.
To many, the highlight of the event were the physical challenges. “They got the participants moving -after sitting in front of the screens for a while, and also required creativity and bravery for self-expression,” leaders commented. Another highlight was the glitter cannon which helped create “an atmosphere of festivity as the winners were announced.”
The winners of this second round of Games Without Borders were the teens from Jönköping, an active group in Sweden. The prize was the opportunity to host another teen gathering with money for a pizza night.
“We are grateful to all the Zoom participants and leaders from local churches, who helped us make this night happen and were overjoyed to see 231 devices connected to our quiz platform, which broke our last events record,” event organisers said. “You can find some of the challenges from Games Without Borders on the TED social media platforms and test your own skills.”
