The premise was that we wanted to create a school community where both students and teachers are doing well. A person learns best in a good, relaxed, peaceful and safe atmosphere where one can have oneself. We needed ways to support the well-being of our students and tools to reinforce the positive feelings of young people. The well-being effects of the courses were passed on to us and through us to the students and the whole school community. The Mobile School project was one of the extensive development goals in our school and the Going Outdoors theme had a common ground with this project. We also wanted to take advantage of other learning environments, such as libraries, sports, art and nature centers, museums and many other partners. To take advantage of these environments, we hoped to get ideas and new methods from the courses. We also aimed to increase our knowledge of the cultures and opportunities for cooperation in different European countries.
The new curriculum came into force and new teaching methods were introduced in teaching. For this change, we needed more training, good practices and experiences from teachers in different countries. The courses were not actually designed for certain multidisciplinary entities but also sought ideas on how to involve students in the design of objectives, content and ways of working. Exercise and joint activities that promote mental well-being during the school day are an important part of every school day. As a course, we hoped for ways to encourage people to take care of themselves and others, to practice skills that are important for their own lives and everyday lives, to increase the well-being of their environment and to develop their emotional skills. The supply of courses in Finland was limited and our city did not have the money to pay for participation in Finnish courses. Actually interesting and useful courses were organized across Europe in different fields and the language of instruction was English. In courses related to mindfulness and other well-being, we look for ways to bring well-being, relaxation, and mindfulness methods to students ’everyday school life.