The world has changed a lot within the last years. We have to deal with new technologies, political challenges or economic crisis. Due to new technologies young people often feel the pressure to keep up with this fast-moving life as they are available all the time and experience pressure at school as well. This means they have to face excessive demands and stress which result in fatigue, pain or insomnia. In the worst case a student might suffer from depression. "Leading a balanced life" is the title of the programme which is supposed to offer our students options how to deal with all this. School and especially our transnational programme can show students ways and perspectives how to act in this new world. It is also important for young people to experience different cultural habits. In our programme they can exchange opinions with other students, get to know other cultures and raise an awareness for them. Individual preferences create the opportunity for the students to talk to and to get to know each other. By meeting young people from other countries gives them the possibility to realize that not only Germany but also other European countries face the challenge of how to deal with these new circumstances. There are various aims of the project. One of them is to create an interactive exhibition about the programme’s topic. Every participant has to contribute to that. All meetings will be about the following topics: stress management, how to deal with individual resources and how to find a life-work-balance. Therefore, the students of all three countries will do surveys about how young people experience school, stress and their free time activities as a base for the products of the exhibition. According to that, they find out about cultural similarities and differences. The students improve e.g. their skills dealing with new media, their creativity, or communication skills. They can reflect on their work process by relating to their surroundings. Publishing the products in an interactive exhibition makes them available for the schools to use them on various platforms for a long time. After the end of the project all the participants have the chance to continue their work related to the present topic and they even might get in contact with other regional partners. Future exchanges with the partner schools will also underline the European idea of this project. Every school has got its own profile and the other school can benefit from it. Students learn how to live a stress-reduced, balanced and happy life within our fast-moving world. Sports and activities: Students can go on a canoe tour, participate in dragon boat race or go diving. They learn about the importance of being active which contributes to a healthy lifestyle. Diet: The students participate in cookery courses and learn about the different diets of the other countries. Some countries offer really healthy options. Media and communication: Students will go on a trip to the Camargue without their smartphones. As an alternative they will experience nature and reflect on the use of the new media. There will also be workshops about non-violent communication and coaching on motivation and self-management. But the focus will be on the topic “Life with all your senses”: The students go on trips to nature reserves, go walking barefoot, visit chocolate or perfume factories, go to the opera, do music workshops, visit concerts, do yoga and do different activities which are supposed to raise their attentiveness in their everyday life.
Strong changes and uncertainties characterize the current global events: Corona, war in Ukraine, climate change, new technologies, digitalization. These processes of change do not leave children and young people unaffected - on the contrary. It can lead to a feeling of overwhelm and stress, which can often manifest in this age group through above-average fatigue, pain, sleep disturbances, and even anxiety. These phenomena are often accompanied by further consequences such as unhealthy nutrition and symptoms of mental strain. All of this can also impair performance. Therefore, the "Living in Balance" project aimed to enable students to gain insights into this topic through exchange with each other and to receive guidance on strategies for achieving a balanced life. Balance and equilibrium are essential to counteract the developments outlined above, which must be actively managed by young people. The school and our cross-border project offered places to present perspectives and make action spaces tangible in an active environment. This project focused on a holistic approach, mainly consisting of nutrition, movement approaches, self-management, communication, approaches for relaxation and balance in everyday life, as well as intercultural exchange and reflection. Subsequently, activities were selected that led to discussions and exchanges on a balanced life, including cooking courses, movement and relaxation offers, self-reflection, the influence of hobbies such as art on one's well-being, and discussions. It was examined, for example, how to find oases of calm in a city, using Hamburg as an example, and how nature, such as the Wadden Sea, the Camargue, and the forest, can positively influence a stress-free life. Regarding the project results, it can be stated that the students have been sensitized to a life in balance, and it became clear that Corona and the "modern lifestyle" have left traces equally in all three countries, and young people share these experiences, which is a unifying factor. However, this project also showed that stress is perceived, defined, and handled differently depending on the country. The ways in which each activity can serve as inspiration for shaping a balanced life were always well-reflected and taken as inspiration by the students. From our point of view, our project contributed to the discovery and promotion of shared values. We hope that through the cross-border exchange on the topic of living in balance, we have sustainably enabled students to responsibly and reflectively handle their resources and shown them ways to a healthy lifestyle. It was also of great benefit that the students were confronted with activities and situations that they would otherwise have avoided or not come into contact with, but were a positive experience in the group and in this protected environment. From our point of view, we were able to contribute sustainably to promoting openness, tolerance, and self-confidence, as well as strengthening communication and self-competence.