In the light of the COVID-19 virus' caused global anxiety, panic, financial insecurity and increasing fears of future, we also see a rise in receptivity to stress and negative conditioning among our communities and young people especially. This stress, worry and negative thinking is largely related to the fear culture that our media channels, politicians and even doctors seem to incorporate in their communications, which fuels fear for our health and safety, all of which have negative psychological effects on the population, such as reduced concentration and productivity, social isolation, body pain and tension, reduced energy, sleeping problems, increased irritability, anger, confusion, even depression and suicidal thoughts. According to health experts, stress is making more people sick than the virus (or any other fungi, bacteria or parasites) itself, and is responsible for as much as 90% of all disease. When our stress levels remain at a peak level for extended periods of time, all of our body's resources go to ensuring our survival, at the same time resulting in depressed immunity. However, The World Health Organization emphasizes that preventative care plays a crucial role in fighting the Coronavirus and other diseases. There are effective stress management and mindfulness techniques that we can use to keep our immune systems healthy, our minds clear and our emotions positive. Now, more than ever before, we need youth workers who can use these techniques in their work with young people to support them in times of adversity and uncertainty. (Some of those techniques: relaxation exercises, such as meditation, guided imagery, and physical activity, positive thinking, behaviour modification and social support.) For this reason, we realized the TC Becoming the Witness in order to educate and equip youth workers with the necessary competences and tools to guide the youth they work with towards a greater sense of ease and peace of mind. Becoming the Witness was a training that helped the participant (youth worker) to 1) use mindfulness techniques to improve their performance and competences as youth workers, and 2) develop specific mindfulness tools to be used in their youth work. The title of the TC came from the belief that we do not need to passively react to whatever life throws at us, but, rather, we can become the observers of the different situations playing out, observers of our thoughts and emotions. And through the power of witnessing rather than reacting - have the ability to make deliberate choices in service of our health, well-being and social development. The objectives of the TC were: -To create a safe space for 25 youth workers to share, create and experiment with different mindfulness techniques, -To explore the different aspects and benefits of a regularly practised mindfulness practice through first-hand experience and learning by doing, -For every youth worker to discover, develop and perfect their own unique mindfulness tool for use in their youth work, -To implement a minimum of 2 carefully designed, peer-mentored follow-up activities per partner to support the integration of mindfulness tools in the youth work of each participant. By sharing the idea of what Becoming the Witness really means, we hope to see a change in how young people relate to the information provided by mass media, being able to think critically, observe and respond rather than react, and inspire and uplift their own social circles. As more and more youth workers, and subsequently - young people, have a comprehension of different mindfulness techniques and utilising their short-term and long-term gains, we wish to see our communities grow into being a more resilient, healthy and strong European society that can face difficult situations with confidence, clarity and focus on solutions. Through the realisation of this training course, we expected to see the increased quality in the youth work done by the partner organisations and increased and activated volunteer networks who act as active agents of social change and well-being in their communities. Source used: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-the-mind-heals-the-body/201411/how-stress-affects-the-immune-system