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Welcome to the New Age - Stress, resilience, art of planning

2020-3-HU01-KA105-0938002020Youth mobilityfinalizedGood practice
Countries: HU|EL|BG|HR|MT|PL|IT|EE · Grant: €15,320
Youth (Participation, Youth Work, Youth Policy)Creativity and cultureHealth and wellbeing

Objectives

The Fourth Industrial Revolution has changed the society rapidly and in depth - the way we think about work, learning, consumption, communication is very different than it was 10-15 years ago. Youth organisations and youth workers have to work in constant change, and sometimes it seems impossible to keep up with all the developments and new technologies around us. Accelerated lifestyles and the transfer of relationships into virtual spaces also create many stressful situations. Although this kind of stress has been intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic, youth workers have already had to deal with fundamental problems that are actually not new. How do we reach young people and how to motivate them? How to work with disadvantaged young people, how to meet their real needs, how to reach them virtually? How do we manage uncertainty and stress in our daily and/or voluntary work? How to develop strategies to build a solid yet flexible youth organisation? Uncertainty and the influence of others and external factors both increase stress levels extremely. This kind of harmful stress has an unpredictable impact on our lives and work in the long term. János Selye's studies have shown that by understanding the causes of stress and applying appropriate coping mechanisms, we can more effectively manage and control our reactions to stressors. Moreover, we will be able to build resilience more quickly, both for a specific person and for an organisation. About one third of the population is born with the ability to cope with and overcome negative and stressful situations. However, resilience can be developed. With this project we aimed at contributing to the improvement of the quality of youth work in Europe by developing the resilience of youth organisations and youth workers, youth leaders, activists and volunteers. Developing our personal coping mechanisms contributes to the effectiveness of their daily work, which is particularly important during and after the pandemic, when youth organisations have to re-think or even re-organise their activities. In addition to building the capacity of youth organisations, the project aims to promote the development and sharing of existing good practices, methods and techniques for reaching and motivating marginalised and disadvantaged groups of young people, which partner organisations already had or developed/acquired during the digital operation of the COVID-19 outbreak. The collaboration has proved to be of paramount importance, creating a synergy that will ensure long-term, ongoing support and continuous knowledge sharing between participants, their organisations and target groups. The specific objectives of the project were: - To help participants understand and become aware of coping mechanisms in unforeseen situations. - To familiarise participants with resilience and its 7 pillars, with a particular focus on the positive effects of team support. - Motivate them to focus on aspects of their lives that they can influence and empower them to advocate this approach to young people. - To give participants the tools and techniques (mindful presence, solution-focused approach) to become more successful in their work with young people. - To promote EU values such as cooperation, solidarity, tolerance and diversity; and to raise awareness of their role in rebuilding our daily lives.

Project partners (8)