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Find Your Own Nature

2021-1-BE05-KA153-YOU-0000116552021Mobility of youth workersfinalized
Countries: BE|NL|AT|EL|IT|FR|PT|ES|HR|FI · Grant: €20,395
Environment and climate changePhysical and mental health, well-beingQuality and innovation of youth work

Objectives

Health - in both a physical and mental dimension - is a warm subject in these current times, and an alive topic in both the socio-cultural working field as in many focus actions issued by different national and European official bodies. Being in good mental health is more than ever an essential part of our general wellbeing. This is especially true for people of young age who are still developing in social interactions, self-discovery, personal well being, emotional coping, talent uncovering, professional planning, etc. It’s a key aspect of healthy personal development and of maintaining all round resilience and decisiveness in life. Young people with a stable, healthy private life feel more comfortable to be proactive in society, for example in their professional context or in social initiatives. This consequently leads to better chances and opportunities in life domains as social inclusion, employment, family planning, social and civic engagement, etc. Given the fact that unemployment is and stays a difficult challenge for all young people in Europe, the training Find your own nature wanted to have benefits in the overall process of professional development. This is possible through better career orientation thanks to self-discovery and consequently better chances on the labour market and in their professional blooming. The rise of nature-based methods as an approach to health and wellbeing, is another ‘hot topic’ of action within healthcare circles, for both its contribution to physical as to psychological health, and of course in the context of youth work and inclusion projects. The main objective of this TC was to interconnect the development of mental health for young people with these nature-based methods. In general, this project was aiming at creating insights, possibilities and experience around personal mental wellbeing for youth, as well as offering tools for youth workers who need them in their daily work. There is high need within the European youth and socio-cultural work for methods, tools, knowledge and experience in the use of nature-based activities to promote mental wellbeing. Not only for the reasons stated above, but also for a series of additional advantages. This TC was based on non-formal and experiential education with a self-directed learning approach. Self discovery and self awareness are key aspects of mental wellbeing. Hence the name of the project, “Find your own nature”. We believe that gaining a deeper understanding of ‘who we are’ and of ‘how to lead ourselves to inner change’ while using the natural resources in us and around us is a (self-)sustainable and empowering process which can lead to positive healthy life changes. Summary of the objectives of “Find Your Own Nature” were: - Support participants to become more aware of themselves and to develop an everyday lifestyle that fits in the frame of their own psychological well being - Provide youth workers with nature and outdoor based tools and methods to support the young people they work with through a similar process - Provide youth workers with nature and outdoor based tools and methods to develop their own competences, skills and talents that are useful in their professional mission - Create an intercultural exchange opportunity in topics as mental health, personal development and the use of nature-based methods -To discover Erasmus+ program as a tool of addressing important issues and opportunities in a society - Furthermore we envisaged this TC as a non-formal experiment in the use of nature based health practices and outdoor methods within the frame of youth work. This as we consider further development and promotion of these types of methods.

Project partners (10)