With Awakening Ties we responded to very concrete needs we observed among young people: a lot of digital connection but few deep relationships; anxiety and loneliness; little familiarity with naming emotions and asking for help. The design was inspired by evidence from the Harvard Study of Adult Development - the longest-running longitudinal study on wellbeing - which shows that the quality of relationships is one of the strongest predictors of mental and physical health across the lifespan. We translated this evidence into educational practice: creating in Morbello (3 - 12 July 2025) a natural, protected setting where participants could “train their social fitness” through daily routines of awareness, emotional regulation and empathic communication - so that they would not just have “a nice Erasmus+ experience,” but return home with concrete tools and a real peer network. In line with Erasmus+ priorities (inclusion, participation, intercultural dialogue and wellbeing), the specific objectives were to: -Increase awareness of the relationships, loneliness, mental health link at the core of the Harvard Study, normalising the topic and reducing stigma and isolation. -Introduce and practice self-regulation and relational tools (mindfulness, yoga/body awareness, empathy, compassion/self-compassion, Nonviolent Communication (NVC)) embedded in the daily routine to strengthen “social fitness.” -Strengthen relational competences (expressing needs/limits, active listening, non-violent conflict management, peer support) within a safe group fostering trust and mutual responsibility. -Build a solid intercultural bond among young people from Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal, using diversity as a resource to learn new ways of relating and cooperating. -Legitimise dialogue on mental health among peers, making it practicable through micro-practices transferable to schools, sports groups and associations. -Enhance partner organisations in using non-formal education methods on relationships and wellbeing, producing reusable outputs (docu-video, practice e-book, newsletter/diary) and disseminating them in the communities. -Promote Erasmus+ as an opportunity for personal growth, inclusion and active participation, facilitating access to future mobilities. In short, we transformed the findings of the Harvard Study into an experiential pathway: daily rituals (intention circle, breath and awareness practices, NVC) to build high-quality relationships - which, according to the evidence, are the foundation of lasting wellbeing.