Through the project, we aimed to: -identify the stress factors which influence youth workers in partner countries; -equip participants with the theoretical knowledge on the nature of stress; -provide educators with accessible stress-management tools for personal everyday use in the form of a manual; -learn how mindfulness can contribute to eliminating stress and learn about MBSR techniques; -acquire concrete skills in time-management and learn how it can contribute to dealing with stress; -learn about stress-management tools which can be used in work with young people in order to address their study-related stress and develop their emotional intelligence; -train youth workers in using stress-management tools in youth work in different contexts; -share good practices in stress management in education and youth work. By achieving these goals, we ensured that youth workers and educators gained practical tools and methodologies to address wellbeing and self-care in youth work, leading to a longer-term impact in the field. The project contributed to inclusion and diversity, promoted wellbeing, and fostered international cooperation among organisations working with young people from different social and cultural backgrounds.
We applied for this project because partner organisations from Poland, Greece, Slovenia and Türkiye observed a growing need to support the wellbeing of both young people and those working with them. In the application we identified that the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and the earthquakes in Türkiye increased stress, anxiety, helplessness and insecurity among young people and educators. Our local needs analysis among youth workers and educators also showed high levels of stress linked to work overload, undefined working hours in NGOs, fear connected with crises, and weakened human contact with target groups. The project addressed the need to re-define self-care in youth work, understand the nature of stress, learn practical stress-management and mindfulness tools, strengthen time-management, and exchange good practices between countries. Partners also needed methods that could be used with young people with fewer opportunities, including rural youth, migrants, refugees and students facing academic or social pressure. Therefore, the project focused on building youth workers’ competences, improving the quality of youth work and creating a tested manual to support everyday wellbeing in educational and youth work settings.