As youth workers, we are still human, and we are influenced in our work by our shadow. In the survey among youth workers, an overwhelming 78.6 % answered that unresolved personal emotions or challenges affect their work with youth “sometimes”. Only 14.3 % answered it affects them “rarely”, and 7.1 % answered it affects them “often”, and nobody answered "never". As the most common threat they are facing, youth workers identified - "Difficulty handling conflict or challenging behaviors" (57.1%), - Burnout or compassion fatigue (50 %). 71.4 % of them recognized a "personal development workshop" as the best strategy for emotional or psychological support. From the proposed learning topics, they were the most interested in: - "Shadow work (exploring hidden or repressed parts of yourself" 71.4 % - "Emotional regulation and self- soothing techniques" 64.3 % - "Handling difficult emotions in the workplace" 64.3 % - "Developing greater self-compassion and self-awareness" 64.3 % - "Emotional resilience or stress management techniques" 57.1 % - "Building empathy and understanding emotional triggers" 50 % We recognized a need to work with the subconscious. To answer this need, we embraced the work of Carl Jung, who was very fond of Myths. Myths offer profound insights into human existence and often serve as allegorical lessons about life. Academics from various fields, including anthropology, psychology, and literature, have explored how myths reflect the complexities of human experience. Here are a few perspectives from scholars on what myths teach us about life: "Myth is the secret opening through which the inexhaustible energies of the cosmos pour into human cultural manifestation… The adventure of the hero is the adventure of being alive." - Joseph Campbell, American mythologist, known for his work on the “hero’s journey” “Myths are original revelations of the preconscious psyche, involuntary statements about unconscious psychic happenings.” - Carl Jung, founder of analytical psychology “Myth is language: to be known, myth has to be told; it is a part of human speech... Myth tells us how we can understand human realities in a meaningful way.” Claude Lévi-Strauss, French anthropologist One of the most common mythological concepts across different cultures is descend to the Underworld: - Bard Orfeus descended to resurrect his deceased love Euridice. - Sumerian goddess of love and fertility Inanna descends to the underworld to visit her sister, loses her powers, dies, and later on is reborn. - Maya's twins descend to the underworld to face the Lord of Death, and are returning victorious. - Japanese god Izanagi after returning from the underworld takes a purifying bath which leads to creation of various gods, including the sun itself. - King Arthur travels to Anwn to bring back the Cauldron of Annwn with a special ability to grant life and wisdom. And the list could continue… Descend to the Underworld can represent many different things, but the unifying motive is death and rebirth, which represents the cyclical nature of life itself. It manifests itself in the Hero's Journey - a story of one’s path towards challenges, through which one is transformed, growing into a better version of self. Using the symbolic nature of stories and myths, we sent our heroes and heroines (participants) to the underWorld to encounter their Shadows. In Carl Jung's analytical psychology, the "shadow" represents the unconscious and often repressed aspects of the psyche. It includes everything that a person consciously rejects or is unaware of, especially traits or desires considered undesirable, socially unacceptable, or in conflict with one’s self-image. These can be negative qualities such as selfishness, anger, and jealousy, but also positive traits that a person has not yet integrated into their conscious awareness. Jung believed that acknowledging and integrating the shadow is crucial for psychological growth and self-awareness, a process he called "individuation." This was done to let youth workers experience their whole self - to embrace all their parts of their being, make them conscious, and use them to their advantage. Teaching them this, we also allowed them to support their target groups in embracing themselves. The frame of the project was following: VISION: Embracing the shadow GOAL: Teach youth workers strategies on embracing their shadow side and facilitating the same experience for others O1: Establish a safe space in which youth workers (including youth workers with fewer opportunities) can learn together O2: Let youth worker experience and practice following methods: systemic work, body movement, storytelling, psychodrama, disconnection from ICT O3: Boost youth workers well-being, resilience, and empathy O4: Disseminate the learning