"Reflected Realities – Exploring Self and Identity" is a 9-day international training course designed to strengthen the competences of youth workers in supporting young people through processes of identity exploration, self-expression, and emotional wellbeing. The project responds to an urgent need in European youth work: to better address the emotional fragility, identity struggles, and inclusion gaps experienced by youth—especially those with fewer opportunities. What do we want to achieve? The project aims to equip youth workers with creative, reflective, and psychologically informed tools that can be directly applied in their local contexts to: • Support young people in understanding and expressing who they are • Create emotionally safe and inclusive spaces for self-exploration • Address identity-related challenges linked to migration, social exclusion, low self-esteem, or discrimination • Integrate mental health awareness and emotional literacy into everyday youth work • Strengthen intercultural understanding and empathy within youth groups Main Objectives (Youth Work Perspective) 1. Develop Practical Competences Train youth workers in innovative non-formal methods such as: o Storytelling & autobiography o Photowriting o Nonviolent Communication (NVC) o Theatre and movement-based reflection o Symbolic and nature-based rituals 2. Foster Emotional Intelligence & Inclusion Improve the ability of youth workers to: o Recognise emotional needs in youth o Support identity formation processes o Communicate empathetically and non-judgmentally o Respond to diversity, trauma, and social fragility with care 3. Promote Multiplier Impact in Youth Work Practice Enable participants to: o Apply the methods with their youth groups o Organise follow-up activities in their communities o Share tools with peers and organisations, embedding them into local youth work 4. Strengthen a European Network of Practice Create long-term connections among youth workers and organisations across Europe that are committed to: o Creative and human-centred approaches in youth empowerment o Continued exchange of tools and strategies o Inclusion and mental health as core values in youth work Overall Vision We envision a more emotionally intelligent, inclusive, and creative youth work field—where youth workers are not only facilitators of learning but also companions in the personal development journeys of young people. This project builds their capacity to hold space for transformation, dialogue, and belonging.