Through JESSICA – Joyful Embodied Soft Spontaneous In-tune Creative Alive – we aim to strengthen youth work practice by integrating embodiment, playfulness, and nature-based methodologies into non-formal education. The project responds to increasing levels of stress, disconnection, social anxiety, and emotional overload experienced by young people across Europe. Many existing youth work practices remain mainly cognitive and discussion-based, while young people often lack safe spaces to reconnect with their bodies, emotions, and authentic self-expression. JESSICA demonstrates that embodied, experiential, and consent-based approaches can significantly improve learning quality, group cohesion, emotional literacy, and inclusion within youth work. The overall aim of the project is to empower young people through embodied and playful non-formal education, while strengthening partner organisations’ capacity to deliver inclusive, holistic, and well-being-oriented youth work. Specific Objectives 1. Strengthen Emotional Literacy and Self-Awareness To support young people in recognizing, expressing, and regulating emotions through movement, body awareness, and reflective somatic practices, enhancing emotional safety and communication in youth work settings. 2. Integrate Embodiment and Playfulness into Non-Formal Education To explore movement, creativity, and spontaneous play as effective learning tools, expanding methodological diversity and making learning more accessible across linguistic and cultural backgrounds. 3. Promote Inclusive and Accessible Learning Environments To create a beginner-friendly, consent-based, and non-judgmental space where participants from diverse and fewer-opportunity backgrounds can participate equally and confidently. 4. Foster Connection with Nature as a Youth Work Resource To integrate outdoor and nature-based learning methods that support mental well-being, ecological awareness, and sustainable attitudes among young people. 5. Strengthen Organisational Capacity in Embodied Youth Work To equip partner organisations with transferable embodied methodologies that can be applied in future projects, local workshops, and youth initiatives. 6. Promote Meaningful Intercultural Dialogue To strengthen European cooperation through shared embodied experiences, creative collaboration, and collective reflection, fostering empathy, solidarity, and mutual respect. Long-Term Impact Through JESSICA, we aim to contribute to a shift in youth work culture towards more embodied, relational, and holistic practices. The project supports young people in becoming emotionally resilient, creative, socially engaged, and connected to themselves, others, and their environment.