By implementing the project Moving Connections, we want to strengthen youth work practice in a very concrete and practical way, responding to changes in how young people relate to themselves, to others and to the world around them. From a youth work perspective, the project is not about introducing a new trend or specialised technique, but about expanding and deepening how youth workers use movement, embodiment and physical interaction as everyday educational tools that support connection, inclusion and resilience. The project starts from the observation that many youth workers today are working with groups where trust is fragile, attention is fragmented and cooperation does not arise automatically. Young people increasingly live in digital environments that limit physical interaction, embodied presence and real-life social learning. As a result, youth work often needs to address challenges that are expressed through the body: restlessness, withdrawal, insecurity around physical presence, difficulty cooperating or respecting boundaries. At the same time, youth workers frequently rely on movement, games or physical activities intuitively, without structured reflection or professional framing. This creates a clear need for professional development that helps youth workers work with the body in a conscious, ethical and inclusive way. The overall aim of the project is to improve the quality and relevance of youth work by equipping youth workers with competences to use movement, embodiment and contact-based practices intentionally, safely and meaningfully. The project supports youth workers in understanding how bodily experience influences group dynamics, emotional regulation and trust, and how these processes can be guided through non-formal education rather than left to chance. From the perspective of youth work practice, the project has several interconnected objectives. These objectives focus on strengthening concrete competences that youth workers can directly apply in their daily work: – to develop youth workers’ ability to use movement and embodied awareness as tools for group formation, engagement and inclusion, rather than only as energisers or recreational elements – to strengthen competences in facilitating contact-based activities, including elements inspired by contact improvisation, in ways that respect consent, boundaries and diversity and are appropriate for youth work settings – to improve youth workers’ skills in reading and responding to group dynamics through non-verbal cues, such as posture, proximity, movement quality and shared rhythm – to support youth workers in fostering trust, cooperation and mutual support among young people through physical interaction that is progressive, voluntary and adaptable – to strengthen youth workers’ embodied presence and self-awareness, helping them facilitate groups with greater clarity, calm and responsiveness – to support ethical and inclusive practice by increasing awareness of power, vulnerability and choice in movement- and contact-based activities – to enable youth workers to design and adapt simple movement-based activities that fit different contexts, spaces, group sizes and abilities without requiring special equipment or training – to support transfer of learning into organisational practice by encouraging sharing, experimentation and reflection within youth work teams Another important objective of the project is to support innovation in youth work methods. By framing movement, embodiment and contact as legitimate educational approaches rather than informal add-ons, the project contributes to expanding the methodological repertoire of youth work. This innovation is grounded in everyday practice and aligned with non-formal education values, making it accessible and sustainable. Finally, the project aims to contribute to the recognition and professionalisation of youth work. Through structured reflection and Youthpass-supported articulation of learning outcomes, youth workers are supported in naming and communicating competences that are often invisible, such as embodied facilitation, non-verbal communication and group awareness. This strengthens professional identity and supports wider recognition of the complexity and value of youth work practice. Overall, the project seeks to empower youth workers to work more confidently, creatively and responsibly with the embodied realities of young people today, contributing to youth work that is inclusive, relational and resilient in the face of social and technological change.