Social and emotional well-being has been linked to young people’s schooling outcomes, their social development, their capacity to contribute to the workforce and the community, the rate of youth suicide. The WHO has estimated that depression alone will constitute one of the greatest health problems worldwide by the year 2020. Of increasing concern is the growing rate of suicide among young males. Deep unhappiness, disordered mood, feelings of hopelessness and thoughts of suicide are common among young people. This lowered mood may be risk factor for long-term social problems and depression.Eolas Soileir and its partners took a positive approach to the promotion of emotional health among young people by carrying out two projects for youth workers and young people to address these needs by understanding and developing their skills at building resilience, empowerment & positive mental health both within themselves and the young people they work with.Using Non Formal methodologies we developed the creative competences, specifically in the topics of positive mental health, resilience & empowerment for youth, in 27 youth workers from Ireland, Greece, Slovenia, Spain, Kosova, Romania, Belarus, Poland, Armenia & Estonia, in an 8 day training course held from 4th to 11th of August 2017 in Wexford Ireland. Further we ran a Youth Exchange in the topics of positive mental health, resilience & empowerment for 20 young people aged between 18 & 30 from Romania, Spain, Lithuania, Estonia and Ireland from the 17th to 22nd of August 2017 in Wexford Ireland & 6 youth workers.The emphasis was on various ways young people might cope with stressful or difficult life events and challenges and we focused on personal coping skills & creative skills for expression and self reflection. The objectives and results of the projects were: 1. The participants on the TC came away with concrete methods and ideas that helped develop their own sense of empowerment, resilience & positive mental health and are now more competent in putting into action ideas and methods to increase positive mental health in the young people they work with.2. The young people on the YE came away with concrete methods and ideas to help develop their own sense of empowerment, resilience & positive mental health and incorporate these into their lives.3. The pax on the TC and the young people on the YE explored the potentials of creative methodologies as a way for self-discovery, stress reduction, creativity, empowerment, resilience and positive mental health.4. The participants on the TC and the young people on the YE were part of an intercultural learning experience.5. The pax on the TC facilitated their exchange of experience regarding their work with their own young people.6. The young people on the YE are better able to understand both themselves and other young people thereby feeling less isolated, better able to understand positive mental health and understand what they can do to encourage it within themselves and others.7. The pax on the TC were encouraged to develop European co-operation in the youth field.These objectives were fulfilled in relation to the objectives of Erasmus + youth mobility:• We supported the acquisition of skills of youth workers & young people on their personal & professional development and improving their employability. • We helped improve the language skills & intercultural learning of the participants. • This project also addressed E+ youth Inclusion and Diversity strategy as the TC & YE sought to combat poor mental health particularly in disadvantaged young people and those facing social, economic and educational difficulties. • We promoted the international cooperation & intercultural dialogue between partner and programme countries. • We also built up key competences and skills of young people including young people with fewer opportunities through the acquisition of skills by the youth workers and directly with the young people in the youth exchange. • Through youthpass we ensured better recognition of competences gained through their learning periods abroad, • Promoted active participation in civil society and develop a sense of European citizenship • Youth workers increased their professional development in the field with a view to innovating and improving the quality of Youth work across Europe & in their country. • They increased their motivation and satisfaction in daily work through the strengthening of their mental health.The methods used were: mindfulness and creativity, theatre, art & creativity, nature & outdoors, music, conversation, all took place in a context of improving resilience, positive mental health and empowerment. Long term benefits are an environment where people can be more open, understanding and positive in their attitudes and behavior towards mental health and an increased knowledge of how to achieve this.

"<< Objectives >>The project is carried out in response to the general situation of young people with fewer opportunities with which the organizations involved in this project work and which is detailed below.THE NEEDS OF PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS AND YOUTH STAKEHOLDERSWe (the group of partners) carried out an analysis by following the SWOT system in each of the partner associations. It involved analyzing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats encountered by the partners.We also considered the needs of partner associations. What are their needs at the organizational level, at the level of the profession of the members of these associations.The results of this analysis showed that youth workers had needs related to the social and societal context:They express the need to master new educational methodologies, activities and practices to work with disadvantaged young people, to develop systems and practices to work online with young people, to acquire skills to work one on one with young people (individual support) , the need to integrate nature into the pedagogical approach, the development of ecological awareness among the beneficiaries with whom they work (young people), to be empowered and motivated to flourish in life on a personal and professional level , the possibility of developing the professional skills of youth workers, and of developing soft skills such as the development of resilience, perseverance, etc.THE NEEDS OF YOUNG PEOPLE WITH WHOM PARTNER ORGANIZATIONS WORKThe needs of young people are above all at the level of mental health (especially those who have fewer opportunities).Young people expressed the need to be guided by experienced people to help them professionally, to learn to learn, to be resilient, to learn to plan, to learn to feel secure, confident, to know how to listen to their inner voice in order to follow their path. professional, to find one's way, to develop one's various intelligences.All these needs have been expressed by the partner associations in connection with their audience of young people (experiences collected by oral exchanges, written survey), and which have an audience whose mental health is difficult following the covid crisis.SOCIAL CONTEXTAccording to an article in “Santé publique France”, after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the mental health of the entire population, including that of children and adolescents, remains a matter of concern. The latest data from the Monthly Epidemiological Update dedicated to Mental Health confirms this: the indicators of mental suffering among 11-17 year olds remained at high levels, comparable to or even higher than those observed at the start of 2021.Studies across Europe are already showing the impact of the pandemic on mental health.UNICEF UK has found that over 60% of UK children are worried about the impact of coronavirus on their lives. The Belgian public health institute, Sciensano, found that young people aged 18 to 24 and students were by far the most affected by anxiety and depression during the crisis. Parents in Italy and Spain noticed that their children had difficulty concentrating, were irritable, restless and nervous. (United Nations article on mental health. July 2020)AIMFaced with all these observations, young people, organizations, international bodies, we have decided, with the young people, with the partners, to conceptualize this new project which will develop the autonomy of young people: by providing them with tools, a methodology, ways of learning, by developing skills to be consolidated in the face of professional and personal life, by leading them to listen to their own needs, and by offering them mentoring. (Complete system of accompaniment, through which a professional person (Mentor) guides with attention and objectivity a young person or a group, in order to progress personally and professionally.)In order to achieve this, we would like to achieve the following:1. Develop the acuity, by young people, of their needs, and more specifically of the particularity of young people with fewer opportunities. 2. Transmit the qualities of mentorship in working with young people with fewer opportunities. 3. Increase the personal and professional desire to work with young people with fewer opportunities in mentoring contexts. 4. To increase the organizational and operational capacity of 10 youth organizations to work more effectively with young people with fewer opportunities, in aspects related to mental health.<< Implementation >>The main activity of the project is a training course for youth workers. The mobility will take place in Lanvallay in July 2023, for 30 people, in a comfortable campsite. Each training day consists of 4 standard 90-minute sessions (session 4 is only 60 minutes). At the end of each day we have 60 minutes for reflection and integration of experiences. Some evenings we organize activities and some are free.The training activities are based on the principles of non-formal education. These are:-based on D. Kolb's experiential learning cycle. Thus, we will have practical activities, but also activities of reflection,generalization and application (writing in the diary, debriefings, practical reflections, animation of workshops, etc.).- stimulates cooperation and collaboration between participants.- we focus on the development of competencies, consisting of: knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviors.-the methods are participatory in nature, which stimulates the active involvement of everyone.-all activities are planned in advance by trainers and are adapted to the profile, pace and needs of the participants.-Trainers and participants are at the same level of relationship.-are based on the principle of voluntary participation.-Different and varied methods will be used.-The training is based on practice, experimentation, the use of mentorship anchored in the space of nature, in cooperation with it. The training program is structured in thematic days, which address complementary topics and activities.The structure of the thematic days is as follows: Day 1: Introduction and group cohesion / Day 2: The art of mentoring / Day 3: The basics of mentoring / Day 4: Mentoring by nature and the art of storytelling / Day 5: Mentoring through art and online / Day 6: Application - workshop facilitation - good practices / Day 7: Erasmus +, Youthpass, Evaluation, Conclusion.METHODOLOGY AND PLANNED ACTIVITIES:The methods we use are varied and cover a wide range of learning styles, techniques and processes. The training program is based on the methodology of mentoring and nature-based learning (learning in the naturalenvironment).-Methods of self-discovery: working with multiple intelligences, identifying passions, talents, values, mission and personal vision.-Artistic and creative methods: drawing, symbolic art, intuitive writing, poetic writing, puns, storytelling, work with ""Hero's Journey"".-Methods of teamwork and cooperation: teambuilding activities, team games, icebreaker games, energizers.-Nature-based learning methods: land art, connection with the senses, walking meditation, exploration and observation of nature, interactions with natural beings, conversations with nature beings, etc.-Body-kinesthetic methods: dance, movement, body activation, Yoga techniques.-Reflective methods: facilitated discussions, debriefings, focus groups, journal writing, working with key skills, settinglearning goals.-Online working methods: online simulations of mentoring sessions, online training meetings, etc.-Mentoring methods: support through questioning, mirroring, identification of development needs.-Public speaking and communication methods: presentations, public café, carousel, storytelling evening, The Way ofCouncil de Joe Proviser, TEDx motivational speech, etc.-Intercultural methods: intercultural evening, intercultural activities.-Application methods: use of the NAOMIE planning tool, animation of workshops, creation of action plans.The objectives of the sessions are based on the EU youth strategy: ENGAGE-CONNECT-EMPOWER. The objectives are:-understand the Erasmus+ program and the elements of the Youthpass.-development of group relations and team spirit.-development of the ability to facilitate non-formal learning activities.<< Results >>The project will generate the following impact.IMPACT ON PARTICIPANTS:Impact produced during the project: • Develop the capacity to work with disadvantaged young people, to empower them and to develop their mental health. • Increase participants' knowledge of mentoring methodologies. • Develop an individual work practice with young people. • Knowledge of over 50 mentoring tools and techniques. • Increased motivation to work with young people with fewer opportunities. • Increase the capacity to innovate by working with young people and to use more than 50 new teaching methods and activities. • Development of skills and professional perspectives. • A strong motivation to get involved in the development of society, at the local level. • Increase the ability to live and work in multicultural contexts. • Increased ability to develop and implement professional plans. • Increase degree of access to professional resources: materials, funding, opportunities, networking, information, etc. Impact produced 3 to 6 months after the end of the project: • Support for the mental health of young people will increase. • Increase the quality of educational services and work with young people offered by the participants. • Increase the degree of active participation and involvement in social life. • Develop personal resilience to face the challenges of life (professional / personal). • Development of personal social, professional, emotional, etc. support networks.IMPACT ON PARTNER ORGANIZATIONSImpact produced during the project: • Develop an attractive and motivating professional environment. • Increase the capacity of organizations to respond to the needs of disadvantaged youth with mental health issues. • Acquire expertise in using mentoring for youth development. • Increase the quality of educational services offered to beneficiaries. • Carry out more strategic and effective community activities and interventions. • Increase the degree of innovation, adaptability and organizational flexibility. • Increase the degree of digitization of work with young people. • Increase access to relevant information resources in the youth field. • Increase the number of development activities carried out for young people. Impact produced 3-6 months after the project: • Increase the capacity to work at European level, through Erasmus + projects. • Develop the ability to cope with uncertainties and changes in the external environment. • Increase the number of young beneficiaries with reduced opportunities. • Increase organizational capacity to operate in the youth field. Therefore, the project will generate the following effects on young people.YOUTH IMPACTImpact produced during the project: • Increase social and professional inclusion. • Develop the mental health of young people (particularly the young people who will take part in the multiplication workshops). • Interactions with positive role models of youth workers. • Benefit from individual support and medium and long-term support. • Create a space for young people to express themselves, where they will feel more seen, heard and supported. • Obtain clarity on internal resources, passions, talents, and career direction. • Increase personal strength: confidence, courage, perseverance, etc. • Develop positive attitudes and a proactive mindset. Impact produced 3-6 months after the project: • Increase autonomy and individual responsibility. • Increase professional prospects and opportunities.• Active participation in community life.At the local level, the changes will be most felt in the communities of participants and partner organizations. Through the professional and personal development that they will have in the project, the participants will put at the service of their community and disadvantaged young people, the new skills acquired. Thus, the participating communities will have new initiatives dedicated to young people. Additionally, participants will lead multiplication workshops for disadvantaged youth in their communities. 25 workshops will be organized with the participation of at least 10 young people/workshop. Thus, in total, at least 250 young people will benefit from resilience-building activities.The project will produce the following results: • 25 facilitators trained and equipped with professional skills. • 7 full days of training, more than 60 hours of training."

The training course “Be(e) the Change” will be held in the ecological center Kapraluv Mlyn in Czech Republic. The activity will take place on 6-13 November 2016 and it will involve 30 participants coming from 16 partners.The project idea comes from YEE’s campaign “The Right to be(e)” that is ongoing for three years now. With this training course we would like to learn and develop more tools of creating successful environmental educational campaigns, as well as share experience among the organisations who took part in campaigns such as “The Right to Be(e)”. The project’s activities will help to improve YEE’s and its member organisations’ campaigning skills by learning about what an educational campaign is, how to plan it or how to motivate young people to participate.The participants will be chosen based on their previous experience with campaigns, especially with ones carried out by YEE. They will be asked in advance to prepare examples of their previous campaigning. Also, they will be involved in creating the follow-up.The activities are related to learnings and overviews about organising an educational campaign. The objectives of the planned activities fit the objectives of the project because they will be designed to developing general campaigning skills, especially ones regarding international campaigns. The sessions will be developed using the principles of the non-formal and intercultural education and will reflect the needs and expectations of the participants. The working methods of the youth exchange will involve: team building, working in groups, discussion in groups, research, giving/receiving feedback, brainstorming, presentation, etc.After the training course we will create a publication gathering the knowledge and ideas developed throughout the activity, together with other promotional materials. Participants will organise local activities in their communities, after working on their campaign ideas in the training course.Moreover, the training course will shape a quality strategy and action plan for The Right to Be(e) campaign in 2017 and it will lead to higher participation of young people in YEE’s campaigns. The project will help participating organisations create successful environmental campaigns - based on the experience they shared, new knowledge and skills that were developed.

nternational Course with Associate Countries.Location: CASA DEL TRIGO (Caravaca - Murcia)Dates: from the 5 to the 10 of September 2017. (plus 2 travelling days)27 participants from Italy, Spain, Slovenia, Ireland, Denmark, Greece, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, and Armenia.Working methods: Debates, energizers, theatrical improvisation games, stretching exercises, body expression, contemporary dance, Conscious Movement, Contact, Body Storytelling choreographic theater, reflection groups, walks and excursions, intercultural evenings, games of Simulation and role play, JAM sesssions, breathing exercises, massage, yoga, etc.Profile of participants: own of educators and workers of Youth (voluntary and paid). Everyone works with young people with fewer opportunities.Context: This project arises from the need for Euroaction and its partners to explore and develop new approaches to corporal work with young people with fewer opportunities that can be combined with the principles of Non Formal Education.The PURPOSE of this course is:Develop the skills of youth workers in facilitating youth work activities that involve working with the body and other physical activities aimed at young people with fewer opportunities.Our SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES are:- To create a safe space for exchange, mutual learning and intercultural communication among participants.- Promote the development of the knowledge, skills and attitudes of workers in relation to the current trends in contemporary dance that can benefit youth work when intervening with young people with fewer opportunities.- To facilitate the awareness and awareness of these professionals in relation to the benefits of conscious movement, Contact, Body Storytelling and choreographic theater, among other approaches as well as their impact on young people.- Encourage the creativity and spontaneity of youth workers to find new ways to reach young people with whom they work effectively.- Explore and facilitate spaces from which participants can create their own workshops based on the disciplines mentioned above in a Non Formal Education framework with groups of young people with fewer opportunities.And last but not least, we will encourage the creation of an informal network at transnational level between the participating organizations for the development of future projects with the Erasmus Plus Program.As for the result we would have the following:1) Creation and testing of a new formative curriculum combining the corporal work and the principles of Non Formal Education.2) Preparation of a dossier with the most common challenges and training needs that these professionals face in their daily work (in exchanges, EVS and training).3) Elaboration of a Manifesto (in pdf and on-line) that includes the recommendations at the level of Youth policies for the recognition and promotion of work with the body and the NFE.4) Creation of a set of pedagogic videos ilustrating the different exercises with the body adapted according to different target groups.5) The creation of a blog on the Internet that will give visibility to the project, the group of participants, the results achieved and the description of the training curriculum itself.At a more intangible level, we expect an update and an increase in the capacity and effectiveness of the partner entities in working with young people at risk and social exclusion.

Youth exchange with associated countries.- Involved countries: Spain, Italy, Ireland, Denmark, Slovenia and Armenia.Profile and number of participants: 4 young plus 1 group leader per country, and in the case of Euroacción 1 extra person for logistical support. In total 35 people. 90% of young people who come are disadvantaged youth)- Location: CASA DEL TRIGO (Caravaca - Murcia)- Dates: del 12 al 22 de Julio 2017.- Methodology and working methods: The methodology is non-formal education and contemporary dance. The methods are discussions, energizers, improvisational theater, stretching exercises, corporal expression, contemporary dance, theater, think tanks, tours and excursions, intercultural evenings, simulation games and role-play, improvisation exercises breathing, massage, yoga, etc.- General aim of this youth exchange: Promoting the self awareness of young people and the participation in the different opportunities thanks to their self-esteem improvement, sense of the responsibility on topics that affect them and the accepting of personal, intercultural and professional challenge. - Specific objectives of the exchange: Create a safe space for the exchange of experiences between young people, mutual learning and intercultural dialogue.Improve self-awareness through activities like dance, and the understanding of the others thanks to the experiential learning methodology and non-formal education activities. Raise awareness in young people about the health benefits of dance, theater and body language.Foster the importance of participation like active citizen through performing and visual arts like explained before.Enhance the entrepreneurship of young people to face in a better way, the challenges of the job market.Develop an informal network among young people, facilitate the learning about Erasmus Plus projects and the opportunity that it offers, reflect on the European values, exchange of views on EU issues and identity and foster their awareness as active European citizens.The results of the project will be the creation by young people of a contemporary dance piece that will be presented in Caravaca, Murcia and Cartagena, creating a blog, poster and preparing a documentary video of the whole process. The impact of the project will raise the awareness about themselves, cultural differences and increase their participation and involvement in mobility projects at European level Erasmus +.The long term benefits of the project are related to greater social awareness on active citizenship in line with intercultural dialogue and an increased cooperation between European project partners to develop youth mobility projects.