Long term training program – THE WAY OF NATURE: addressing mental health and sustainable well-being of youth through nature-based practices
CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS
for the project
THE WAY OF NATURE: addressing mental health and sustainable well-being of youth through nature-based practices
Training program under KA210 (Small Scale Partnership) of Erasmus +
Learning for Change Foundation (Bulgaria) is inviting you to apply to a unique long-term training program developed in partnership with RELEARN SUDERBYN (Sweden).
The training program is part of a year-long Erasmus+ project (Strategic Partnership) called THE WAY OF NATURE: addressing mental health and sustainable well-being of youth through nature-based practices.
Under this project 22 youth workers (11 from Bulgaria and 11 from Sweden) will participate in a learning process containing online preparation, residential training course and a follow-up/application phase.
FOLLOW THIS LINK TO read the detailed CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS
Application deadline – 10.04.2025
Applications will be considered continuously, so we encourage early submission.
ABOUT “THE WAY OF NATURE”
THE WAY OF NATURE – addressing mental health and sustainable well-being of youth through nature-based practices – 2024-1-BG01-KA210-YOU-000253789 is funded by the European Erasmus + Programme under Key Action 2 (SMALL-SCALE PARTNERSHIPS IN YOUTH – KA210-YOU). The project is coordinated by Learning for Change (Bulgaria), in partnership with RELEARN SUDERBYN (Sweden).
The fundamental approach of the project combines nature-based methods, cognitive and somatic (physical) practices and developmental psychology. All these concepts are integrated into a complementary process that can be adapted to different target groups and social environments.
Youth workers are trained in a youth support approach combining the following main areas:
- Spiritual development
- Proactive role in community
- Interconnectedness with all natural beings
- Resilience
- Authentic relating
- Life purpose identification
THE AIM of the project is to foster quality and multi-dimensional improvements in youth work, in order to address the developmental deficits in young people, thus supporting their transition from youth to adulthood, their integration into the labour market and the chances for social inclusion and education.
OBJECTIVES
- To develop innovative effective tools and methods to be used by YW for recognizing the developmental deficits in the YP and addressing them through Nature based practices, thus improving their access, participation and learning outcomes
- To enhance the competencies of YW to be able to use innovative tools based on Developmental and Ecocentric psychology, and Nature based learning
- To disseminate and multiply the project results and intellectual outputs for allowing greater synergies across all fields of actions concerning youth
RESULTS
Intellectual outputs:
- Methodology and training program for YW – 8 days training program for YW on how to use the Ecocentric model “Nature Based Map of Human Psyche” (B. Plotkin 2013) for identifying and addressing developmental deficits of YP
- Handbook of nature based practices adapted for implementation in the context of Youth Work in EU
- Program templates for 3, 5, and 7-day outdoor programs for youth
- Session outlines for the program elements
Multiplier Events:
- Webinar to present the outcomes (training program and results of practices with young people) to the wider audience of YW in EU and outside of it
- Dissemination events in Bulgaria and Sweden to invite YW not involved in the training to get in touch with the methodology
Learning activities:
- Training for YW – how to use the methodology and offer the programs to YP
- Workshops with Nature Based practices for YP
FINANCIAL CONDITIONS
All the costs (traveling, accommodation, food, training) are covered 100% by the project, through the Erasmus+ financial support.
DATES OF THE RESIDENTIAL TRAINING
31 July – 9 August 2025 in Gudevica village, Bulgaria, “School in Nature” educational centre
WHO CAN PARTICIPATE
YOUTH WORKERS (including other professionals involved in regular work with young people)
This project will be beneficial for participants with a specific profile and expertise. The educational part and intellectual outputs from the project are targeted at:
- People who have at least one of the following roles: Youth and social workers, non-formal educators, school and university teachers, career councillors, wilderness guides, psychologists and therapists, mentors and coaches;
- People who work regularly with young people (14 – 30 years old). Preference will be given to one specialized in work with disadvantaged target groups (NEET, marginalized, hard to reach, in risk of radicalization);
- Participants with previous experience in youth work – since, in order to participate effectively in the activities, participants need to possess a certain level of emotional maturity and self-awareness;
- Staff from organizations working in the field of youth work addressing mental-health and inclusion (minority communities, refugees and migrants, fewer opportunities etc.).
NECESSARY PRIOR EXPERIENCE OF THE PARTICIPANTS:
- To know the principles of non-formal learning, training and facilitation (holding space and working with groups);
- To have participated at preparation, implementation and evaluation of group programs based on non-formal learning methods;
- To have experience in the youth field and youth work or other form of human development work;
- To have the potential and desire to develop competences of nature-based human development guides;
- To have the capacity of working actively with youth (14 – 30 years old);
- To have the possibility and desire to conduct workshops for young people during the project implementation;
- To show initiative and willingness to deliberately run a process of self-improvement and learning;
- To be prepared to critically reflect on their skills, values and qualities;
The participants must be over 18 years and have a good level of English.
APPLICATION PROCEDURES AND DEADLINE
To participate, please fill in the application form available at this link: APPLICATION FORM
The deadline for applications submission is 10 April 2025 (included).
The last selections results will be published on 15 April 2025.
Applications will be considered continuously, so we encourage early submission.
Call for participants in CANVA – CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS
Detailed information about the project and the training process you can download from here – DETAILED INFORMATION
CONTACT
Ognain Gadoularov – project coordinator for Bulgaria – ogi@learningforchange.net
Toni Mallach – project coordinator for Sweden – toni.mallach@gmail.com