Resourcing Change: An Erasmus+ Training for Youth Workers
The seeds of this project were sown from lived experience. After years of participating in Erasmus+ programmes, I felt a strong pull to give back — and to create the kind of training space I wished I’d had as a youth worker: one that centred wellbeing, storytelling, and the embodied realities of working in social change.
Together with co-facilitators Dimitris Kounatiadis and Hannaneh Bahrami (of youth-led NGO Hang Floww), we asked:
How can we support youth workers to stay resilient, resourced, and connected in their work?
What role does storytelling and embodiment play in regeneration?
How do we create conditions where care is not an afterthought, but the foundation?
The Work
The week was immersive, challenging, and electric. We moved between somatic practices and theatre inputs, social change theory and shared meals, structured learning and spontaneous ritual. We integrated diverse methodologies, including The Work That Reconnects, self-care audits, Open Space Technology, embodiment and physical theatre, group performance, art therapy, and narrative frameworks like the Hero’s Journey.
Even in the dark Finnish winter, with travel delays, illness, and cultural differences in the mix, the group formed a strong container. A highlight: heading together to a lakeside sauna, cutting a hole in the ice to plunge between heat and cold, bonding in one of the most ancient forms of resilience.
I held and facilitated across the week alongside Dimi, bringing presence, adaptability, and energy to every session. Hang Floww’s team offered powerful support on the ground, ensuring things ran smoothly and the group felt cared for.
The Outcome
More than 90% of participants shared that they experienced significant personal and professional impact from the training. Many left feeling reconnected to their purpose, and inspired to bring new tools and practices home.
Some launched new projects in their local contexts. Others stayed connected for years through the WhatsApp group, a testament to the bonds formed and the resonance of the experience.
This project affirmed that resilience can be taught, that stories can be medicine, and that when we gather intentionally, transformation is not just possible, it’s inevitable.