The Erasmus+ project “Mindful Youth Work: Cultivating Well-Being in Yourself and Others” recently concluded in Poznań, bringing together 30 volunteers from across Europe.

Among the lucky participants were six young Italians, including us, who had the opportunity to join the project through the partnership with SCI Italia. The training, held at the Malta Campus in Poznań from May 9 to 16, 2024, offered a unique chance to explore new cultures, learn communication strategies, and enhance our personal and professional skills in the realm of well-being. In this article, as participants from Italy, we will share our experiences and the lessons that will stay with us forever.

The primary goal of the course was to delve into the eight spheres of well-being according to the holistic approach: physical, emotional, intellectual, social, spiritual, environmental, occupational, and financial. We explored how each of these dimensions contributes to our overall well-being and how they can be interconnected. The ability to immediately apply the theory we had just learned proved incredibly useful: after each lesson, there was always a practical activity that allowed us to consolidate the concepts we had studied. For example, after discussing emotional well-being, we participated in exercises that helped us better understand and examine the feelings and needs associated with it.

Another central theme was nonviolent communication. Through role-playing exercises and simulations, we learned to recognize and manage conflicts more effectively, actively practicing empathetic listening and introspection.

Moreover, this training course taught us the importance of socialization. Throughout the day, there were several moments when we could socialize, starting with breakfast where, gathered around a single large table, we transitioned from the curiosity of getting to know each other to the enthusiasm of sharing our experiences and creating new memories together. 

Each session began at 9:00 AM with the energy keeper activity, which, in addition to giving us the right energy, often took us back in time to enjoy the carefree nature of our childhood and the company of our group through games and activities. This was also the aim of our trainers, Natalie and Gośka, who ensured during each activity that we worked in groups, with different partners each time. This helped us develop important social skills from different perspectives: each of us had the opportunity to test ourselves in communicating in a language different from our own, to understand and express ourselves through our emotions, and to collaborate in an inclusive and engaging group setting, focusing on active listening and finding common ground rather than building walls and barriers.

Thanks to the code word “tornado,” we often changed partners, allowing us to interact with all participants and overcome our inhibitions and social pressure that often accompany and hinder meeting and engaging with new people. The numerous activities proposed by our trainers were both educational and interesting, giving us the chance to challenge ourselves and discover our natural inclinations and strengths. For this reason, participants were given space to express themselves and their ideas of well-being through personal workshops. For an entire afternoon and the following morning, we had the opportunity to organize activities ranging from half an hour to an hour and a half to enrich the other participants, their knowledge, and their horizons through specific activities derived from what we truly cared about and were knowledgeable in.

This was excellently executed, thanks to the group chemistry created among the various participants, where we delved into useful elements to achieve the goal of personal and relational well-being and to foster well-being among young people and those who work with them. For example, workshops were presented with insights on financial well-being—often an underrated topic—expressing emotions through drawing, urban planning, and the relationship between animals and well-being.

All these activities taught us to be more open both towards others and ourselves: the environment that was created was profoundly safe and supportive, with every need and request being cared for, and it was easy to feel the wonderful energy we created together. Not a single thing was ever forced; everything came completely spontaneously and naturally from us. In fact, between sessions, we had coffee breaks, but often the time available seemed too short! Activities resumed at 2:30 PM after the lunch break, and the session continued until 6:00 PM, followed by dinner at 6:45 PM.

With such pleasant company, time seemed to slip through our hands too quickly, but despite this, each of us wanted to enjoy the day to the fullest. For this reason, some evenings were organized by our trainers with themed games and activities, but we often loved to lose ourselves in one of our favorite pastimes: just a few minutes from the camping site was Lake Malta, the perfect place to spend our evenings (and often nights) with music and chats, watching the stars and fully enjoying the tranquility of being completely immersed in nature. The location also played an important role in our journey: we visited the beautiful city of Poznań thanks to the guidance of one of the participants, which helped us bond even more, even in a completely external context to the training venue.

This was excellently executed, thanks to the group chemistry created among the various participants, where we delved into useful elements to achieve the goal of personal and relational well-being and to foster well-being among young people and those who work with them. For example, workshops were presented with insights on financial well-being—often an underrated topic—expressing emotions through drawing, urban planning, and the relationship between animals and well-being.

Furthermore, working closely with our emotions and getting to know ourselves deeply, a real bond of strong friendship quickly formed among all group members, making it seem as if we had known each other for a long time. Together, we shared not only intense days but especially emotions, life experiences, happy memories, and even sad ones, like those related to the last day. At the beginning of the session, our trainers asked us where we would place ourselves on the emotion scale, and while there was a lot of satisfaction with the project, the sadness for the end of our journey was even greater. It was one of the hardest things to close the last session in a circle and realize that the experience was coming to an end, and that we would no longer share our days together. But despite this, all the moments lived are vivid and eternally imprinted in our memory, and we will always carry in our hearts every single person we met during this fantastic experience.

In conclusion, the Erasmus+ project in Poznań was an incredible experience that enriched all of us. We had the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally, learning new strategies to improve our well-being and appreciating the cultural richness around us.

Participants’ testimonials

We are incredibly grateful for this experience, and we hope that our testimonies can inspire other young people to participate in similar projects and benefit from these unique experiences.

By: Battista Beatrice, Colaneri Nadia, Ribotta Matteo, Ronca Federica, Villoresi Edoardo, Voza Fabrizio.

Find more information on the training webpage