Stop. Reflect. Do Better!
![baner - mail-2](https://poland.sci.ngo/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/baner-mail-2-1.png)
The idea
With the Stop. Reflect. Do Better project we invite you to stop for a moment, and dedicate time to your capacity and well-being as youth workers, coordinators, managers, educators, and peace activists!
The overall project aim is to:
- support the well-being of professionals, youth workers, coordinators, and peace activists,
- build further their competences and capacities of the organisations in providing quality voluntary and educational activities for young people.
Why do we do it?
- our lives as peace activists and youth workers are full of tasks and the to-do list is never-ending, with piles of unexpected challenges or complications,
- we know that moments of rest and reflection are needed but they often seem to be an unrealistic luxury,
- as organisations, we need to find a new way to effectively and positively deal with the new reality and to support the well-being and flourishing of our teams,
- once we manage to find our own balance, we will be again capable of providing a quality youth work to help and support young people.
We are a partnership of 10 organisations: SCI Poland (leader), CVS Bulgaria, SCI Catalunya, SCI Germany, Útilapu Hungary, VSI Ireland, SCI Italy, CID North Macedonia, Para Onde? Portugal and Zavod Voluntariat – SCI Slovenia.
The activities
During our project, we are:
- learning and applying the good mechanisms of taking care of the mental health and well-being of our youth workers,
- building further their competences in working with volunteers, young people, and local communities in times of constant change.
The project has 8 main components:
1. Set-up phase (9.2023-1.2024)
2. Training Course: “Empowering Youth Workers: Building Resilience and Managing Stress” (22-29.02.2024)
International training course with 33 participants from 10 countries, to take place in Poznań, Poland. Key aspects: well-being, happiness, how to deal with stress, mindfulness, and a survival kit for VUCA times.
3. Webinars on well-being (3-5.2024)
During the project, we are organising 3 webinars supporting the youth worker’s well-being. The topics are: “Stress Management” (13.04.2024), “Emotional Self-Care” (11.04.2024) and “Positive Psychology Tools for Well-Being” (22.05.2024).
4. Training Course: “Mindful Youth Work: Cultivating Well-Being in Yourself and Others” (9-16.05.2024)
The second international training course in Poznań, Poland. Key aspects: quality youth work, nonviolent communication, emotional and social intelligence, inclusion and diversity.
5. Follow-up local actions (3-9.2024)
Practising the learning moments in national teams, organising and running activities on a local level under our mentoring.
6. Publishing Well-Being Cards (9.2024)
Cards to support the inner peace and mental health of youth workers and the groups they work with. Scroll down for more details!
7. Dissemination (3-10.2024)
Spreading tangible project results (e.g. practices, workshop scenarios) and the Well-Being Cards across our countries and beyond, e.g. through the Open Webinar!
8. Evaluation (11.2024)
Our training courses
“Empowering Youth Workers:
Building Resilience and Managing Stress”
22-29 February 2024
Poznań, Poland
At the training course, 30 youth workers, coordinators
and peace activists:
• enlarged knowledge about mental health and well-being,
• learned various tools and mechanisms for sustaining and boosting own and young people’s well-being and happiness,
• exchanged ideas, good practices, inspirations, and shared resources,
• planned follow-up actions to take place in their local communities upon the course completion.
“Mindful Youth Work: Cultivating Well-Being
in Yourself and Others”
9-16 May 2024
Poznań, Poland
At the training course, 30 youth workers, coordinators and peace activists will:
• enlarge knowledge about mental health and well-being,
• improve self-regulation and relationship management,
• acquire conflict resolution skills,
• exchange ideas, good practices, inspirations, and share resources,
• plan follow-up actions to take place in their local communities upon the course completion.
Well-Being Cards
In 2024, we will develop pocket-size “Well-Being Cards”.
They will be a tool for sustaining daily individual and group well-being of youth workers, professionals, leaders, activists, educators and trainers, and everyone who works in the youth field. The Cards will include good practices and innovative ideas; and will be suitable for individual and group use. Each set will consist of around 40 cards. Additionally, an online version will be available for download.
The Well-Being Cards will be presented to the public during the Open Webinar in October 2024
Results
For our individual project participants:
- increased self-awareness, motivation and self-confidence to provide quality youth work,
- better understanding of contemporary challenges and how well-being can be sustained in such conditions,
- improved competences and knowledge of specific tools to be used in regular work with young people.
For our partner organisations:
- improved atmosphere and working environment,
- increased capacity of the professionals in the organisations,
- better quality of youth work provided to young people (online and offline).
For European youth work:
- international opportunities for quality learning experiences on the topic of well-being and mental health through our webinars, training courses and the local follow-up activities,
- better understanding of how to maintain well-being of the youth and the youth workers and activists,
- strengthened quality of youth work.
With small steps that will start within our project, the butterfly effect will be observed: the participants will bring impact on the organisations and further on the young people they work with, through them – on the local communities, then further to Europe.
Sustaining well-being starts first with a single individual, but the combined effect of single numerous efforts brings a change to a healthier world!
The Team
![Gośka Tur](https://poland.sci.ngo/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/malgorzatatur_pracownia-interakcji-e1703155701478.jpg)
Gośka Tur
Project coordinator
Sociologist and educator, a certified member of the Polish Association of NGO Trainers. In the years 2015-2020 she was the International President of SCI.
![Natalie Jivkova](https://poland.sci.ngo/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/thumbnail_natalie-jivkova-1.jpg)
Natalie Jivkova
Project coordinator
Facilitator, trainer and coach from Bulgaria. Leader of international educational projects on learning, peace and diversity. With SCI since 2002.
The Donor
Our project is co-funded by the European Union. We are very thankful for making our idea possible to realise thanks to this support!
Project number 2023-1-PL01-KA153-YOU-000148664
![EN-Co-Funded-by-the-EU](https://poland.sci.ngo/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/EN-Co-Funded-by-the-EU-1.png)