Training course: Smile! – Positive psychology, Creativity and Nature

• 100% accommodation, food and program materials are free, covered by the grant from Erasmus+
• 100% traveling costs are covered, up to the maximum expenses:
  • €180 / participant for Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia
  • €275 / participant for Croatia, Slovenia, France, Italy, Poland and Czech Republic
  • €360 / participant for UK
• Programme fee is £50 payable immediately after acceptance.

Smile! – Positive psychology, Creativity and Nature for inclusion of marginalized youth

SMILE! – Positive psychology, Creativity and Nature for inclusion of marginalized youth provides opportunitie for personal development and competence gaining for youth workers. The whole concept of the training process is based on innovative methods and modern psychological concepts targeting personal and professional development of the participants. The positive psychology is recognized as powerful trend in personal development and we belief that it can be very beneficial for young people. In the training we will introduce integrated approach consisting of elements from psychology, nature based personal development and creativity.

During the training based on modern psychological practices participants will explore how these practices can serve as a tool for increasing happiness, confidence and create sustainable positive mindset. These results can be in great benefit of young people with fewer opportunities.

Given this, SMILE! – Positive psychology, Creativity and Nature for inclusion of marginalized youth aims at training youth workers to use the practices of positive psychology, creativity and nature based methods within an integrated approach to individual and group support to marginalized youth.

Objectives

The training course is built on a flow which combines elements of practice/experience, reflection, theory and application. Thus, we are aiming at:

• Providing knowledge and skills linking Positive psychology, Creativity and Nature based personal
  development;
• Raising the awareness of youth workers about the marginalized youths’ need for support in their mental
  health, personal and professional development;
• Developing skills to provide inclusion of young people through an integrated approach;
• Demonstration of innovative methods and tools for working with marginalized young people from the
  areas of Positive psychology, Creativity and Nature based personal development;
• Development of practical tools for working with marginalized young people.

Topics of this course:

• Self-analysis and self-development – how to transfer understanding about ourselves into process of conscious development.
• Positive psychology – practices to develop sustainable happiness and habits of positive mindset.
• Meditation and mindfulness – tools for focus and balance of attention, emotions and consciousness.
• Connectedness and nature – connecting with yourself, nature, other people, the outside world.
• Creativity, art and music – as tools for self- expression and communication.

Programme elements:

• Working with values
• Positive psychology practice
• Nature based methods
• Experiential learning
• Methods for self-development Workshops development and delivery Solo time in nature
• Peer-to-peer learning
• Transferability
• Living as a community (cleaning, cooking etc.)

Timing

Dates: 26 September – 4 October 2019

Arrival day: 26 September 2019 before 12:00 (AM) in Sofia

Departure day: 4 October 2019 after 2:00 (PM) from Sofia.

Who can participate

You can apply for this training course if you are from the following countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Slovenia, Greece, UK, France, Italy, North Macedonia, Poland and Czech Republic.

Participant profile:

1. RELEVANT PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: persons who have experience in youth work. The participants should have one of the following roles: youth workers, youth leaders, educational and career counsellors, teachers, general educators, trainers, mentors, coaches, educational nature guides.
2. MOTIVATION: persons who feel a strong calling to participate in this course and have strong and relevant motivation for joining the process. The motivation should be a blend of personal and professional factors. We are looking for persons who feel comfortable of being in nature (as the topic will be addressed through nature based practices) and who can immerse in natural learning environments. The participants must be over 18 years and have a good level of English.

Trainers team

The trainers’ team has a rich experience in providing life changing experiences in safe but challenging learning environments. The “guides” of the learning process are professional youth workers, international trainers, persons with strong backgrounds in human development and psychology, with high ethics and working principles. The team is composed of:

Chari Cámara Beviá (SPAIN) is teaching activists, an illustrator and a graphic storyteller. She creates art that meets life and brings games, creativity and sensorial experiences into people daily life. Nature is a living sensei inspiration and through her creations, toys, origami and stories she tries to bring her wisdom close to you. While people explore like a wanderers they raise their intuition, their connection with the body and the ecological awareness, and from this point people start creating. She is a freelancer working on her own projects: Archiplay and Doctora Creativa, and also she collaborats with Oika and La TransEducativa, all of them projects that aim to bring to communities a deeper connection with nature and practices about
how to be resilient, sustainable and creative to face reality as a team: a climate emergency. She is a change maker and wants to share this energy with you. Let’s create together a better world.

Maria ‘Marushka’ Lebioda (POLAND) is a youth worker and trainer of intercultural and interreligious communication, forest and outdoor education. She works mostly in the local context trying to encourage people to take more responsibility for the reality they create and live in. She is enthusiastic individual, using her passion for learning in the outdoors to engage and inspire both young people and adults to develop their social and cultural skills.

Ognian Gadoularov (BULGARIA) is a youth worker and trainer specialized in international youth cooperation projects. He is involved in interactive teaching and environmental education. Prepares and educates instructors for working with children and young people. Ognian perform responsibilities as a trainer for Bulgarian “Erasmus +” National Agency. Expert in conducting adventure programs based on experiential learning and improving team performance

Financial conditions

SMILE! – Positive psychology, Creativity and Nature for inclusion of marginalized youth is a project financed by the Erasmus+ Programme, thus all the activities, accommodation and food are 100% covered by the EU grant. The travel costs will be reimbursed to the participants after the course in the amounts limit according the Erasmus + regulations:

100% traveling costs are covered, up to the maximum expenses:

• €180 / participant for Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia
• €275 / participant for Croatia, Slovenia, France, Italy, Poland and Czech Republic
• €360 / participant for UK

Programme fee is £50 payable immediately after acceptance.

INSURANCE: Due to the complexity of the program each participant must have a comprehensive travel and medical insurance, covering both the travel and the stay from the first until the last day of the way back home. The insurance needs to be covered by the participants. European Health Insurance Card is free.

Travel: If you plan to arrive earlier or leave later your expenses (food, accommodation) out of the days of the training will not be reimbursed by the organizers.

Venue

The training course will take place in the Educational center “Nature school” in Gudevica village. The center is situated in the mountain next to the Greek border in thinly populated region. There is NO PERMANENT WIRELESS INTERNET ACCESS in the center.

The educational centre “Nature school” is placed in an old school building surrounded by beautiful nature, high in the Rhodopy Mountains. There are a lot of nature phenomena around – Springs of Arda River, Uhlovica and Golubovica caves, Peak Kom and also natural reserves. Today in the village live only 18 people.

The place is RURAL AND REMOTE. So you have to be ready to live close to the nature, in a small community far from the city civilization! You would enjoy the place if you are a person who likes outdoors and country life.

Accommodation

The accommodation will be in a village house (hut-type) with big common sleeping rooms. There are separate rooms for women and men. The beds are equipped with sheets, blankets and sleeping bags. There are two bathrooms with hot water in the house. There is also an outdoor bathroom (with amazing view to the sunset). The toilets in the center are 5 – 2 internal and 3 external compost ones. There is also a possibility to use tents and camping equipment for free if anybody wants.

Food

During the training rich and healthy vegetarian food will be served. It will include products from local farmers, homemade cheese, butter and milk and lots of vegetables and grains. The food will be prepared by a professional cook.

Please, inform us about any special diet and food allergies by stating it in the application form.

Application

Apply here: https://forms.gle/AKYWPj5oCqRVQVKE7