10-day international Erasmus+ training organized by the Változás Mental Health Association. Stress management, mental wellbeing, and well-being for youth workers and teachers.

International Erasmus+ Training for Developing Stress Management and Mental Wellbeing

Professionals working with young people today operate in environments where stress, emotional burden, and the risk of burnout are constantly present. The first international Erasmus+ youth worker mobility training of the Változás Mental Health Association (2022-1-HU01-KA153-YOU-000069231) offered a complex, experience-based response to this challenge, bringing together 22 participants from Estonia, Romania, and Hungary.

The focus of the programme was the development of stress management, mental wellbeing, and overall well-being – not on a theoretical level, but through deeply lived experience. The aim of the training was not simply to provide tools, but to allow participants to experience the power of slowing down, inward attention, and conscious presence within a safe and supportive learning environment.

The training took place in a secluded, nature-based setting: a farm surrounded by forest and a lake, with minimal digital presence. The environment was intentionally designed to support focus, calmness, and stepping out of everyday professional roles.

The structure of the programme was based on non-formal, experiential learning:

• in the mornings, group-based professional work focused on understanding, recognising, and managing stress

• in the afternoons, experiential activities and reflection supported deeper integration of learning

The experiential elements - such as archery, breathing and focus exercises, and outdoor tasks – were not standalone activities, but consciously designed learning situations. Participants did not only discuss stress; they experienced its mechanisms in their bodies and through lived experience, as well as the possibilities of regulation and release.

One of the most important outcomes of the training was that participants took home concrete, immediately applicable tools:

• short- and long-term stress management techniques

• well-being practices that can be integrated into everyday life

• self-reflection and burnout prevention methods

• as well as experiential tools that can be used in their work with young people

The international context played a particularly important role in the process. Youth workers, teachers, and social professionals from different countries not only exchanged methodological knowledge but also perspectives and approaches. This cultural and professional diversity became one of the greatest strengths of the programme, quickly leading to meaningful professional and human connections.

Participant feedback clearly confirmed the impact of the programme: the training did not only transfer knowledge, but also shaped attitudes and enabled internal experiences that can be integrated into long-term professional presence.

With this programme, the Változás Mental Health Association aimed not only to provide new methods for professionals working with young people, but to create an experiential space where they could reconnect with their own inner resources. Because effective youth work is based not only on knowledge, but also on a stable, conscious, and mentally grounded professional presence.