Project Overview
Project Reference: 2023-3-IT03-KA153-YOU-000172541
Status: Completed
Duration: January 1, 2024 – October 31, 2024
EU Grant: €33,464
Programme: Erasmus+
Action Type: Strategic Partnerships for Youth – Mobility of Youth Workers
Countries Involved: Italy, Spain, Germany, France, Netherlands, Slovenia, Serbia, Greece, Czech Republic, Hungary, Bulgaria, Finland, Sweden
Background
The project “Graphic Facilitation for Sustainability and Youth” was created to improve the way youth workers collaborate and communicate. Many challenges in teamwork come from misunderstandings or differences in how people think and learn. This project focused on using collaborative intelligence, which means respecting different ways of learning—visual, auditory, and kinesthetic.
Objectives
The project had several important goals, all focused on improving the way youth workers support young people, especially in the areas of sustainability and collaboration.
First, the project aimed to give youth workers practical tools in graphic facilitation and embodied learning. Graphic facilitation helps turn ideas into simple drawings, which makes communication easier and more inclusive. Embodied learning uses the body in the learning process, making it more active and engaging.
Second, the project wanted to encourage a holistic approach to education. This means looking at the whole person—mind, body, and emotions—and using creative, non-traditional ways to teach about sustainability, such as group exercises, storytelling, or artistic methods.
Third, the project focused on sharing knowledge between the partner organisations. Each group brought their own experience and methods, and by working together, they created a shared set of tools and strategies that could help young people in many different countries.
Finally, the project aimed to reach more young people, especially those with fewer opportunities. By using visual tools and body-based learning, youth workers could better connect with different learning styles and include those who may struggle with traditional methods. This helps build more equal and collaborative communities.
Overall, these objectives supported the bigger goal: helping youth workers become strong leaders for a fair and sustainable future.
Implementation
A key part of the project was a training course held at the Torri Superiore ecovillage in Italy from June 20 to 25, 2024. 27 youth workers from 13 different countries participated, guided by three expert facilitators.
The participants were active in the sustainability field and eager to learn new methods to support their work. They were over 18 and involved with the partner organisations. Younger participants were especially encouraged to develop their facilitation skills in a safe and supportive space.
Key Activities
During the training, participants:
- Learned to turn complex ideas into simple visuals.
- Practiced both manual and digital drawing techniques.
- Explored embodied learning and group facilitation skills.
- Shared their experiences and created case studies based on real-life projects.
- Developed tools to better include young people with fewer opportunities.
Each person received personal mentoring to help them apply what they learned in their local context.
Impact
The impact of the project went beyond the training event. Youth workers became more confident in leading group activities and supporting young people with fewer opportunities. Their organisations also became stronger and more capable of using creative and inclusive methods.
The tools and experiences from the project were shared widely through live and online events, as well as through websites, social media, and European platforms like SALTO and the Erasmus+ Project Results Platform.
Results
The project led to several important results for the participants. Youth workers learned how to use graphic facilitation and embodied learning in their daily work with young people. They practiced how to turn ideas into drawings, how to work with different learning styles, and how to support inclusive group activities.
Each participant created their own visual tools, which they could use in future projects. They also received personal mentoring from facilitators to help them apply their new skills directly in their communities. A special participatory video was made during the training to document the learning process and experiences.
These results helped improve the quality of youth work, especially in areas like sustainability, social entrepreneurship, and active participation.
