Humble Beginnings
Hidden in plain sight lay the quaint town of Bartninkai, in Lithuania where our adventure begins.
Participants from Portugal, Czechia, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Lithuania gathered together this April with one mission: to learn more about balancing their mental and physical health.
The first two days were dedicated to building a team - after all, how can you set out on any adventure alone, let alone one of such magnitude? After connecting through fun games and icebreakers, they set out to explore the intricate world of balance and emotions.
Learning as We Go
During the following days, the participants engaged in different activities to help them better understand their emotions. These employed non-formal education methods, through which everybody got to embark on this quest in their own unique way. United by a common goal, yet distinguished by their individual approaches, each and every participant got to explore the topic through games, challenges, and quests!
-One such session was Theatre of the Oppressed, where participants got to test out different emotional regulation techniques while trying to de-escalate comical and exaggerated situations. This session didn’t just test their understanding of emotions — it tested their adaptability, creativity, and teamwork abilities!
-During another session, participants got to sign up for different sports such as volleyball and yoga. After exhausting but fun hours of movement, they reflected on their emotions before and after, reaching the conclusion that movement and group activities can cheer up even the grayest of days.
Cultures Shining Through
The cultural mosaic of the activity was proudly displayed during cultural night, where each national team got the chance to shine. They showcased dances, food brought from home, and fun facts about their country of origin, connecting over both cultural similarities and unexpected differences!
Bringing a piece of their country with them made each participant beam with pride as they displayed their flags in the session room, laced tables with diverse foods and answered their peer’s curiosities.
Glowing Up Forward
On the last day, squeezed tightly between goodbye hugs and feelings of sorrow, one idea dominated the atmosphere: this would not be the last time they would see each other, as the bridges they had built had become stronger than any geographical distance.
Each journey was celebrated as the participants acquired their Youthpass certificate, and everyone thought of ways to bring what their learned at home, in their own friend groups and communities.
As every person reflected on their learning journey and on this adventure, they asked themselves one final question about emotions: How can the ending of such a happy time cause such heartache?
Results
Some of the cool things created during this activity:
Have a look at these flipcharts about ways in which you can identify and name emotions!
Take some time and read these awesome presentations with valuable information about mental health:
History of mental health
Technology and mental health
Relation between mental and physical health
Photo Gallery
A few more moments from this activity :)
