ANCHOR: Systemic resilience in a post-BANI youth work

The world young people navigate today is brittle, anxious, non-linear and incomprehensible. Emotional pressure, digital overload and the psychosocial legacy of the pandemic have turned resilience into a practical competence rather than an abstract quality. Youth workers stand on the front line of this reality, yet they rarely have structured spaces to reflect on their own limits and coping strategies.

ANCHOR brings together 24 youth workers from Portugal, France, Spain, Greece, Bulgaria and Malta in Amarante, Northern Portugal. Grounded in non-formal education and the social-ecological model of resilience, the course guides participants from strengthening their own resilience to building tools they can use directly with young people.

The programme combines workshops on self-knowledge and emotional regulation, an experiential board game on mental health, nature-based sessions, Theatre of the Oppressed and storytelling, World Café and other participatory methods. Together, participants co-create the ANCHOR Resilience Toolkit (ART), an open educational resource that is tested with students at Escola Secundária de Amarante before participants take it home.

Participants will develop competences in:

understanding systemic resilience and the BANI world as a basis for youth work

emotional self-regulation and burnout prevention through nature-based methods

recognising mental health challenges and applying Psychological First Aid within professional boundaries

facilitation through gamification, World Café and experiential methods

creating psychologically safe spaces through the Safe Space Protocol

designing and documenting non-formal education tools as open educational resources

The course is part of a wider learning process including preparation (diagnostic questionnaire, learning contract with a mentor, preparatory meeting) and follow-up (local workshops, national online dissemination event, integration of the toolkit into each organisation’s practice).

Target group: Youth workers

Participant profile:

Aged 22 or over

At least two years of experience in youth work and currently working with young people

Working knowledge of English, sufficient to follow discussions and reflective work

Committed to all phases of the project: preparation, the full training week and follow-up dissemination

Motivated to apply the tools acquired in their work with young people

Emotionally ready to engage with sensitive topics such as trauma, burnout and mental health, within clear professional boundaries

Youth workers supporting young people with fewer opportunities are especially encouraged to apply.

For: 24 participants from Portugal, France, Spain, Greece, Bulgaria, Malta

Working language: English

Organiser: Associação Comunidades que Florescem (Portugal), in partnership with Lorelei Youth Centre (France), Asociación Sociocultural BreGal (Spain), YOU IN EUROPE (Greece), Association Inspiration – Vdahnovenie (Bulgaria) and Soċjeta’ Mużikali San Pawl (Malta)

Trainers: Ana Catarina Mendes (Portugal) and Abraham Azzopardi (Malta)

Costs:
Funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. Accommodation, meals and programme are fully covered. Travel costs are reimbursed up to a maximum per participant depending on the country of the sending organisation (from €285 with green travel to €395). Reimbursement is made through the sending organisation once all documentation and dissemination activities have been completed.