Burnout in Youth Work

Burnout in Youth Work is a training course under Erasmus+ KA210 addressing one of the most pressing challenges in the youth sector: burnout, emotional overload, and long-term sustainability of youth workers’ wellbeing.

The training creates a reflective and experiential learning space where youth workers can explore burnout prevention, self-awareness, emotional regulation, and healthy professional boundaries, while exchanging practices and co-creating practical tools applicable in daily youth work contexts.

This activity is part of a Small-Scale Partnership aimed at strengthening the quality, resilience, and sustainability of youth work practices in Italy and Portugal.

Main focus areas

• Understanding burnout in youth work: causes, symptoms, and prevention
• Self-awareness: personal values, identity, and internal narratives as youth workers
• Work-related consciousness: communication, collaboration, and relational dynamics
• Self-regulation: recognising stressors and managing emotional responses constructively

Objectives

Participants will:

• Gain a clear understanding of burnout and stress factors specific to youth work
• Develop practical stress-management and burnout-prevention strategies
• Strengthen self-reflection skills through individual and peer-based processes
• Co-create tools and materials that can be transferred to their organisations and local contexts
• Increase presence, intentionality, and wellbeing in professional relationships

Methodology

• The training is based on non-formal education principles and includes:
• Experiential learning (simulations, role play, real-life scenarios)
• Peer learning and exchange of practices
• Guided individual reflection and journaling
• Group reflection in a safe and facilitated learning environment
• Self-assessment tools (MBI model, ETS framework and other reflective instruments)

Note: This is a personal development training, not a form of therapy. Participants should be in a stable psychological state to fully benefit from the process.

Participant profile

• Youth workers, trainers, educators, youth leaders, mentors or coaches
• 18+ years old
• Based in Italy or Portugal
• Motivated to work on burnout prevention and wellbeing in youth work
• Comfortable in multicultural learning environments
• Available for the full duration of the activity
• Willing to implement one follow-up activity after the training
• Minimum basic knowledge of English

Application Form: https://forms.gle/b8MqcApxwDRJk4So7

Infopack: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V-PXqFATprdcT4Dc6z37ofuXx9NNL9df/view?usp=sharing