Listen & Connect

The Listen & Connect training course is designed to deepen our capacity to listen — to ourselves, to others, to communities, and to nature. It is structured around four interconnected parts:

Listen to Myself
Participants will explore their inner world — minds, bodies, emotions, spirits, strengths, dreams, and values — developing a stronger understanding of themselves and what drives them.

Listen to Others
Through practicing active listening, empathy, and emotional awareness, participants will learn to recognize and respond to different emotions. They will also gain practical skills in coaching and Non-Violent Communication, improving their work with young people.

Listen to the Community
Participants will meet local changemakers and activists, learning from their approaches to listening and serving the community. Using the Design Thinking methodology, participants will co-create solutions for real community challenges.

Listen to Nature
Immersed in nature, participants will connect with the environment, explore permaculture principles, and engage in hands-on activities at the training venue. This experience will strengthen their understanding of the natural world and how to integrate it into youth work.

By the end of the training course, participants will be inspired and empowered to create meaningful actions at the local level, benefiting young people and youth workers alike.

GOALS AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES 

Through Listen & Connect training course, participants will:

• Deepen connection with their body, mind, and emotions, learning to recognize early signs of burnout and strategies to maintain motivation.
• Reflect on their core values, mission, and life vision, gaining clarity on personal goals and pathways.
• Explore different types of meditation and mindfulness, understanding their benefits and how to apply them in daily youth work.
• Develop empathy and deep listening skills, improving responses to their own emotions and those of the young people they support.
• Learn and practice coaching techniques and Non-Violent Communication methods for immediate use in youth activities.
• Meet and learn from local changemakers actively listening, connecting, and serving the community.
• Gain skills in Design Thinking to create social projects addressing real community needs, testing solutions with potential beneficiaries.
• Connect with nature, observing, reflecting, and re-finding personal balance in natural settings.
• Understand permaculture concepts, linking personal, social, and environmental listening practices, and translating them into youth work.
• Experience hands-on farm activities, learning how actions impact nature and understanding human-nature connections.
• Acquire tools to help young people connect to themselves, others, and nature.
• Increase sensitivity to diversity, learning to work with people of different cultures, backgrounds, and experiences.
• Improve overall life balance, including emotional, physical, social, and environmental dimensions.
• Be inspired to implement innovative, meaningful approaches in youth work beyond traditional methods.

PARTICIPANTS PROFILE

Participants of this project should fulfill the following criteria: 

• experience and good understanding of the needs in the field of youth work as well as good understanding of the situation of young people in their local community and/or national context;
• at least a basic understanding of non-formal education purposes, framework and educational approaches; 
• motivation to take part in a mutual exchange and learning process held in an intercultural setting within a transnational team;
• good level of English;
• openness and willingness to actively participate and contribute to the programme;
• ready to devote their time and work to the project in all phases, including the fulfillment of tasks before the training and dissemination actions after.

There is no age limit in the training course, we try to bring different perspectives - from young adults till experienced middle or even senior age practitioners. As much as in the case of gender or origin, we believe in the power of diversity and putting together various perspectives.

ACCOMMODATION:

The training takes place at Żywa Ziemia (Living Earth), located in Zakrzewo, close to Gdańsk, Poland. Żywa Ziemia is a natural farm promoting healthy living, permaculture and sustainability (https://livingearth.pl/). They provide shared rooms, multiple training spaces (including beautiful outdoor spaces, presence of animals and other living beings as well as solitude and natural surroundings reducing “city” distractions) and vegetarian/vegan food, partly produced in their farm.