Mycorrhiza

Mycorrhiza will invite 30 youth workers from France, Portugal, Germany, Turkey, Italy, Greece and Serbia to understand eco-anxiety and build eco-resilience. Mycorrhiza is aimed at socio-educational facilitators and young people suffering from eco-anxiety and other mental health issues. It is an immersive experience in environmental education and nature-based learning. A transformative experience of cohabitation and co-creation that starts here!

What we offer

Mycorrhiza is designed for people who, personally or professionally, experiment eco-anxiety and other mental health challenges.

It is a training. You will join an immersive experience in environmental education and nature-based learning, helping participants reconnect with nature, develop green skills, and take part in ecological initiatives that enhance mental well-being and encourage active participation. You will dive into mental issues, learn from yourself, others and our trainer team. At the end of the training, we want you to master a set of knowledge and tools related to eco-anxiety, nature-based learning, embodiment, emotional agility, environmental education, and collective intelligence. You will design and lead socio-ecological initiatives that promote mental health, sustainability, and civic engagement. Then you’ll help the audience you work with to do the same! At the end of the training, an event will connect your works with the local rural community.

Learning methods

Our methodology is based on experiential learning (learn by doing it!), interdisciplinary exchange (widen your panel of knowledge!) outdoor education and non-formal education principles (explore the power of collective intelligence!)

Participants will learn through testing designed methods and reflecting upon the experience. Using a participatory approach, we encourage the exchange of experience between the participants and with the local community, fostering peer learning.

We invite diverse participants profiles to foster co-learning and enrich everyone’s creations with the expertise and perspective of others.

Program

Mornings will be dedicated to collective training.
Afternoons will be time to develop your projects, personal or collective creations ; to exchange about your project evolution in peer groups, sometimes in plenary ; to consult individually with Mycorrhiza trainers and/or to join technical workshops to enrich your practice.
Evenings will be open for participants willing to propose activities to each other.

Day 1 | Who is who?
Day 2 | Team building
Day 3 | Ecology & mental health
Day 4 | Embodiment on nature
Day 5 | Our heartbeat
Day 6 | FREE DAY
Day 7 | Mycorrhiza story
Day 8 | Collective creation
Day 9 | Final production
Day 10 | Mycorrhiza public event
Day 11 | Evaluation & learning outcomes

Venue & Travel

Activities will take place in France, in the Occitanie region, in the village of Cornac.

We require all participants and organisers to engage in green travel, using exclusively sustainable low-emissions means of transport such as bus, train or car-pooling (NO PLANE!). You can enjoy up to 6 days of travelling! We will be able to reimburse your travel costs up, thanks to the support of the Erasmus+ programme.

Maximum reimbursement for your green travel:
> France: 285€
> Germany, Italy, Portugal, Serbian: 417€
> Greece, Turkey: 535€

Trainer team

Shyrley Mussot : Shyrley will serve as the head trainer for Mycorrhiza. She brings significant expertise in environmental education, project coordination, and youth engagement. As the founder and project coordinator of Les Jardins du Pré d’Aubié, Shyrley has comprehensive experience leading ecological and pedagogical initiatives, emphasizing sustainability, mental health, and inclusion. Her ability to create community-driven programs that empower youth and promote ecological awareness complements Anne’s expertise, ensuring a comprehensive and impactful training experience.

Anne Merlin : Anne is a seasoned professional with 15 years of experience in facilitating collective creation workshops. Her expertise lies in creativity, collective intelligence, and embodied learning. Anne began working with youth facing significant challenges as a social circus trainer for young migrants in Turkey, near the Syrian and Iraqi borders. Since then, she co-animated creative learning laboratories within and beyond many European countries. In 2023, she moved to Cornac, where Mycorrhiza will take place, and started hosting collective cultural activities there. Nowadays, she is also involved in a local alternative school.