Re-enchantment of the Natural World

Re-enchantment of the Natural World is a 14-day Erasmus+ training course for youth workers, educators, facilitators and people active in non-formal education who want to deepen their capacity to support young people in times of ecological, social and personal transition.

The activity will take place from 26 July to 8 August 2026 in São Luís and Burgau, Portugal, between two living learning places in the making. These are not polished retreat centres, but real spaces of regeneration, repair, experimentation and community life.

The aim of the training is to strengthen youth work practices that reconnect young people with land, body, community, emotional literacy, ecological awareness and practical regenerative skills. The project responds to the need for youth workers to have grounded tools to support young people facing climate anxiety, disconnection, rural depopulation, economic insecurity and the search for meaningful livelihoods.

The objectives are to:

• develop youth workers’ ecological literacy through direct contact with land, water, food systems and local ecosystems;
• explore regenerative practices such as permaculture, agroecology, syntropic farming, water observation, land-based learning and low-impact living;
• strengthen the capacity of youth workers to design meaningful non-formal education activities connected to sustainability, belonging and care;
• support youth workers in working with young people with fewer opportunities in a trauma-aware, inclusive and non-coercive way;
• create space for intercultural learning between participants from Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands;
• encourage participants to bring practical tools, reflections and methodologies back into their own youth work contexts.

The content of the training will include nature-based learning, community living, practical land-based activities, observation of water and landscape, food and sustainability practices, reflection circles, creative and embodied methods, intercultural exchange, local community encounters and sessions on how to translate these experiences into youth work.

The methodology is based on non-formal education and experiential learning. Participants will learn by doing, observing, sharing, reflecting and co-creating. The programme combines practical outdoor sessions, group work, individual reflection, peer learning, storytelling, creative practices, body-based awareness, dialogue circles and contact with local realities. The learning process will be held with attention to consent, inclusion, different needs and different rhythms of participation.

The target group is youth workers, facilitators, educators, community organisers, mentors, project workers and people involved in youth work, sustainability education, rural regeneration, ecological learning or community-based projects. We especially welcome participants who are connected to young people with fewer opportunities, rural areas, migration backgrounds, economic barriers, ecological grief, social exclusion or limited access to international learning opportunities.

The call is open only for participants travelling from Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands.

More information about the project can be found here:
https://canva.link/yiiqaghiqpzdqmg

Application form:
https://forms.gle/M2oAitVXayD1XpLy6

The project is funded by Erasmus+ and participation costs, accommodation and food are covered. Travel support is available according to Erasmus+ rules.