“SPACE4US”: Toolkit of activities of blended-experiential learning

Aims of the tool

The aims of the toolkit are multi-faceted:

- Enhancing Collective Wellbeing: The primary goal is to improve the overall wellbeing of vulnerable adolescents, particularly girls, by providing them with resources and activities aimed at fostering engagement and empowerment.
- Engagement and Empowerment: The toolkit seeks to actively involve vulnerable adolescents in their own development by offering diverse and innovative activities. These activities are designed to empower girls who may not typically participate in social contexts, encouraging them to take ownership of their personal growth.
- Addressing Specific Themes: The toolkit is organized into three main themes—Head, Body, and Hands—each addressing different aspects of adolescent development. These themes cover psychological concepts, emotional development, communication skills, practical skill development, and issues such as conflict resolution and bullying.
- Transversal Issues: In addition to the main themes, the toolkit addresses transversal issues like responsible social media use. By increasing awareness and providing interventions in this area, the toolkit aims to equip adolescents with the necessary skills to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly.
- Experiential Learning: The toolkit employs experiential learning methodologies, where activities are not just instructional but also provide opportunities for reflection and growth. By engaging in hands-on activities and group discussions, adolescents can learn and develop important life skills in a supportive environment.

Description of the tool

Divided into three themes—Head, Body, and Hands—the toolkit addresses psychological, emotional, and practical skill development. Activities like circle time, storytelling, and woodcraft workshops are collaboratively designed by girls, experts, and youth workers. It intervenes in issues like social media use to increase awareness and foster empowerment through experiential learning. The emphasis on manual tasks facilitates transferability and overcomes language barriers.

It consists of 3 sets of activities of blended-experiential learning, divided according to the following themes:

Head – covers psychological concepts like self-esteem and confidence, empowerment, conflict-resolution, bullying. This aspect concerns with the rational part of ourselves
Body – refers to the enablement of the affective domain in forming values and attitudes that are translated into behaviors. It concerns the emotional sphere and addresses issues such as emotions, communication, relationships, sexuality, perception, and motives
Hands – refer to the enactment of the psychomotor domain for learning practical skill development. It concerns the behaviors that the girls need to be trained to perform or skills that they need to learn