TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Sara Marzo
“Breathe” was designed to respond to the increasing mental health challenges among young people in Europe by empowering youth workers, educators and youth leaders with practical tools to promote mental well-being through mindfulness and nature-based non-formal education. The training aimed to strengthen participants’ capacity to support emotional stress management, resilience and reconnection—with themselves, their communities and the natural world—through accessible and preventive approaches.
The training involved 24 youth workers / trainers / educators from 6 European countries: Greece, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland and Portugal. It was developed together with partner organisations from Poland, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Germany, and hosted in Greece, creating a strong international peer-learning environment and a European community of practice on mental well-being
The programme was fully based on non-formal, experiential and nature-based learning. Methods included mindfulness and breathing exercises, meditation, body awareness, sensory activities, and creative/art-based approaches such as poetry, ecological collage and botanical art. The training also included group reflection, peer exchange of good practices and co-creation sessions leading to the development of practical tools adaptable to different youth work contexts.
The training strengthened participants’ competences to design and facilitate nature-based activities that enhance mental well-being, and supported the integration of new methodologies into their daily youth work practice. A key outcome was the co-creation of educational material at European level: a booklet including 10 practical tools and methodologies on mindfulness and nature-based activities for mental well-being. The activity also contributed to building an international network of youth workers committed to mental health promotion.
I worked as a full-time trainer, co-facilitating the programme with the international trainers’ team. My responsibilities included co-designing and delivering sessions, guiding mindfulness and nature-based practices, supporting group dynamics and emotional safety, facilitating reflection processes, and contributing to the development and finalisation of the educational output (the Breathe Booklet with 10 tools).