TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Miranda Zavrou
The need to carry out this project arose by identifying that the certain problems that are concerning today’s youth, such as terrorism attacks, economic crisis, youth unemployment, the recent Brexit, and other social situations arising from massive migrations of people across nations - are spreading uncertainty and insecurity amongst youth, enhancing racism, nationalism and extremism and thus significantly decreasing happiness levels. A happy individual can be a more active citizen, better able to combat all of today’s obstacles. In fact people want to be happy and want their loved ones to be happy too, but are not giving this enough significance and priority. This project explored the fundamental happiness paradox, in an effort to make participants re-think their priorities and realise that what makes us happy has less to do with our money or possessions, and more with our attitudes and relationships with other people. The aim of focusing in these aspects of our lives is to improve the relations of each human being with his/her fellow citizens. In a macro scale this means improvement of the relations between different nations which can lead to global peace. By talking with partners and friends from other countries we came to the realisation that these concerns and fears are not country specific but are rather european or even global. The EU Youth Strategy (2010- 2018) aimed to support the health and wellbeing of young people, as part of one of its two main objectives - the encouragement of young people to actively participate in society. The good mental health has been proven to be increasingly important for economic growth and social development in Europe. This training, aimed to promote mental health amongst youth, develop mindsets against depression and promote e-health approaches - goals that correspond to some of the key EU policy goals. It aimed to work towards developing a culture of positivity and cultivating those skills and attitudes necessary for leading a happier and more fulfilled life, which was one of the Erasmus+ Programme objectives. Through this, we aimed to improve the level of key competences and skills of young people - including those with fewer opportunities, and promote participation in the labour market, active citizenship, intercultural dialogue, social inclusion and solidarity.
More specifically, we focused on the following specific objectives:
1. Make giving to others sustaining. Giving, being kind and helping others can be powerful ways to increase the happiness of those around us-and become happier ourselves.
2. Relating - connect with people. Building new relationships and nurturing our existing ones, as a source of happiness.
3. Exercising - take care of your body. Looking after your body looks after your mind-it’s a great route towards feeling happier and functioning better, according to new research.
4. Awareness - live life mindfully. Taking time to notice the here and now can have a powerful impact on how happy we are.
5. Trying out - Keep learning new things. Learning can certainly be a rich source of enjoyment and happiness. Being curious, creative, open to trying out new things and getting absorbed in hobbies and passions helps us to keep our brain in shape, find fulfillment and get more out of life and ourselves.
6. Direction - have goals to look forward to. Choosing, planning and working towards our goals. 7. Resilience - Find ways to bounce back. Building on our natural resilience, skills and thinking tools that can make a difference, even in the toughest times.
8. Emotions - Look for what’s good. Participants will share simple practices and actions on how to focus on feeling good and pleasant emotions.
9. Acceptance - Know and treat yourself, which is essential for our well-being. Learn to be compassionate towards ourselves and find ways to recognize, use and nurture our strengths-what’s best in us.
10. Meaning - Be part of something bigger. Having a sense of purpose, understanding why we are here and feeling that what we do matters and what meaning is all about. Find meaning through contributing to something that’s for others-bigger and beyond oneself.
The target group of the activity were young people aged 18-30, coming from North Macedonia, Italy, Spain, Martinique, Cyprus and Portugal.
They were young people who were:
- Willing to gain new knowledge, skills and competences in the field of happiness
- Facing fewer opportunities, such as disabled youth, unemployed persons, youngsters dealing with geographical and/or economic barriers
- Committed to engage in the tasks and homework (e.g. taking part in online surveys, etc.) that were asked from them by the project team – before, during and after the TC
- Motivated to enhance their active participation in society
- Able to communicate and follow the activity in the English language
Non-formal methodologies were used throughout the TC. Methodologies included activities in which participants spent time alone with themselves self-reflecting, activities in which they were bonding with the others by sharing and talking, some activities during which they worked physically (e.g. during tai chi) with their bodies and also some meditation activities. Participants had the opportunity to learn about the science of happiness and how they personally can improve their well being, by following clearly defined simple steps and cultivating certain habits. As a result of improved life quality, in terms of mental health and well being, this is expected to also impact their involvement and active participation in their societies. Other activities/methods used included: , fish-bowl discussions, simulation exercises and more.
I hope that the activity achieved the main impact it was aiming for of having happier individuals (who are in effect more active citizens) and thus increased active citizenship on a local, national and European level.
- Participants left the project very satisfied. We know this from the feedback received from the evaluation forms, as well as, from the "Thank You" book they created for us (trainers' team) and gave to us on the last day of the TC.
- Participants were also asked to take a "happiness test" before their arrival to the project and record the score. After the end of the project they were asked to retake it. Most of them reported a rise in their happiness score.
I was one of the 2 full time trainers of the Activity. With my co-trainer, we wrote together the project application and submitted it 3 times. We were very grateful to finally have it approved and get the chance to realise the project. During the preparation, implementation and evaluation stages of the activity we had an equal - full-time role and shared all responsibilities and sessions equally.