D.I.G. DEEP: get Deliberate, get Inspired, get Going

About the project:

We are living in a time in Europe where prejudice, stereotypes, xenophobic viewpoints, and discrimination are rampant, particularly against marginalized groups such as refugees, migrants, Roma, people with disabilities, and persons identifying as LGBTQI (to name a few).
To tackle these discriminatory practices, we have seen many projects that raise young people's awareness of cultural diversity and equip them with cross-cultural and critical thinking competences needed to understand and respect cultural and religious diversity. We recognize the need to continue empowering societies to be more inclusive, but also must provide emotional and mental health tools for those that have experienced or are still experiencing discrimination and believe it has affected their sense of self and future potential.
There are far fewer projects that support youth workers to develop the competences to empower, encourage and support the emotional needs, resiliency, self-worth, and mental health of these discriminated youth in order to propel their potential futures forward. This is precisely what we want to see more of - initiatives to develop youth's resilience and self-worth in the face of discrimination from society.

The aim of this project is to equip youth workers working with marginalised youth groups with the competences to empower, encourage and support the emotional needs, resiliency, self-worth, and mental health of discriminated youth.

During this project you will:

• Learn new, powerful, and tangible tools that support marginalized youth with mental health, emotional intelligence, authenticity, resilience, and more.2. Share best practices of supporting marginalized and discriminated youth.
• Increase your awareness about the importance of mental health and social and emotional tools to support marginalized youth.
• Gain skills to support the emotional needs of discriminated youth.
• Develop skills on equipping youth to embrace authenticity, self-esteem, self-worth, self-confidence, resilience, courage and compassion, and vulnerability.
• Develop your willingness and capability to choose authenticity* in your line of work and support your youth to do the same.

Target group:

Youth leaders, trainers, and social workers focused on marginalised youth with fewer opportunities.

Date and location:

The project will take between 7-16 November (including travel days). We will stay in a beautiful Vila Laurynė, just 36 kms away from Kaunas, the second biggest city of Lithuania. Imagine it as an island of peace surrounded by ponds and forests - a perfect place to get inspiration from nature and stay focused on the topic of the project!

Trainers:

Romy Alexandra: Romy is a learning experience designer, experiential learning trainer, and training consultant. She brings over a decade of experience as a youth worker and trainer in the United States, Republic of Moldova, Romania, India, Spain, and more. Romy holds certifications in Experiential Learning by
the Institute for Experiential Learning as well as Experiential Critical Pedagogy by the International Experiential Learning Network (IELN). She is certified in Psychological Safety by Amy Edmondson's organization, the Fearless Organization, and LeaderFactor. Romy has trained in 30 countries across
4 continents. Her past clients include the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the U.N. World Food Programme (WFP), the Red Cross, the European Youth Parliament, The Peace Corps, etc. Romy has found her life purpose in empowering individuals to harness their potential through
experiential learning.

Nóra Taliga: Nóra is a learning experience designer and international trainer. She brings 6 years of experience as a facilitator, youth worker, and mentor in the non-profit sector, in addition to 4 years in corporate learning and development for companies such as Lush Cosmetics and British Telecom.
Nóra is a certified Digital Wellness Educator by the Digital Wellness Institute. She also holds a certificate in Emotional Intelligence (EI) by Daniel Goleman's EI training company, Golemanei. Applying experiential learning theory, Nora caters to the needs and wellbeing of her participants in each training design and delivery. She has trained hundreds of professionals and youth across Europe and Asia on the topics of lleadership, emotional intelligence, digital wellness, and future orientation. One of Nóra's life mission is to empower individuals to unleash their potential and live a  fulfilling life through inner and outer balance.

Find out more details in the attached infopack.