Deeper Roots, Juicier Fruits

Objectives
This project intends to make the Bill Plotkin Model for Human Development based on Nature accessible for European youth workers who intend to professionally use nature-based methodologies in the context of non-formal education to promote personal development and social inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities. This model has been shown to be effective in increasing protective factors against the development of mental health problems in young people with disadvantaged socio-economic and cultural backgrounds.

To this end, this project aims to:

• train 28 youth workers from 7 countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland through a 7- day youth worker mobility in Italy to become agents of cultural transformation through ecocentric/soulcentric development based on Bill Plotkin’s model for HD;
• provide them with the expertise on a diverse range and innovative non formal nature-based methods for the personal growth and the social inclusion of young people with fewer opportunities;
• provide them with the attitudes and the motivation to build more human, inclusive and social responsible communities;
• broaden the knowledge of the E+ programme and the opportunities for European mobility; - mentor the project staff, and all the youth workers interested (optional), on the KA1
• mobility of youth workers Erasmus+ life-cycle, including logistics and practical arrangements for TCs in Nature.

The objectives of the project, from the point of view of the organizations involved, are: - extend their activities in the youth work on the international scene (some organizations are new to the E+);

• increase international cooperation capacities through the exchange of good practices within a competent and complementary consortium;
• integrate Bill Plotkin’s Model for HD into their activities to significantly contributes to the growth and inclusion of the youth/the community; - enhance the quality and innovation of their youth work at a local, regional, national and European level.

Activities
The project involves one Activity which is a 7 days- training course for YWs. The TC will be host in Italy in Avellino, Campania, from May the 19th, 2024, to May the 25th, 2024.

The TC involves:

• 28 YWs from 7 countries (Italy, Spain, Portugal, France, Romania, Bulgaria, Poland), 3 of whom (the 3 apprentices) are part of the project staff;
• 2 trainers from Romania who are Bill Plotkins Model for HD Guides recognized by the Animas Valley Institute in USA. Participants will be YWs, trainers, (social) educators, animators, NGO leaders, activists and mentors who want to become agents of cultural transformation and offer nature-based holistic HD in their communities to promote the personal development and social inclusion of youth with socio economic and cultural disadvantages who are at risk to develop mental health disorders.

Impact This project puts the focus on the quality and innovation of the personal development of the consortium’s YWs, for their youths’ (especially the ones with fewer opportunities) human development and their communities. It aims to offer a space of inner transformation and learning for the participants to be nurtured and grow both personally

Link to Infopack - Info-pack
Link to the Application form - Application - form