TOY - Trainers Online for Youth
This is a reference for Linda Ulane
Objectives:
To explore the relationship between emotions and creative/artistic methods and their influence on well-being.
To bridge the experiences and theories of emotional wellbeing to participants’ local realities in youth work.
To develop competences (knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviours) regarding emotional wellbeing within youth work.
The international team of trainers consisted of 4 women: Svenja Urke (DE), Anna Maria Avela (ITA), Tuba Ardic (NO) and Linda Ulane (LV).
The training course brought together 24 youth workers from Portugal, Italy, Turkey, Germany, Latvia, Norway, Ireland, Greece, Neatherlands, Hungary, Czech Republic and Finland.
The main base of the methodology was arts: ebru painting, theater methods, creative writing, voice workshops, story-telling and other.
The main result was increased motivation and capacity of participants to use art methods in their work with youngsters, especially when dealing with emotional well-being. Besides that, they gain understanding and tools for taking more care of themselves. The theoretical aspect of mental health and emotional well-being helped them to be aware of existing or possible health issues.
I was equal co-trainer of the team, and I was more in charge of the creative writing methods as well as opening and closing the learning flow.
Working with Linda was a blessing: she is a supportive colleague and an expert in both non formal education and mental health. She was an essential pillar in creating the safe and learning-focused environment we established with the participant group.