Making space for emotions in youth work

WHAT IS THIS ACTIVITY ABOUT?
“You shouldn’t be angry.” A well-meant but rarely helpful comment that children and young people – and we as adults – still hear all too often. Yet anger, like sadness, fear or joy, is a fundamental emotion. It tells us something and offers an opportunity: to grow, to learn, to set boundaries, and to better understand ourselves. Because anger, sadness, fear… they’re not the problem. They’re powerful signals. Signals that deserve to be seen and heard. In this training, you’ll learn how to recognise and guide that emotional energy in a constructive way – and how emotional safety can become a foundation for resilience, connection and well-being.

In youth work, emotions are part of everyday life. Young people take risks, overcome obstacles, collaborate, express themselves, and explore who they are. In all of this, emotions are present. That’s why it matters that we, as youth workers, are aware of them. That we recognise emotions when they arise, name them when needed, and create space for them to exist. To be able to do that, we also need to stay in touch with our own feelings. In April 2023, JOETZ was a partner in the Erasmus+ training course “E-motional” in Slovakia. That training focused on the emotional challenges young people and youth workers face in a world full of uncertainty, post-pandemic stress, and international conflict. Central themes were emotional intelligence, self-care, and human connection. This new training builds on that foundation. Throughout the course, we will make the link with practice – also through the experiences and insights of the participants themselves.

Together, we will explore questions such as:
• How can we support children and young people in recognising and understanding their emotions?
• How can we respond to angry behaviour in groups?
• How can we create space for emotions without compromising safety or group dynamics?
• How can we, as youth workers, stay in touch with your own emotions?

WHAT ARE ITS AIMS AND OBJECTIVES?
By the end of this training, participants will:
1. Deepen their emotional intelligence and self-awareness, and explore personal strategies for emotional grounding and self-management in their role as youth workers.
2. Reflect on how to integrate emotional awareness and practices into their own youth work context, and exchange ideas, challenges and approaches with fellow participants from different organisations and countries.
3. Engage in emotional awareness and group-based methods as participants themselves, in order to explore how these experiences can later be translated and applied in their own youth work practice.
4. Get to know JOETZ’s approach to health promotion through a study visit, and explore how the 2025 campaign on anger was developed – from research to practical tools for use in youth work activities and classroom contexts.
5. Start reflecting on concrete follow-up actions, by exploring how the knowledge, tools and experiences gained during the training can be meaningfully applied in their own work after the course.

AM I THE PARTICIPANT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR?
The primary target group for this project are youth workers aged 22 and older. We prefer youth workers who engage with children and young people in their free time, whether as professionals (paid youth workers) or as volunteers (unpaid youth workers or those receiving a volunteer allowance).
We are targeting youth workers who:
⇨ Have some experience in youth work;
⇨ Take an active role in their organization (either as professionals or volunteers);
⇨ Can pass on the learned competencies to their fellow youth workers within or outside the organization;
⇨ Are open-minded, curious, and eager to learn and share their experiences with others;
⇨ Maintain an open attitude toward all participants and recognize the value and qualities of everyone present;
⇨ Taking into consideration the topic of the project, it may be quite emotionally tiring and demanding, so apply only if you are ready for this kind of experience! This project is not a therapeutical retreat, it is a learning experience. The trainers are no therapists.

Accommodation HERE and food will be provided and financed from the Erasmus + program during the whole project. Travel will be reimbursed up to 200 euro. Detailed information regarding financial procedures are written in FAQ and will be further explained with selected participants.

INFOPACK HERE

REGISTRATION IS POSSIBLE VIA THE FORM HERE   

Registration is open until form is closed. Closed form mean we already finished choosing participants and therefore it is not possible to apply anymore.