From 25 to 29 April 2024, we took part in Feelings First: Recognising Emotional Intelligence, an Erasmus+ training course in Šibenik, Croatia.
The project brought together youth workers from Croatia, North Macedonia, Spain, Italy and Germany. Each country was expected to send five participants aged 18 or older with experience working with young people.
What was Feelings First about?
Feelings First focused on emotional intelligence and socio-relational skills in youth work.
The training was designed for people working with young people, with particular attention to those supporting vulnerable, unemployed, NEET or low-skilled young people.
It looked at emotional skills in situations youth workers regularly face. This included supporting young people with personal problems, career decisions and planning for their future.
The training was divided into five modules:
- Emotion identification
- Internal emotional competences
- Social-emotional skills
- Problem-solving and decision making
- Psychological wellbeing
Who took part in Feelings First?
The project brought together participants from Croatia, North Macedonia, Spain, Italy and Germany.
Youth for Change represented North Macedonia.
The project was hosted by Udruga mladih "Mladi u EU" from Šibenik. The organisation was established in 2008 and works directly with young people in the city.
Each participating country was expected to send five youth workers. Participants had to be at least 18 years old and have experience working with young people.
What did participants actually work on?
The training started with recognising and identifying emotions.
From there, participants moved into internal emotional competences and social-emotional skills. These sessions looked at emotions in relation to ourselves and the people around us.
Problem-solving and decision making formed another part of the programme. The final module focused on psychological wellbeing.
These topics were connected directly to youth work.
The project looked at situations where youth workers support young people with difficult choices, personal or work-related problems and decisions about their future.
Before travelling to Šibenik, each national team also prepared a presentation about its sending organisation. Teams prepared examples of Erasmus+ actions from their own countries.
An intercultural night was included in the programme. Participants shared food, flags, language, music and other parts of their cultures with the international group.
At the end of the training, participants received a Youthpass certificate.
Where did we stay in Šibenik?
Participants stayed at Hostel Scala in Šibenik.
What did it cost to take part?
Participants were reimbursed for their travel costs according to the Erasmus+ Distance Calculator. The project followed the Erasmus+ guidelines for the mobility.
The training connected emotional intelligence with situations youth workers can face when supporting young people.
One part focused on counselling and career counselling. Another looked at resilience and how young people approach difficult choices.
The project paid particular attention to working with vulnerable young people. This included young people who were unemployed, NEET or had fewer skills and opportunities.
Instead of treating emotions as a separate topic, the programme connected them with communication, decisions, relationships and wellbeing.
This gave participants a way to look at how their own emotional skills can affect their work with young people.
What did YFCH work on during the project?
Our participants worked through the five areas of the training, from identifying emotions to psychological wellbeing.
We also brought the perspective of Youth for Change and our work with young people in North Macedonia.
The international group gave us a chance to compare experiences with youth workers from the other participating countries.
For YFCH, the topic was closely connected to the work we do with young people in Bitola and the different situations we meet through our activities.
How can you join the next YFCH project?
We regularly send young people and youth workers from North Macedonia to Erasmus+ projects across Europe.
Feelings First was a training course for people aged 18 or older with experience in youth work. Other projects have different age limits and participant profiles.
Before applying, check the dates, topic, age requirements and participant profile in the open call.
Want to join one of our next projects? Check the Youth for Change website for new opportunities or contact us at contact@yfch.org.
Erasmus+ Programme
of the European Union
