INCLUDE+ Wellbeing in Action: 5 Young People from the CRDC Community Join a New Erasmus+ Experience in Brașov

A.O. Centrul Regional de Dezvoltare Comunitară continues to support young people’s participation in international learning and mobility programmes, and during this period 5 young people from the CRDC community are taking part in the INCLUDE+ – Wellbeing in Action Youth Exchange, held in Brașov, Romania, within the Erasmus+ programme.

The mobility brings together 43 young people from 7 countries in a non-formal learning process built around emotional well-being, empathy, inclusion, self-awareness and personal development.

CRDC participates in the project as the partner from the Republic of Moldova, alongside organizations from Romania, Türkiye, North Macedonia, Poland, Italy and Spain. The activities are coordinated by International EduCenter.

The first days: connection, trust and learning through experience

The first day of the mobility was dedicated to getting to know one another and creating a safe and open space for participants.

Through interactive non-formal education activities such as Human Bingo, the young people began to get to know each other, overcome initial barriers and build relationships based on trust and collaboration.

A Treasure Hunt across Brașov complemented this experience, giving participants the opportunity to discover the city while also working in international teams and interacting with young people from different cultural backgrounds.

The second day took the discussions to a deeper level by exploring the relationship between perception and reality. Participants reflected on biases, assumptions and the ways in which they influence relationships between people.

Particular attention was given to empathy and its role in building more inclusive communities.

Young people not only as participants, but also as co-creators

An important component of the exchange was the Toolkit Labs, during which participants tested educational activities developed by youth workers in the first stage of the INCLUDE+ project.

The young people were not only beneficiaries of these tools, but actively contributed feedback, observations and suggestions for improvement, becoming part of the process of developing the educational toolkit.

This approach helped turn the mobility into a practical and collaborative learning process in which young people’s direct experience is used to improve tools designed for working with other young people.

Participants also contributed to the production of the final project video, documenting and synthesizing the experiences, ideas and results developed throughout the exchange.

Emotions, empathy and well-being

Over the following days, the activities focused increasingly on personal well-being and on the way emotions influence our relationships and behaviour.

Young people explored emotions, empathy and how individual reactions can influence communication with those around them. Through reflection exercises, mindfulness activities and moments of reconnecting with nature, they were encouraged to pay greater attention to their own well-being.

Other exercises focused on identifying personal strengths, developing self-confidence and exploring opportunities for personal growth.

In this way, the concept of wellbeing was approached not only as a theoretical topic, but as a process involving self-awareness, healthy relationships, the ability to manage emotions and the creation of contexts in which young people feel safe to express themselves and participate.

International experience brought back to the community

For CRDC, young people’s participation in such mobility experiences is important not only because of what they learn during the project, but also because of what they can later bring back to their communities.

Intercultural experiences, non-formal education tools, reflections on well-being and inclusion, and the skills developed during the exchange can later be used in local activities, volunteering and initiatives dedicated to other young people.

We are glad to see young people from our community engaged, curious and open to international learning contexts where they can contribute their own experiences while also discovering new perspectives.

CRDC’s participation in the INCLUDE+ partnership therefore continues to create opportunities for young people from the Republic of Moldova to access Erasmus+ mobility programmes, non-formal education and international cooperation experiences.

We thank International EduCenter for coordinating the mobility and for the collaboration within this international partnership.

Photos: International EduCenter.