🇱🇻 Erasmus+ Training Course in Latvia 🧘 Embodied Habits and Habit Formation Tools for Youth Work 🌿

If you have ever felt that something is missing between a great workshop and lasting change in young people's lives, this training might be exactly what you have been looking for. Embodied Habits is a 9-day residential Erasmus+ Training Course in the Latvian countryside, where youth workers explore breath, yoga, dance, and improvisation as a framework for habit formation and embodied learning, translating the science of behaviour change into concrete youth work tools.

About the Training

This 9-day residential training course brings together 31 youth workers from 8 European countries to explore practical methodologies of breath, yoga, dance, and improvisation as a framework for habit formation and embodied learning.

The methodology draws on James Clear's Atomic Habits, one of the most practical frameworks for understanding how behaviour change really works, and translates it into concrete youth work tools, not as theory but as something you can use on Monday morning. You will learn how small, consistent actions compound into real change, and how to design learning experiences that support young people in making that happen in their own lives.

The training combines breathing techniques, yogic knowledge, dance, and improvisation with facilitation practice, peer exchange, and hands-on workshop design. At its core is an experimental, embodied approach: you encounter the methodology through your own body and experience before translating it into tools for your work with young people, in whatever context that happens.

The Methodology and Daily Rhythm

The daily structure of the course is itself part of the methodology. Since you cannot effectively teach habit formation without practising it, the programme is built around consistent daily rhythms, shared meals, physical activity, reduced screen time, and quality rest. Going to sleep at a reasonable hour is part of the programme, as a shared commitment to exploring whether the depth of connection you are looking for might be found in well-rested mornings rather than late nights.

This also means the training asks something personal from participants. You will be invited to take responsibility for your own mental and physical health, to notice your own patterns honestly, and to explore through experience what sustainable living and working feels like. Community-supported self-exploration, embodied practice, and personal accountability are as central to this week as any session on the programme.

What You Will Take Home

🧭 A clear methodological framework you can start applying straight away

📋 Practical session templates and facilitation tools

🛠️ A pilot workshop designed for your own group

🌍 A supportive European network of youth workers developing their habits

📜 A Youthpass certificate recognising your learning

Who Can Apply

🎂 Aged 18 and over, actively involved in youth work with at least one year of practical experience

🤝 Currently working with target groups facing motivational, emotional, or social challenges

🗣️ A sufficient level of English (the working language)

📍 Able to travel to Latvia for the full duration (27 October to 6 November, travel days included)

📣 Willing to design and implement at least one local follow-up workshop after the training

Selection prioritises candidates who work with young people with fewer opportunities, are interested in methodological development, and show commitment to knowledge transfer within their organisation. This training brings together youth workers from 🇭🇷 Croatia, 🇬🇷 Greece, 🇮🇹 Italy, 🇱🇻 Latvia, 🇵🇱 Poland, 🇸🇰 Slovakia, 🇸🇮 Slovenia, and 🇪🇸 Spain.

Accommodation

🌲 The venue is Laumas Recreation Park in the scenic Talsi Municipality of Latvia, 20 km from Talsi, with a spacious guesthouse, a 100 m² seminar hall, and comfortable accommodation, surrounded by forests and educational nature trails

🥗 Vegetarian and vegan food options are available

What's Covered

💚 Accommodation, food, and travel (within defined per-country limits) are funded by the EU. Indicative travel budgets per person (green / non-green where shown):

💶 Latvia €56 / €28, Poland €285 / €211, Greece €309, Italy, Croatia, Slovakia, and Slovenia €417 / €309, Spain €395

Dissemination and Follow-up

As a selected participant, you will contribute to a collective training booklet, organise a local workshop or session to share what you learned, create short texts, video reflections, or testimonials, and join an online community to stay connected. These activities are also prerequisites for travel reimbursement.

Curious about the role of youth workers in Erasmus+ projects like this one? Read this first: https://youthworkshub.org/15128/

How to Apply

Complete the online application. Once selected, you will fill out a pre-training questionnaire that helps the team tailor the experience to individual and group needs.