Actions for Change, led by Sandra Horea and Lelde Gusta, is running "Dreaming from the mycelium of the Earth", an Erasmus+ Training Course in rural Latvia for youth workers, facilitators and artists from eight countries, with applications closing on 1 October 2026. At Youth Works Hub, we read through the infopack because this course does not read like a standard youth worker mobility. It reads like an invitation into a genuinely different register of non-formal education, and it is worth understanding exactly what that means before applying.
The organisers frame it plainly: this is an invitation to the unknown, to be guided by dreams, movement, art and nature, and to become curious about the intelligence that lives beneath our usual ways of knowing.
What the Training Actually Explores
๐ฒ The project combines dream-tending, storytelling, poetry, embodiment and expressive arts with ecological and nature-based education. Participants explore wild and experimental methods they are invited to bring into their own life and into the life of the people around them.
๐ The image the organisers return to is mycelium itself: like mycelium moving quietly beneath the forest floor, much of what shapes us remains unseen, and the week is built to surface some of that.
The Ten Practices on the Programme
๐ Dream-tending and dreamwork
๐ง Embodiment and somatic awareness
๐ Movement and expressive arts
๐ Storytelling and poetry
๐ฎ Deep imagination
๐ฟ Nature-based learning
๐ Ecological awareness
๐ฃ๏ธ Reflection and council
๐ค Intercultural exchange
๐ก๏ธ Resilience and self-care
The Guides
๐ Sandra Horea has spent the past 14 years guiding hundreds of people from across Europe in eco-soulcentric human development practices, Soulcraft and Wild Mind, through Actions for Change, the organisation she founded and has coordinated for the past 11 years. Her work is rooted in 10 years of training and apprentice-guiding as a Soul Initiation Guide for the Animas Valley Institute, a nature-based mystery school in Colorado, under founder Bill Plotkin and other senior guides.
๐จ Lelde Gusta is a facilitator, artist and space-holder from Latvia with over eight years of experience in international projects, designing workshops that explore the interplay between spaces and human interaction. She has taken part in multiple Animas Valley courses and is also apprenticing Pirts, the traditional Latvian sauna practice.
Who the Programme Is For
๐ฅ People who work with people: youth workers, facilitators, educators, mentors, coaches, guides, artists, community workers, nature-based practitioners, and those whose work doesn't quite fit into a single box.
๐ 18 years old or older.
๐ฃ๏ธ Able to communicate in English.
๐ Willing to step into the experience with openness and presence.
๐ Legal residency in one of the eight partner countries: Latvia, Romania, Cyprus, Italy, Iceland, Estonia, Czechia and Slovakia.
What Is Covered, and the Voluntary Part
๐ถ Materials, activities, accommodation and food during the programme are 100% covered by the Erasmus+ grant.
๐ The guides also invite, without making it mandatory, a donation of 80 to 120 euros towards future projects, based on personal financial possibilities. Nobody is left behind over this: participants who cannot pay even the lower amount can say so, and the organisers will find other ways to accommodate that.
๐ Travel costs are reimbursed after the course, up to a ceiling calculated with โฌ50 deducted per participant to cover the leg from Riga to the venue, organised by the host.
Travel Ceilings by Country
๐ฑ๐ป Latvia: โฌ0
๐ท๐ด Romania: โฌ260
๐จ๐พ Cyprus: โฌ340
๐ฎ๐น Italy: โฌ340
๐ฎ๐ธ Iceland: โฌ350
๐ช๐ช Estonia: โฌ240, green travel
๐จ๐ฟ Czechia: โฌ370, green travel
๐ธ๐ฐ Slovakia: โฌ260
๐ฑ Green travel, meaning lower-carbon options such as train, bus or carpooling, is strongly recommended. It may take longer, but the organisers frame the way you travel as part of the practice too.
Dates and Location
๐๏ธ 4 to 12 December 2026. Day 1, 4 December, is the arrival day, travelling to the location by organised transportation from Riga. The training course itself runs 5 to 11 December, 7 full days. Day 12, 12 December, is the departure day, with organised transportation back to Riga.
๐ก The location is a rural place in the north-east of Latvia, in guest house "Vonadziลi", Stฤmerienas district.
Two Rules the Organisers Are Explicit About
๐ซ Alcohol, drug-free and low-technology space: the entire training is alcohol and drug-free, and all participants commit to not consuming alcohol or recreational drugs for the full duration.
๐ต The organisers also want to intentionally create a low-technology space. Phones, laptops and other digital devices are not prohibited, but participants are strongly encouraged to use them as little as possible and keep them away when not truly needed, treating the days as a small break from the constant digital world.
How to Apply
๐ Applications go through a Google Form. The training is intended for participants with legal residency in the partner countries listed above.
โ๏ธ With your application, you commit yourself to the whole project: preparation, participation in the project, dissemination and follow-up activities in your home countries.
๐ The deadline for applying is 1 October 2026, included. Results are published by 4 October 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the application deadline?
1 October 2026, included. Results are published by 4 October 2026.
Who can apply?
People aged 18 or older with legal residency in Latvia, Romania, Cyprus, Italy, Iceland, Estonia, Czechia or Slovakia, comfortable communicating in English.
Do I have to pay to take part?
No. Materials, activities, accommodation and food are 100% covered. A donation of โฌ80 to โฌ120 is invited but explicitly not mandatory, and flexibility is offered to anyone who cannot afford it.
Is alcohol allowed during the training?
No. The entire training is alcohol and drug-free, and participants commit to this for the full duration.
Do I need previous experience in dreamwork or the arts?
The programme is aimed at people who work with people in a broad sense: youth workers, facilitators, educators, mentors, coaches, artists and community workers. No specific prior experience is listed as a requirement beyond openness and presence.
How does travel reimbursement work?
Travel is reimbursed after the course, up to a ceiling per country with โฌ50 deducted to cover the leg from Riga, where organised transportation to and from the venue is provided.
Where exactly does the training take place?
A rural guest house called "Vonadziลi" in the Stฤmerienas district, north-east Latvia.
Project Snapshot
๐ Type: Erasmus+ Training Course
๐ Location: Guest house "Vonadziลi", Stฤmerienas district, Latvia
๐๏ธ Activity Dates: 4โ12 December 2026 (4 Dec arrival, 5โ11 Dec training, 12 Dec departure)
๐ Countries: Czechia, Cyprus, Estonia, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Romania, Slovakia
๐ Age: 18+
Deadline
โณ 1 October 2026
Applications close on 1 October 2026, included, with results published just three days later on 4 October, so there is very little turnaround time once you apply. Find more Erasmus+ Training Courses on Youth Works Hub.
Link
๐ Application form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfny_OYY-UmQVP6pju7dN3JkLXV2pNky92jw4CeBvQUCDUkZQ/viewform
๐ง Questions: Lelde Gusta, lelde.gusta@gmail.com, or Sandra Horea, sandra.horea@gmail.com
