🇪🇸 Erasmus+ Training Course in Spain 🧠 The Art of Thinking: Critical and Systemic Thinking for Youth Workers With Papaya Association 🌊

The Art of Thinking is an Erasmus+ Training Course for youth workers and educators, taking place in Cantabria, on the north coast of Spain, from 5 to 14 January 2027 (travel days included). It is coordinated by Papaya Association with seven partner organisations, and applications close on 06 December 2026. At Youth Works Hub, we read the full infopack and the application form so you know what you are applying to before you open it.

From Information to Wisdom: What The Art of Thinking Is About

The training is built for people who want to move from information to wisdom. You explore the five thinking skills of the Inner Development Goals, sharpen your critical and systemic thinking, and learn to guide young people through misinformation, polarisation and complexity with clarity and care.

The course is an Erasmus+ training course for youth workers: a residential, non-formal learning experience, not a holiday. The group is 24 youth workers from 8 countries, with 3 participants per country.

Five Reasons to Join, According to the Organisers

The call for participants lists five reasons to discover the Art of Thinking.

🧭 Master the 5 Thinking skills: Critical Thinking, Complexity Awareness, Perspective Skills, Sense-Making and Long-term Orientation & Visioning.

🔍 Go from information to wisdom: uncover hidden assumptions and biases, dissect arguments and help young people tell reliable information from manipulation.

🃏 Co-create your next favourite tool: design, test and take home "The Art of Thinking" card deck, a set of thinking prompts ready for your daily youth work.

🕊️ Facilitate dialogue, not debate: practise turning polarised discussions into open inquiry, and use thinking as a tool for peace.

🤝 Expand your European network: connect with 24 youth workers from 8 countries and join a community of reflective practitioners.

How You Will Learn: Methods and Vision

The programme combines several methods, and the organisers add "and many more" to the list below.

🌱 Inner Development Goals: Thinking.

🗺️ Systems mapping and futures labs.

💬 From debate to dialogue.

🚶 A reflective walk on the Camino de Santiago.

🛠️ Co-creation and tool design.

Where and When: The North Coast of Spain

🗓️ Dates: 5 to 14 January 2027, travel days included.

🏞️ Place: a residential venue in Cantabria, Spain, surrounded by sea and green hills.

✈️ Getting there: fly to Santander or Bilbao, or fly to Madrid and take a bus to either city.

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🌍 All opportunities in Spain →

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Who Can Apply

The organisers are looking for the following profile.

👥 Youth workers, educators, trainers and facilitators (staff, volunteers or mentors) working with young people.

🎯 Some experience in facilitation, training or project management in youth work.

💡 First experience with, or curiosity about, the Inner Development Goals and especially the Thinking dimension.

🎂 Aged 18+, with enough English to take an active part in the activities.

✅ Commitment to every phase: online preparation, the full residential training and a local follow-up activity.

What Is Covered by Erasmus+

Erasmus+ covers accommodation, food and the full programme. Travel costs are reimbursed up to the limit of your distance band. To see how bands work, read how travel reimbursement and distance bands work, and for the full picture of funded items see what Erasmus+ covers.

The application form adds important conditions on reimbursement: you receive it only if you take full part in the whole project, including carrying out a follow-up activity and following the procedure suggested by the coordination team. Meals during the training are vegetarian.

Three Phases: Preparation, Training and Follow-Up

The project is more than the residential days. Selected participants commit to the whole process.

🧰 Prepare carefully for the Training Course, including online preparation.

🏕️ Take part in the full duration of the Training Course in Cantabria.

📣 Take part in the follow-up, dissemination and evaluation process, including a local follow-up activity.

Spots for Participants With Fewer Opportunities

The application form states that spots are reserved for participants with fewer opportunities, and it links a description of the types of fewer opportunities that the European Commission considers. You mark the boxes that apply to you. For general background on extra support, see inclusion support in Erasmus+ and ESC.

The Application Form: What You Will Be Asked

The online form is titled The Art of Thinking Application Form. The organisers say they will inform you of the selection results shortly after the deadline. Before you start, read their note: they ask you to complete the application in your own words and without using AI to generate your answers. They are not looking for perfect or polished responses, they want to get to know you, your motivations, experiences and expectations.

The form is organised in clear parts.

🪪 Personal details: first name, family name, gender, mobile phone number (starting with + and country code), city and country of residence, date of birth, city of birth, nationality and occupation.

🩺 Health: your current physical health condition (this is a training based on physical activities and movement, so the team needs to know about any problems that could affect your participation) and your mental health condition.

☎️ An emergency contact: name, relationship and phone number, starting with + and country code.

✍️ Motivation: your experience related to leadership, personal development and/or youth; why you want to participate and what calls you (the form calls this an essential question); how you would implement your learnings and what would change in your life after the training; and which of your talents or knowledge you could share with other participants.

📣 How you heard about The Art of Thinking.

🥗 Diet: whether you agree to a vegetarian diet, any other specific diet, and any medical food allergies or intolerances, including how you react and what medication you use.

🛡️ Whether you have a medical insurance valid in Spain.

🌟 The fewer opportunities you are facing.

Commitment and Consent: Read Before You Confirm

Before submitting, you confirm a list of conditions. The main ones are:

📌 You commit to the whole process: careful preparation, the full duration of the Training Course and the follow-up, dissemination and evaluation.

🏥 Arranging health, accident, liability and travel/cancellation insurance is your own responsibility and at your own expense, and information on special needs does not remove your responsibility for your own health.

📚 The Training Course is a learning process and not a holiday, the programme is intensive and free time will be limited.

🛏️ You will share a room with other participants.

💶 You agree with the conditions of travel expenses and reimbursement.

🚫 If you cancel your participation, you will not receive compensation for any costs incurred.

📋 You agree with all conditions in the call for participants.

📷 You consent to the use of your name and e-mail for communication by the organisers, and to photos of you taken in the frame of the project being published for administration and dissemination of this project only.

🔐 Your personal data is used for the purposes of this project, shared with representatives of all partner organisations and provided to the Spanish National Agency, in accordance with GDPR.

Partner Organisations and Contacts by Country

The organisers invite you to contact the organisation in your country. There are 3 participants per country.

🇪🇸 Spain: Papaya Association.

🇵🇱 Poland: Q Zmianom.

🇮🇹 Italy: Turbe Giovanili.

🇧🇬 Bulgaria: Burgas Open Space.

🇩🇪 Germany: Kompass eggs e.V.

🇳🇱 Netherlands: SIW International Volunteer Projects.

🇬🇷 Greece: ELIX.

🇪🇪 Estonia: Ethos MTÜ.

Meet the Trainers

The team thinking with you is Isabel McLean (trainer and Papaya board), Juliana Constaín (trainer and Papaya board) and Rob van Leeuwen (trainer). The Art of Thinking is supported by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union and coordinated by Papaya Association together with its international partners. The facilitators bring wide experience in Erasmus+, leading international groups, non-formal education, theatre-based methods and the Inner Development Goals.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can apply to The Art of Thinking?

Youth workers, educators, trainers and facilitators aged 18+ who work with young people as staff, volunteers or mentors, with some facilitation, training or project management experience and enough English to take an active part. Participants come from Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Italy, Estonia, Poland, Spain and the Netherlands.

What does Erasmus+ cover?

Accommodation, food and the full programme are covered. Travel costs are reimbursed up to the limit of your distance band, and only if you take full part in the whole project, including the follow-up activity.

When and where does the training take place?

From 5 to 14 January 2027, travel days included, at a residential venue in Cantabria, Spain, surrounded by sea and green hills.

How do I get to the venue?

Fly to Santander or Bilbao, or fly to Madrid and take a bus to either city.

Will the meals be vegetarian?

Yes. The meals provided during the training course are vegetarian, and the form asks whether you agree to a vegetarian diet. It also asks about any other specific diet and any medical food allergies or intolerances.

Can I use AI to write my application?

The organisers ask you not to. They want you to answer in your own words, because your motivations, experiences and expectations matter more to them than a polished application.

Do I need insurance?

Yes. Obtaining health, accident, liability and travel/cancellation insurance is your own responsibility and at your own expense, and the form asks whether you have medical insurance valid in Spain.