Launch of the ”POSITIVE – Wellbeing&Resilience in Youth Work for Social Change” project
The transnational „POSITIVE4Youth Work!” project has officially launched in October 2025 under the Erasmus+ programme. The initiative brings together organisations from four European countries with a shared aim of strengthening the well-being, mental health and resilience of professionals working with young people at risk of social exclusion.
This project responds to the growing challenges faced by youth workers, educators and practitioners supporting young people. Emotional pressure, the risk of burnout and the lack of systemic support for staff represent real barriers to delivering high-quality youth work today. The project is based on the belief that without healthy and psychologically resilient practitioners, inclusion, quality and sustainable social change cannot be achieved.
The main objective of the project is to develop knowledge and innovative practices that support the psychological resilience, mental health and well-being of professionals working with young people at risk of exclusion, as key factors in the quality of youth work and social inclusion.
As part of the project, a range of outputs will be developed to support the well-being and resilience of youth workers. These include two transnational studies exploring organisational attitudes towards practitioners’ well-being, as well as three innovative digital tools: a card-based toolkit built around the four pillars of psychological resilience, a digital resource pack supporting emotional intelligence and mental health, and a digital narrative book, “My Story, My Voice in Well-being&Resilience in Youth Work”, based on real-life experiences of youth workers. In addition, a training handbook with five modules will be created, alongside an transnational training programme, “Coping with Difficulties in Youth Work – Be WELL, Be POSITIVE!”, complemented by four national training programmes.
The project will run for 24 months (01.10.2025-30.09.2027) under the Erasmus+ KA2 Youth sector programme, with its results made available at European level to support organisations, practitioners, and policymakers in creating more supportive and resilient working environments.
Consortium consists of:
– SOWA Foundation, Poland, as lead partner.
– NLO, Netherlands.
– FEDERACION PROVINCIAL DE ASOCIACIONES DE PERSONAS CON DISCAPACIDAD FISICA Y ORGANICA DE SEVILLA, Spain.
– Association of Consultants and Experts on Social Economy Romania – Navodari Branch.
– Zamolxes Foundation, Romania
Press-release_project-POSITIVE-starting.docx