Trainer's life and how to hack it
Erasmus+ Cooperation partnerships in youth
The Holistic Trainer project is a strategic partnership in the field of youth work to empower trainers with the resources and support they need to thrive in their roles. In order to increase trainers’ well-being, motivation and job satisfaction, we focus on developing and curating content that provides holistic guidance and inspiration in the following key areas:
Physical Health
Through expert advice and practical tips, we help trainers prioritise their health and vitality.
Mental Health and Well-being
Mental health and emotional well-being is essential for resilience and success. We offer resources to support trainers in managing stress, maintaining balance, and fostering mental wellness.
Life on the Road
A big part of the life of international youth work trainers is on the road! We provide insights and resources to facilitate smooth experiences while travelling and working abroad.
Legal Matters
Understanding contractual matters, taxation regulations, insurance, intellectual property laws, and other legal and financial matters is crucial for trainers. We offer guidance on navigating legal issues and ensuring trainers' work is safe, recognised and respected.
Self-Management
Effective self-management is a foundation for professional fulfilment. Our project equips trainers with strategies for personal branding, networking, and professional growth.
Explore “Holistic Trainer” and find support, growth, and empowerment. We are dedicated to assisting trainers in the important dimensions of their lives – physical, mental, and professional. Check our resources, engage with our content, and create a healthier and more inclusive community with us.
1. Output “Hacks for trainers life”
A collection of tips/hacks and inspiring stories from trainers covering all the above topics.
We've got you covered, from boosting physical and mental well-being to navigating legal nuances. Discover practical advice and uplifting stories from the community that resonate with your youth work training sector journey.
Voices of Trainers: we have asked trainers to give testimonies and tell about their experiences about various aspects of trainer life.
Youtube playlist with all episodes here, or each individual below:
Advices for Protecting Your Mental and Emotional Health
Trainer Hotline: we have asked trainers to tell us about the challenges they face in their job. We are re-telling some of these challenges through the eyes of a fictitious trainer hotline.
Youtube playlist with all episodes here, or each individual below:
Mental and Emotional Well-being!
Life on the Road!
Legal and Financial Matters!
Physical Health!
Self-Management!
Infographics: based on hacks and tips collected from the community of trainers, we have compiled a variety of infographics:
2. Output “Survival guide for trainers”
Practical guidance for international trainers.
Navigate the complexities of a career as an international youth work trainer with confidence. From emotional wellbeing to baggage limitation on planes or tips for self-management and promotion of your brand, you will find practical guidance tailored by and for trainers. Click on each guide to dive deeper into practical tips and strategies:
3. Output “Trainers support system”
Webinars with experts and trainer's support system.
Discover informative webinars led by experts, available under the "Webinars" tab on this page, where you'll gain valuable insights and actionable strategies to enhance your skills.
For additional support, visit the Trainer's Support System page, where you can connect with trainers, access essential competence development resources, utilize our glossary of training terms, and find answers to frequently asked questions.
4. Output MOOC "How to hack trainer life"
A massive open online course on the topics of Holistic Trainer.
All the outputs mentioned before, embedded in an educational learning system. Discover our dynamic online course filled with useful strategies, actionable advice, and motivating stories from experienced trainers.
Trainer's LAB
From October 9th to October 15th of 2023, trainers from Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Spain and the UK gathered in Sremski Karlovci, in the beautiful Vojvodina region of Serbia. Hosted as part of the Holistic Trainer project, this LAB aimed to explore the well-being, motivation, and job satisfaction of trainers.
The lab had several goals: engaging the broader trainer community in testing and reviewing developed outputs, co-creating additional tools and methods for trainer support, and increasing the visibility of the project within the European youth work trainers community. It also aimed to establish a lasting support network for trainers.
Trainers passionate about personal well-being and professional development participated actively. The lab provided a platform for learning, networking, collaborating, and fostering valuable connections within the global trainer community. It was an opportunity to gain insights, build relationships, and shape the future of European trainer development.
Below you can see some impressions from the event
Transnational Meetings
The Holistic Trainer Team gathered for four intensive transnational meetings that took place in Serbia, Germany, Austria, and Portugal. These meetings were key moments where partners gathered results from consultations and research, learned together about the topics, and cooperated to create useful resources for the trainers’ community.
Join us for interactive webinars featuring experts in fields relevant to our project! These online sessions explore specific topics of relevance to international youth work trainers, identified through our research. Whether you're a seasoned professional or simply curious, everyone in the field is invited to participate. Unable to attend live? No problem! We'll record the webinars and make them available in our MOOC. Don't miss this opportunity to expand your knowledge and skills!
Join our Holistic Trainer mailing list in order to get notifications when further webinars and other relevant content and events will be available
The following webinars have already taken place:
25 04 2024 | Marisha Korzh
Boosting Your Visibility: Self-Promotion for Trainers in the International Youth Field
Marisha is a youth trainer, feminist, activist, and mother of two cats. Marisha has been working as a trainer for the Leadership Excellence team in EPAM. Also, she is #IamRemarkable facilitator empowering people from underrepresented and excluded groups to feel more confident and eliminate imposter syndrome.
In this webinar, we challenge social norms and boost our confidence in self-promotion. we discover tactics to confidently share our achievements in youth training and beyond. We explore biases, and empower ourselves to own our success.
02 05 2024 | Gisele Evrard, Ivana Volf, Petra Papiernikova
Mental and Emotional Wellbeing: Forms of Therapy and Support
Gisèle Evrard, Ivana Volf and Petra Papierníková are psychotherapists, as well as trainers in non-formal education.
In this webinar, we explore the various forms of therapy and support available to empower ourselves and others in the world of youth work training. From mindfulness techniques to professional counselling, we discover how to comprehend and prioritize our mental and emotional health. We learn how to sense and recognize the signs and know when it's the right time to seek support, and what type of support.
08 05 2024 | Ilze Jece
Thriving as a Trainer: Prioritizing Self-Care in Group Settings
Ilze has been working as a movement educator and bodyworker with groups and individuals for over 15 years. As a freelance trainer, she has travelled extensively, experiencing the physical toll that both travelling and working with groups can take on a trainer. It can be challenging to remember and prioritize our own well-being when our attention is fully on the group. There is a tendency to feel physically exhausted after delivering a course, which can have a long-term impact on our health.
In this webinar, Ilze shares her own experiences, typical challenges and dilemmas in supporting physical health and well-being while holding space for and supporting groups. We also explore practices and reminders that we can integrate to support us in real-time as trainers.
16 05 2024 | Behrooz Motamed-Afshari
The Life beyond Erasmus+
Behrooz is a freelance trainer and consultant on youth, civil society, public policies, democracy, and international partnerships. He brings a wealth of expertise in youth and civil society development, along with international cooperation projects, backed by robust leadership and project management skills. With over 30 years of experience in various professional roles, such as Team Leader, senior researcher, and non-formal education trainer.
In this webinar, we discuss the secrets of how Erasmus+ equips you with sought-after skills across European sectors. Let Behrooz be your guide to seizing your next opportunity while nurturing your passion for youth engagement.
22 05 2024 | Liliana Dias
Wellbeing and resilience as a Trainer: Navigating Intensive Work and Recovery
Liliana has a background in health psychology and human resource management and has been working for the past two decades to improve health and well-being at the workplace. She is deeply passionate about helping people at work thrive and creating healthy organisations. She has provided consultancy to several social organisations, and has implemented non-profit initiatives with a focus on women's empowerment.
In this webinar, we look at how to reinforce our mental and emotional well-being. In a practical way, we specifically explore how to manage stress and recover after intense training/project weeks as a trainer.
30 05 2024 | Nik Paddison
Life on the Road
Nik has been working in the European youth sector for fourteen years as a freelancer. Nik’s passion is about exploring how learning works, challenging himself and the status quo, and pushing the boundaries to find stronger ways for learning.
In this webinar, we touch upon issues such as smart packing, sleeping, getting the best out of airports and train stations, and many more topics related to life on the road.
06 06 2024 | Nik Paddison
How to how to value yourself and put a price tag on it
Nik has been working in the European youth sector for fourteen years as a freelancer. Nik’s passion is about exploring how learning works, challenging himself and the status quo, and pushing the boundaries to find stronger ways for learning.
In this webinar, we explore what is for some a difficult and sometimes uncomfortable question, “how much money am I worth?”. We are looking at how much time different aspects of the work realistically take, what to include when calculating time, how to ensure visibility, and set boundaries.
11 09 2024 | Antonios Triantafyllakis
"Intellectual Property Rights in Youth Work: What Should I Know?"
Antonios is an international youth work trainer who combines experiential learning with gamification. With experience across 40+ countries, he creates engaging learning experiences that develop 21st-century skills, empowering youth to become active global citizens.
In this webinar, we learn about intellectual property, Creative Commons, copyright and copyleft, and more! Every youth worker and trainer uses images or music in their work to engage their audience. But how much of it is legal and what are the best ways to work around it? Does the advent of AI change things? And what about my own intellectual property rights? How can I protect my own work?
Consortium
The project has been created and implemented by an international consortium of four organisations.
International Youth Work Trainers Guild, Germany
Coobra - Cooperativa Braccianti, Austria
Magnet House / Balkan Idea, Serbia
Funding
The project is co-funded by the European Union through Jugend für Europa, the German National Agency for ERASMUS+ and the European Solidarity Corps. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or JUGEND für Europa. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
