One of the most important milestones of the Mindful Scouts project was the Learning, Teaching and Training Activity (LTTA) held in Slovakia. This international activity brought together participants from the partner organisations in Slovakia, Spain, and Greece, creating a shared learning space where young people and youth workers could explore the project methodology in practice. The LTTA was one of the key project activities and was designed as a four-day training experience focused on the application of the Scout Method, outdoor learning, and non-formal education to support mental health and personal development.
For InnoSpark, participation in Mindful Scouts is an important opportunity to contribute to a meaningful European initiative that connects youth well-being with innovation and accessible learning tools. Within the project, InnoSpark is responsible in particular for the development of the OER platform, as well as dissemination and sustainability actions, helping ensure that the project results will remain visible and useful beyond the project duration.
The programme itself was built around practical and interactive experiences. Participants took part in team-building sessions, trust and communication exercises, workshops on leadership and effective communication, outdoor survival activities, nature-based learning sessions, reflection circles, and group presentations. The training also included moments of cultural exchange and discussions on the impact of nature on mental well-being.
A key strength of the LTTA was that it allowed participants to move from theory to practice. The project does not only promote ideas about well-being, resilience, and inclusion — it also offers concrete methods to support them. During the LTTA, participants could directly experience how the Scout Method can help create supportive environments based on trust, participation, teamwork, responsibility, and connection with nature. Through learning by doing, they explored how these elements can strengthen young people’s confidence, emotional awareness, and social connection.
Beyond the educational outcomes, the LTTA strengthened the partnership itself. Bringing participants together in Slovakia created stronger relationships between the organisations, encouraged intercultural understanding, and reinforced the shared commitment to promoting young people’s mental health through innovative and meaningful youth work methods. It was a space where cooperation, learning, and shared purpose came together in a very concrete way.
The LTTA in Slovakia showed that when young people and youth workers come together in a safe, active, and nature-connected learning environment, the results go beyond training. It becomes a space for confidence, reflection, connection, and inspiration — and a strong example of what the Mindful Scouts project stands for.
Nature played an essential role in the LTTA. Outdoor activities were not simply an addition to the programme, but part of the educational logic of the project. Nature offered a space for movement, observation, calm, cooperation, and reflection, reinforcing one of the project’s central ideas: that connection with the natural environment can support mental well-being and offer young people meaningful opportunities for growth. This aspect of the LTTA helped participants better understand why nature-based learning is such an important part of the Mindful Scouts approach.
The LTTA also played an important role in testing and validating the project results. The developed tools, especially the Toolkit and the OER platform, were explored in practice and evaluated for their usability and impact. This allowed the partnership to gather feedback and ensure that the project resources were not only well-designed, but also relevant and useful for real youth work settings. In this sense, the LTTA served as an essential bridge between project development and practical implementation.
Mindful Scouts is an Erasmus+ project titled “Foster mental health of young people by using the scout method.” The project brings together partners from Slovakia, Spain, and Greece to explore how reflection, teamwork, scouting values, and connection with nature can support young people’s resilience, personal development, and emotional well-being.
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Funded by the European Union. However, the views and positions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect the views and positions of the European Union or National Institute of Education and Youth (NIVaM). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Project Reference: 2024-2-SK02-KA210-YOU-000258486
