At the weekend of March 25-26, 2023, eleven young people between 17 and 26 years old gathered in Soesterberg, the Netherlands, to learn more about themselves, others and their interconnectedness in a holistic way, as well as about the mental, physical, emotional and spiritual perspectives. They also learned about social and leadership skills.
After this 2-days training, the participants received a certificate with the knowledge and skills acquired during this Experiential Learning based training. Some of the learnings and practices they acquired were:
- Knowledge of well-being from a holistic perspective (based on the Learning for Well-being framework), individual differences, Child Rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child Rights and (mental) well-being for young people in the Netherlands. Discovering own strengths (unique qualities) and a sense of purpose,
- Developing a strengths-based attitude to learning and development, sharing perspectives on mental well-being, and co-creating a safe environment for learning.
- Skills in Core Capacities, leadership skills such as introducing speakers, public speaking, perspective taking, embodying
- Facilitating learnings, such as energizers, listening, inquiring (debriefing), and discerning patterns in conversations (summarizing).
- Self-development skills, such as reflecting through journaling and boundary setting.
The content of the training and the way this was conducted was perceived very well by its participants: 9 out of 11 participants filled out an – anonymous – online evaluation, concluding that they learned a lot, were very appreciative of this training, and the trainers and felt more confident in leadership skills than before the training.
This training was organized by the Learning for Well-being Foundation within the foundation’s initiative of the global social movement to promote intergenerational partnerships, called Act2gether, with the support of the EU under the Erasmus+ program.

ACT2gether Netherlands is organizing another free training for young people (aged 16-26) on how to become a workshop leader in order to create more places where the voices of young people are heard in the Netherlands. The “Becoming an Ambassador for Youth Participation” training weekend will take place from Friday afternoon, May 12th, until Sunday afternoon, May 14th. This training will be in English and is also supported by the EU under the Erasmus+ program. For more information and registration, click here.
