Project Embrace Yourself

2023-3-AT01-KA152-YOU-000171735

Embrace Yourself fosters mental health, intercultural dialogue, and creativity among youth. Through a balance of reflection and creation, it empowers young people to become active agents of their well-being and advocates for mental health in their communities—locally and across Europe.

Date
From July 21 to 27, 2024

Partners

Objectives:
O1: Raise awareness of mental well-being among young people.

O2: Improve youth mental well-being through Expressive Arts Therapy.

O3: Co-create a Virtual Therapy Museum in the Metaverse.

O4: Promote intercultural dialogue and social inclusion.

Project Summary:
Embrace Yourself is a 12-month Erasmus+ youth project aimed at supporting the mental health of young people using expressive arts as a key strategy. We believe today’s youth are the experts of their own experience. By engaging them in creative self-expression—through music, movement, creative writing, and philosophy—we empower them to co-create meaning and healing.

The project includes workshops, roleplays, drama, and reflective sessions. All activities integrate Expressive Arts Therapy to provide a safe space for youth to explore emotions, strengthen resilience, and connect with others. Participants will also collaboratively build a Virtual Therapy Museum—a digital, interactive space to showcase their insights and promote mental health literacy.

Aligned with the EU Youth Strategy, Embrace Yourself promotes emotional well-being, peer collaboration, and healthy lifestyles. The project is especially inclusive of youth with fewer opportunities, including those from migrant and disadvantaged backgrounds.

Participants:

25 young people and 5 youth leaders from Austria (IRARU), Slovenia (MKreativa), Turkey (Wonders of Milas), Poland (Gaszo), and Ukraine (F4F).

Key Activities:

Preparatory Visit:

Online coordination meetings

Project logo and cooperation agreement

Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT) pre-survey

Creation of project social media and website

Exchange (7 days):

Daily Expressive Arts Therapy workshops

Creation of the Virtual Therapy Museum

Mental health discussions, reflective Padlet questions

Cultural trips and intercultural activities

Post-Exchange:

BAT post-survey and evaluation meetings (Sept 2024 – April 2025)

Youth-led mental health awareness events (World Mental Health Month, Erasmus Days)

Continued participation in national/international events and webinars

Impact:

Participants will develop greater self-awareness and learn to recognize early signs of stress, anxiety, and burnout.

Expressive arts will serve as a bridge to deeper emotional processing, improving emotional regulation, self-expression, and resilience.

The Virtual Therapy Museum will be a long-lasting educational tool, raising awareness in an interactive and youth-driven format.

Long-term benefits include improved academic performance, self-confidence, and community involvement.

Partner organizations will integrate expressive arts methods into their youth work practices, strengthening capacity and well-being in their own teams.

PREPARATORY VISIT

YOUTH EXCHANGE

Acknowledgements