KA151 Erasmus+ Training course

Expedition Dynamics

DATES

Start: Thursday 11 June 2026

End: Thursday 18 June 2026

Location

Dilsen-Stokkem, Limburg, Belgium

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SUMMARY

OBJECTIVES

This project revolves around group dynamics with people, natural distribution of group roles and self-acknowledgement of your personal role as a (voluntary) youth worker.

Together, we'll explore how groups function, how emotions play a role in learning and collaboration, and how youth workers can create safe, inclusive, and meaningful spaces for young people. Through experiential activities, reflection, and sharing, you'll gain practical tips & tools you can immediately apply in your own youth work context.

This isn't a training where you just listen—it's about experiencing, feeling, reflecting, and applying.

Throughout the course, we will make the link with practice – also through the experiences and insights of the participants themselves. Together, we will explore questions such as:

How do group dynamics function and how to read and observe the different stages of group development?
Which types of recurring roles appear in group dynamics, how to influence groups in a way that supports their role and challenges their learning?

How can we support children and young people in recognizing and understanding their emotions, and how can we, as youth workers, stay in touch with our own emotions?
How can we respond to specific (strong emotional) behavior in groups, and how can we create space for emotions without compromising safety or group dynamics?

To strengthen participants’ ability to understand, read, and intentionally work with group dynamics, enabling them to consciously support and use group processes as a powerful tool for inclusive, safe, and effective learning in youth work settings
Deepen emotional intelligence and self-awareness, and explore personal strategies for emotional grounding and self-management in your role as a youth worker.
Reflect on how to integrate emotional awareness and practices into your own youth work context, and exchange ideas, challenges and approaches with fellow participants from different organisations and countries.
Promote and learn to shape real connections and friendships amongst the youth: emphasize the importance of face-to-face interactions, real friendships, group learning and community engagement by different activities and workshops.

Group dynamics are a central part of everyday practice in youth work. Young people come together with different personalities, backgrounds, experiences, and expectations. Within a group they learn how to cooperate, support each other, deal with disagreements & different opinions and find their place among others. When guided positively, the group becomes a safe space where they can test ideas, build confidence, and develop social skills.

That is why it is important that we, as youth workers, are attentive to what is happening within the group. We need to notice how relationships form, how roles emerge, and how the atmosphere in the group influences participation and wellbeing. By observing and guiding these processes, we can help create an environment where everyone feels included and respected.

To do this well, we need to be aware not only of the group as a whole, but also of how our own presence and actions influence the dynamic. When we consciously support positive interactions and address tensions when they arise, we help the group become a safe and supportive place where young people can grow, learn from one another, and feel that they belong.

In youth work, emotions are part of everyday life. Young people take risks, overcome obstacles, collaborate, express themselves, and explore who they are. In all of this, emotions are present. That’s why it matters that we, as youth workers, are aware of them. That we recognise emotions when they arise, name them when needed, and create space for them to exist. To be able to do that, we also need to stay in touch with our own feelings.