Understanding Burnout: Youth Workers Explore Stress and Emotional Well-Being

The second day of the Erasmus+ KA153 – Mobility of Youth Workers project "Breathe Up Mind" (Project No. 2025-3-ES02-KA153-YOU-000381042), coordinated by Generaciones Saludables España, continued in Madrid, Spain with a strong focus on understanding stress, preventing burnout, and strengthening emotional resilience. Bringing together participants from Spain, Türkiye, North Macedonia, Italy, Hungary, and Ukraine, the project aims to equip youth workers with practical tools to protect their mental well-being while enhancing the quality of youth work across Europe.

The day began with the Mental Burnout workshop, where participants explored the causes, symptoms, and long-term effects of burnout commonly experienced by youth workers. Through interactive discussions and non-formal learning methods, participants reflected on professional challenges, shared personal experiences, and identified healthy coping strategies that can be applied both personally and within their organizations.

This was followed by Mood Mapping, an activity designed to increase emotional awareness by helping participants recognize, express, and better understand their emotions. By visualizing emotional patterns and discussing different emotional responses, youth workers developed greater self-awareness while learning practical techniques to support the emotional well-being of the young people they work with.

Throughout the day, participants exchanged perspectives from their own countries, highlighting the importance of creating supportive working environments for youth workers. The sessions emphasized that strengthening emotional resilience and preventing burnout are essential steps toward building healthier, more sustainable, and more inclusive youth work practices across Europe.