"The Threshold" is a 10 day training course (including travel days) for 29 youth worker, trainers and facilitators from 11 different countries (Netherlands, Ireland, Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Finland and the UK) The course covers the topics of vulnerability, spirituality, connectedness and nature, which are often missing in our fast-paced society nowadays. The course aims at supporting the participants in exploring these topics on both a personal and professional level. Through non-formal education and experiential learning methods, participants experience the role of vulnerability, spirituality, connectedness and nature within the context of their personal life and personal development – and learn to apply these topics and methods within their role as youth- or social workers. WHERE and WHEN? 21- 31th of August 2015, in the Wiclow Mountains, Ireland TRAINING OBJECTIVES 1)To create a space for personal and professional development of youth workers, by exploring personal connections, experiences, limitations and strengths through a variety of non formal education en experiential learning methods and sharing and evaluating the experiences with other participants. 2)To offer participants the possibility to experience non formal education and experiential learning methods on a personal level and provide them with a practical set of non formal education and experiential learning tools, methods and activities in relation to the course topics, which they can implement and use within their local youth work. 3)To give an opportunity for sharing and discussing, reflection and improvement of all experienced methods. To share pedagogic and cultural aspects of youth work in different cultural realities. 4)To develop together new experiential and non-formal educational activities on the topics of the training course and motivate and inspire participants to work on the topic of spirituality and vulnerability in their future work. PROGRAMME ELEMENTS Heroes Journey, Sweat-lodge, Council, Meditation, Connecting with nature, Sharing and learning, Community building, Experiential learning During this course, participants will engage in a number of activities where they will gain an increased awareness of role of nature, spiritualty and vulnerability when working with young people. They will develop the competences (skills, knowledge and attitudes) use these topics to impact positively on the lives of young people. The methods that we will use are those of non formal education, so learning will be through discussions, group work, interactive workshops, exchange of experience, creative process and experimentation, reflection times. The outcomes will be: a new set of non formal an experiental methods on the course topics, developed by the participants a fresh new attitude towards the role of vulnerability and the possibillities in using vulnerability to strengthen youth.