Events - Empowering Youth Work Through Adventure Education

This July, four Romanian youth workers—Lina, Daria, Gabriel, and Florina—represented GEYC in the Erasmus+ training course Boosting Adventure Education Among Youth Workers, hosted at the Ankkapurha Youth Centre in Anjala, Finland. The training brought together participants from multiple European countries for a hands-on learning experience centered on adventure education, outdoor survival skills, and non-formal learning methods.

Organized by Finnish national youth centers and supported by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture, the training was the first part of a two-phase project. It focused on building foundational outdoor competencies such as orienteering, fire cooking, tent-building, and team collaboration through physical and mental challenges in nature.

Why Adventure Education?

Adventure education is not only about surviving in the wild — it’s about learning through doing, developing resilience, and growing together. For youth workers, these experiences offer powerful tools to design educational programs that build self-confidence, cooperation, and critical thinking among young people.

“Sleeping outside under the open sky, with just a sleeping bag and my own thoughts — that was a moment of full presence and trust in the world. I’ll take that calm and clarity with me into every youth activity I plan,” — Lina

“As a youth worker, I’m constantly seeking ways to energize and engage my participants. Learning how to prepare a meal outdoors or navigate unfamiliar terrain wasn’t just exciting — it made me rethink how learning spaces can look,” — Daria

Learning Beyond the Classroom

The program was structured around experiential learning: canoeing on Finnish lakes, hiking through lush forests, and reflecting daily on how these methods could translate into local youth work back home. The participants were encouraged to design outdoor activities, build trust within international teams, and share best practices.

“Being surrounded by nature helped us reconnect with our inner child — a key element in designing inclusive and playful learning environments for youth,” — Gabriel

“The combination of survival skills and creative thinking was a game-changer. I now feel more equipped to develop meaningful, sustainable, and adventurous programs for Romanian youth,” — Florina

What’s Next?

• The second part of the project will take place in December 2025 in Oivanki, Finland, and will focus on game creation and design thinking — bridging survival skills with educational game development.
• All four GEYC participants will continue the learning journey and bring their experiences back to the Romanian youth sector through dissemination events and new projects.
• Until then, the team is working on transforming what they learned into local outdoor activities, creative workshops, and nature-based learning tools for youth engagement in Romania.

This project is co-funded by the European Union through the Erasmus+ programme and supported by GEYC as a partner organization. Want to see more from behind the scenes? Follow our stories on Instagram @geyc_ro and stay tuned for winter updates from snowy Oivanki!