THE NEXT BEAT
Creative and embodied approaches to mental health in youth work
An international training course for youth workers exploring resilience, mental health, peer support and inclusive practice through creative, somatic and experiential learning.
The Next Beat / Azores
Project at a glance
2024-1-HU01-KA153-YOU-000239022
The Next Beat I
Vila Franca do Campo, São Miguel, Azores, Portugal
21–30 October 2024
Origo Workshop
Partner organisation
About the project
The Next Beat was an Erasmus+ professional-development project designed to strengthen youth workers’ capacity to respond to mental-health challenges in diverse youth communities.
The project combined creative methodologies, embodied learning and peer-support approaches. A central component was the Tamalpa Life/Art Process, which integrates movement, visual expression, writing and reflection. The wider learning journey also included an online mental-wellness course and mentoring, but MONOMIT’s participation was in the first residential training in Portugal.
The programme focused particularly on inclusive mental-health practice, resilience, peer support and youth leadership, with attention to young people from different and sometimes marginalised backgrounds.
MONOMIT’s participation
MONOMIT participated as a partner organisation in the first residential training of The Next Beat in São Miguel, Portugal.
The organisation was represented by Dragana Drljačić and Sonja Živković, who at the time was Director of the Music School in Šabac. Dragana also supported the learning process as a facilitator’s assistant.
From mobility to local cooperation
The professional connection with the Music School continued beyond the mobility and later developed into a formal cooperation agreement between MONOMIT and the school.
Why it mattered
The Next Beat addressed a very real challenge in youth work: how to support young people facing stress, exclusion, uncertainty and mental-health difficulties while also protecting the wellbeing and resilience of the professionals who work with them.
For MONOMIT, the project strengthened interest in creative, body-based and experiential methods and contributed to the organisation’s developing approach to wellbeing and inclusive learning.
Key themes
Recognition
Youthpass
Project gallery
The Next Beat / Azores
The Next Beat / Azores
The Next Beat / Azores
The Next Beat / Azores
Learn more
Official project page
Explore the complete The Next Beat learning journey, methodology and resources on the Origo Workshop website.