Nature of Growth, Liepupe, Latvia
During the week of September 6–14, 2026, more than twenty youth workers from eight European countries gathered in Liepupe, Latvia, to share their experiences with outdoor and experiential programs.
Not only did we have a lot of theoretical knowledge and concepts waiting for us, but mainly we were able to try out many of them as more or less experienced trainers in practice. And not only those that the organizing team has prepared for us, but also some that we have prepared for each other in small groups.
The training lined the use of nature not only as a beautiful scenery and a pleasant background, but also for its main use as a practical tool and a source of instruction and material for development and activities. And this in the whole process from establishing the foundations by sharing with natural objects that metaphorically represented our expectations, through the establishment of a deeper relationship with the forest in the form of a forest bath, to our nature using outdoor activities for others.
During the week, theoretical anchorings in the form of comfort and learning zones, Kolb's cycle, principles of purposeful adventure and the competence model of an outdoor trainer and therapist could not be missing. We also addressed the diagram of the use of nature as a co-facilitator, and models of the theory of correction of attention (ART), the theory of healing from stress (SRT), somatic and embodied (Somatic and Embodied Grounding) Or a circle of intersectionality. The basics of non-violent communication and active listening, as well as the principles of providing feedback, must not be missing.
An important element in the organization of activities for young and more experienced is also the analysis of benefits and risks (RBA), thanks to which everyone as a facilitator could immediately realize how the need to prepare the participants before the activity and what to watch out for during the chosen activity to maintain health and psychological comfort.
The activities we prepared for each other were diverse, as was the group itself. We started with the modification of the theory of 4 shields for the creation of visual works from nature. This was followed by activities on the need for a community in everyday life and the search for one's own "tribe". Next, we delved into the connection of deeper emotions with the formation of mandalas. After lunch, we were reliably woken up by the hunt for treasure with an overlap of seven rules. Don't leave any traces in nature. This was followed by a fairy-tale activity about realizing the breath and connecting with leading objects. And the whole day was completed by exploring the forest blindly, which was beautiful in the wonderful surroundings of the mosses and mushrooms.
As we were a diverse and often very experienced group, an entire part was devoted to sharing experiences and mutual inspiration.
I am grateful to the organizers from the Biedrība Re:View organization, especially to the trainers Anna Kanepone and Laura Prusake, as well as to the Erasmus+ program for the financial support of this project.
