The project in a brilliant way shows how we treat work and rest in different cultures…
“All about burn out” is aimed at all those interested in sharing knowledge, experience and challenges related to counteracting professional burnout, and developing mental resistance and promoting attention to psychological and physical well-being.
The project in a brilliant way shows how we treat work and rest in different cultures. Thanks to multiculturalism and inclusiveness, it is an opportunity to experience the different lifestyles potentially available to us, the methods of managing personal energy, as well as the beliefs and world-views that differently affect our ability to build well-being.
During the training courses, I met open-minded and empathetic people of different ages, which is a great value when sharing thoughts and life experiences.
Classes focused on stress management, working with emotions, embodiment practice, burnout analysis, psychosomatics and psychological resistance in relationships, leading to each participant building ‘their well-being house.’ All this has been crowned with the design of individual action plans aimed at counteracting burnout.
Organisationally, the project was brilliantly led, consistent with the main theme, considering the attendees’ participation in adapting the content, time and forms of work to their needs and abilities.
In addition to the experiential learning session, we could look forward to tasting the local cuisine, an outing to the nearby town of Lulea, a team-building evening by the fireplace, a sauna session, as well as informative outdoor activities.
We spent our free time obsessively hunting for the Northern Lights. Thanks to the cooperation of all attendees, we succeeded four times, even when the lights-detecting apps gave us no chance of seeing them.
Taking part in mobility and informal education organised by LEVEL UP makes everything possible – even making impossible dreams come true!
I would accept without a second thought every trip co-organised by LEVEL UP because I can be sure that the organisation will provide me with all the support before, during, and after the trip.
I am extremely grateful for the way the LEVEL UP team – in partnership, with respect, and sometimes with a needed amount of leadership – guides people through informal education, inspiring positive challenges.
I encourage you to take part in non-formal education mobilities because it is a juicy cocktail in which the experience of learning through practice and meeting people of other nationalities are mixed. And on top – a sprinkle of multiculturalism.
Danuta, 42 years old, training course, ”All about burnout”
See also: More about the “All about burnout” project
Such multicultural meetings strongly open not only heads but also hearts…
LIFELONG LEARNING IS DEFINITELY WORTH!
It’s the motto of the Erasmus+ program, but I’m a big fan of it too <3
In fact, we learn every day whether we want to or not – that’s just how our brain works – so it’s worth choosing consciously what we’ll learn.
My favourite form of knowledge acquisition is travelling. When we meet any otherness with openness (and we generally have more of it when we travel: after all, we are not at home ;)), we broaden our horizons. We experience that it is possible to do things in a different way. We learn that there is no one right way to live. From there, it is close to reflection and realization of how language, culture, society, or the environment affects us. For me at least, such reflections are extremely enriching and sometimes even liberating!
Each of my Erasmus exchanges has been a unique experience. It was no different in February in Lulea, northern Sweden. People from Poland, Lithuania and Sweden took part in the week-long international exchange, but the company was much more diverse – as many as nine different countries, not only from Europe, were represented. Such multicultural meetings strongly open not only heads but also hearts – I am richer with several new and interesting acquaintances. Despite our diversity, we are ultimately united by a community of humanity. During the trip there were many activities and exercises to develop self-awareness and mindfulness. It was about burnout and how it can be prevented. The surrounding nature has favoured soothing and regeneration. The cherry on top was my dream come true – the Northern Lights spreading bright green across the sky while snow shimmered on the frozen bay. That’s quite AWESOME!
“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.” – Maya Angelou
I encourage you to participate in non-formal education mobilities because it is worth opening yourself to new opportunities.
Emilia, 32 years old, training course, “All about burnout”
See also: More about the “All about burnout” project
During my stay in the beautiful Swedish Lapland, I had the opportunity to make a deep insight into myself…
Training on well-being has been my dream for a long time, especially since, as someone who professionally supports others, I know very well how important it is to also take care of ourselves because only then can we be effective.
During my stay in the beautiful Swedish Lapland, I had the opportunity to make a deep insight into myself. It was possible through daily meditations, mindfulness exercises, elements of dance therapy, or knowledge drawn from Eastern medicine. The atmosphere of the course was great from the very beginning of the stay, despite the cultural and age differences of the attendees.
I am very grateful for the opportunity to take part in this type of course, as working together in an international, age-diverse group and being in close contact with nature has recharged my wellbeing batteries to the full and inspired me to develop further.
LEVEL UP took care of all the organizational details and integrated our Polish team even before the trip. Thank you very much, Monika and Klaudia, as well as my other companions and fellow travellers of this extraordinary expedition, for their empathy, openness, kindness and all the experiences we had together, including the unforgettable moments of the Northern Lights hunt, which I will certainly never forget :).
I encourage you to participate in mobility activities organized as part of non-formal education because they are great lessons of tolerance, openness and kindness towards each other and different cultures, but also opportunities for self-reflection and a huge boost of motivation for your own development.
Margaret, 45, training course, “All about burnout”
See also: More about the “All about burnout” project
I’m convinced that this short yet eventful course was some kind of milestone and will stay with me for a long time…
For a long time, visiting any of the Scandinavian countries has been one of my travel dreams. Therefore, the first moment I heard about the opportunity to go to Sweden for training, I felt it was something for me. Although I have to admit that after making the decision to take part in the initiative, doubts began to haunt me. Am I even suitable for such trips? Will I find myself among a larger group of people? What if our plane crashes in the sky? Worse-case scenarios accompanied me until the same day of the trip, only to be rather unexpectedly overshadowed by excitement and curiosity about what awaited me.
The event dealt with a very current issue – burnout among those working in the third sector (and not only!) and provided alternative ways to fight against its effects. The instructors provided the participants with valuable knowledge and many tips on coping with long-term stress and fatigue caused by the sheer volume of duties. They mainly concerned meditation techniques and practices drawn from the art of Ayurveda.
All the people I met and had the opportunity to spend that week with showed great openness, support and commitment. It can be said that the conversations and laughter didn’t stop for a moment, which proves the great agreement between the participants. However, by the end of our stay, such dynamics had already become a bit tiring for me, so I preferred to spend some time with a book or walking around campus with headphones on.
With a smile on my face, I remember the ‘date in Lulei’ with part of our Polish group. Spending time together in the city centre was pretty intense. We had the opportunity to walk the local streets, have a ride on a hybrid of sledge and scooter, search for pickled herrings (with negative results due to the unsuitable season), and pamper our taste buds with coffee and cake during fiki (which in Swedish means a break and simply a time when we can relax). However, the perfect culmination of this trip was missing the last bus picking up passengers to our campus, forcing us to take a shortcut… through the middle of a frozen lake.
What’s more – we were able to see the Northern Lights! Despite the cold and late hours, we hunted for this beautiful phenomenon almost every day and it was definitely worth it.
I’m convinced that this short yet eventful course was some kind of milestone and will stay with me for a long time. The topics covered and the conversations motivated me to think and paved the way I would like to follow in my professional and personal life. I am very grateful for the wonderful people I was able to spend this time with – in particular, Monica and Klaudia from LEVEL UP, who greatly contributed to the birth and organisation of this project.
I encourage you to take part in non-formal education mobility as it is a great opportunity to open yourself up to unlimited development possibilities and create beautiful memories for a lifetime.
Kinga, 25 years old, training course “All about burnout”
See also: More about the “All about burnout” project
These courses forced me to reflect, to change my life and – above all – to let go of…
The project was aimed at individuals who work with people prone to professional burnout. Going to Sweden, I had mixed feelings – new people, new place, and winter, which I dislike very much. However, I felt better on the first day of the trip when I met the other people from Poland going with me. Every new day brought me a mass of positive energy! During that week, we had workshops related to self-perception, the organisation of one’s working day and how to separate work and private life. These courses forced me to reflect, to change my life and – above all – to let go of. I’ve learnt that it’s good to be non-ideal and to accept my whole self. Participants of all ages and life experiences took part in the workshop, which allowed me to open my eyes to issues that I had previously avoided or was afraid to raise due to too much emotion.
As for just Sweden – we managed to see the Northern Lights! An incredible feeling that I can’t describe in words. What surprised me the most? No paying in cash, even at the airport! If you want to buy coffee while waiting for your next flight – I recommend having a card. It’s also worth taking appropriate shoes – otherwise, you’ll be falling over every day on the icy road as I did.
I am grateful that I decided to take part in this project. I would like to thank each of the 26 people who were with me at the training. If even one person were different, the atmosphere would not be the same.
I encourage you to take part in non-formal education mobility because it is an experience you’d remember for a lifetime. It’s a great opportunity to open up and talk about topics that are difficult to discuss with relatives.
Klaudia, 24 years old, training course ”All about burnout”
See also: More about the “All about burnout” project
Every day, I know more and more that I needed this event and somehow it “took me out of my pattern”…
For the opportunity to take part in the “All about the burnout” project in Sweden, I would like to thank first and foremost LEVELUP and Monika, who invited us to participate, and Gosia and Ania – my Dear Treasures from the Fundacja Skarby (Treasures Foundation), who chose me to represent us in the event. I’d also like to thank Klaudia, who took care of the organizational part and made everything run very smoothly.
These are thanks from the bottom of my heart, a huge one because every day, I know more and more that I needed this event and in a way it “took me out of my pattern.”
If someone had asked me about burnout at the end of 2022 – do I know it? Do I feel it? Or do I already have one? I’d raise both arms and legs and stick my tongue out high, reporting that I’m already at the end of my rope… full-time job – just changed position, foundation work, life’s adventures, the end of the year is always fast and on top of that this weather… lots of tasks, full calendar, not much time to rest…
That’s why the proposal to go to Sweden was like an unexpected answer to an unspoken out loud need to… – stop.
I’ve always thought of myself as a ‘summer girl,’ but being in Sweden has changed that belief..
Anyway, not the only one…
That trip surprised me on many levels – what I saw, what I experienced, ‘what came’ to me during and still ‘comes’…
With time, the reflections and conclusions are even clearer… and everything is only ‘supposed to get better’ :).
The place where we spent a week was extraordinary – the frozen sea, the knee-deep snow, its creaking under our boots, the Northern Lights, the huge moon, a sky with countless colours but was actually ‘just’ blue… A village that looked like Santa’s place after dark – you almost wait for the elves in striped clothes to jump out from around the corner… I could go on and on, but I still can’t do justice to what’s left in my memory… Even photos don’t depict what you could feel… So I’m not trying… I guess you’ll have to see for yourself.
The best moment: a still frame… It’s well after midnight, we’re watching the Northern Lights once again. We’ve just passed the best piece of this trip because we came too late, but, for me, just in time. A much smaller group remains, it’s quieter, a small Northern Lights appears to ‘dance,’ a huge moon shines behind, and one of the participants turns on Viking music… It gets kind of magical… This memory will stay with me for longer, or maybe forever?
Meanwhile, every day driving in the car – “Valhalla calling me.” 🙂
I met a lot of new people on the trip. In fact, ALL of them were new to me. 😀 I’ve learnt many things from them – by watching, listening, talking, participating in joint activities. A lot of it has been very useful to me because it has verified many of my beliefs about myself, and I feel grateful for that.
Thanks to the trip, I was also reminded of how much I loved coming home. 🙂
I encourage you to take part in non-formal education mobility because it is a unique experience.
From the first day, I thought that trip was like an ‘Erasmus,’ which I hadn’t been on during my studies but always wanted to. It’s a great feeling that such a dream could come true years later. 😀 It’s a good opportunity to learn something new, about people, about places and – above all – about yourself.
Aleksandra, 37 years old, training course ”All about burnout”
See also: More about the “All about burnout” project
The instructors used unconventional exercises…
The project resulted in interesting alternative methods of coping with the stress that leads to burnout. The instructors used unconventional exercises and were largely open to changing the program according to the capabilities of the participants.
I have good memories of fellow participants. The atmosphere between us was very casual, and I had the impression that I could count on the support and openness of each of them. For that, I am especially grateful. From the beginning to the end of the trip, I felt like a member of a larger international community.
The organisation of the trip from the LEVEL UP side has nothing to complain about. Before the trip, I was invited to a meeting that not only allowed me to prepare for the trip but also to integrate with some of the participants. As a result, we had already broken the first ice on site and felt comfortable with each other.
I encourage you to take part in non-formal education mobility because it allows you to get to know the international European community and the different approaches to issues that affect each of us. Through the experiences of those raised in other cultures, one acquires the ability to look at things from a different angle.
Piotr, 33 years old, training course ”All about burnout”
See also: More about the “All about burnout” project
