Rewild Europe: Working towards sustainable youth work communities
Small Scale Project in collaboration with Tiny Rewilding
The “Rewild Europe” project aims to empower youth workers with rewilding knowledge and nature-based education methods. Through storytelling, transnational collaboration, and the development of an innovative and practical «Rewild Europe Toolbox,» we want to support the inclusion of diverse audiences into nature-based youth work, and to enhance the quality, recognition, and environmental impact of youth work across Europe.
This project is a collaboration with the Dutch organisation «Tiny Rewilding» and is co-funded by the Erasmus+ programme of the European Union.
Starting Date: December 2025
Length: 18 months
ABOUT THE PROJECT
Objectives
- Deepen youth workers’ connection with nature to enhance their well-being, resilience and professional practice.
- Equip youth workers with knowledge about rewilding practices and inclusive, nature-based educational methods.
- Document and share Europe’s diverse natural and cultural heritage through storytelling and experiential learning.
- Develop a practical “Rewild Europe Toolbox” with methods, stories and resources for nature-based youth work.
- Strengthen transnational collaboration in rewilding initiatives among educators and youth workers.
- Promote the integration of rewilding principles in European youth work, fostering sustainability and innovation.
Project activities
February – April 2026: «Wild Stories of Europe» research phase on European folklore stories, myths and contemporary narratives that explore human-nature relationships and empower to work nature-based.
May 2026: Youth Worker Seminar in Catalonia, Spain, on Storytelling and Human Rewilding to co-create educational methods.
June – July 2026: Local Rewilding Workshops in Catalonia and The Netherlands
August 2026 – January 2027: Development of the «Rewild Europe Toolbox»
February – March 2027: Webinar and Storytelling evenings
Research Report
The research phase, carried out between February and April 2026, was the
first core activity of the project. During this period, we explored folklore,
myths, legends and contemporary narratives from different European
cultures that reflect human-nature relationships. Further, the research
investigated how storytelling can support nature connection, inclusion, and
youth work practice, while also collecting inspiration for rewilding activities
and methods.
Read the full report here:
Youth worker seminar:
Storytelling and nature-based education
From 15-21 May 2026, we carried out the Rewild Europe Youth Worker Seminar in the wild surroundings of the Montsant mountains (Tarragona province, Spain).
A group of 11 youth workers from Spain and the Netherlands gathered for five days of learning, reflection and co-creation. Togehter, we engaged in storytelling and experiential learning to reconnect with nature and develop practical tools that can be applied in our own youth work practice.
Throughout the seminar, we explored storytelling as a powerful tool for nature-based education. We discovered “wild stories” in many different forms: through intimate conversations with nature, by sharing personal experiences of deep nature connection, and by diving into European folklore and legends. The seminar was a chance to present the first results of our previous research phase, in which we collected a set of stories from a range of European countries that reflect on human-nature relationships.
The second part of the seminar focused on creating new educational methods for youth work based on these narratives. Drawing on elements such as storytelling, land art, foraging, role play, meditation, ritual, theatre and movement in nature, participants co-created a rich collection of playful, reflective and community-building activities.
A special thank you to all our supporters and collaborators – especially our host La Mandorla for welcoming us onto their beautiful piece of wild land, Silvia Bedmar for sharing the art of storytelling with us, and the European Union for co-financing the project.
MOMENTS
