​This youth exchange is a continuation of the project Werewolves vs. Aware Wolves.
In its very essence, Werewolves vs. Aware Wolves challenges the rise of hate speech and hate crime within our increasingly globalised and diverse society, and allowing us to see how we us individuals contribute to it. It is turning us into agents of positive change in our daily context and letting us see how our actions can influence the world for the better.

The first phase, Werewolves, is a fun, active, dynamic environment, meant as a bridge for participants to realise how conscious living can 100% alter our everyday experience, what happens to us and how we perceive and act towards others.

The second phase of the project, Aware Wolves, will focus more on each participant acquiring specific mindfulness tools to help us deepen our compassion for all beings and integrate these practices into our everyday life.

ALCHEMIZE  

your inner wolf

''Alchemy has been discussed for millennia and many are the texts that one can consult, all complex, occult, and suggesting experiments that are difficult to implement. Tradition handed down the image of the alchemist as a solitary researcher who, surrounded by flasks and distillers tries to turn lead into gold, manipulating toad tails, bat wings and other strange elements. His quest, a metaphor for human evolution.

But centuries pass, times change and disciplines and the ways to achieve goals are transformed, too. The alchemical laboratory, full of bottles, dusty books, protected from the light and the curiosity of the uninitiated is no longer needed. We live in a new age, and the alchemical laboratory is us. Everyone is an alchemist at work, the laboratory and the element that gradually changes and becomes the result of the Great Work. All at the same time.

Nowadays, alchemy means self-transformation with a desire to achieve spiritual results and more knowledge, acting on the laws governing time, matter and thought. The objective is to balance and learn to use the precious elements inside each one in order to become magicians, conscious creators of our spiritual path and our evolution.''

That is the objective of alchemy, as stated by Falco Tarassaco, and that is the objective of our gathering, Aware Wolves. 

For many of us, there is a wolf, a shadow, a challenge, living inside of us, an aspect of our personality, an emotion, a memory even, that we wish would just go away.  These are the rejected parts of our psyche that, often without our awareness, guide our behaviour and our overall wellbeing, and thus, the wellbeing of our communities and the world.
Try as we might, there is no escaping them, because what is suppressed in one place will find a way to emerge in another. The stifled wolf comes out as a werewolf, bringing with it destruction and suffering. 

But perhaps there is a way to embrace our shadows and turn our challenges into gold...
​Become aware of the wolf within and learn to treat it with love and compassion.
Recognising it as a precious gift and allowing it to be expressed in a way that brings healing to ourselves and our communities.

PARTICIPANT PROFILE

this is for you if

• sometimes, you don't know what is leading your life - your automatic patterns or your conscious decision
• re-wilding and grounding yourself by enjoying a complete off-the-grid experience sounds like a great idea to you
• you have experienced social exclusion, either on your own or in Werewolves game 
• you long to belong to a soul tribe that would support you no matter what​
• you are interested to explore different self-awareness ideas
• you have a strong desire to act and contribute to the rise of more socially inclusive environments in your everyday life
• you are up for the challenge to actively practice mindfulness for a whole month after the youth exchange and share your discoveries with your social circles
• you are between 18 and 30 years old and are a resident in one of the partner countries (18+ for group leaders)

OUR OBJECTIVES

let's come together

• in a safe, diverse and stimulating learning environment where your comfort might be challenged, all so you can notice your automatic reactions in times of hardship
• to raise awareness on how your presence influences other individuals and whole communities
• to identify the behavioural changes you would like to make and implement them​
• to share ideas, tools and methods for increasing self-awareness and compassion for others
• to engage and connect with the neighbourhood around our venue, actively creating an atmosphere of inclusion and acceptance
• to implement an educational follow-up event in each partner country with the goal to foster the understanding and implementation of social inclusion principles in the local communities
• to increase the ripple effect of the project through a carefully curated Mindfulness challenge that will take place online, involving hundreds, if not thousands, of people

So come in, come in, please come in,
There's a place for you in the circle.
You can bring your sadness, 
You can bring your joy,
You can bring your pain,
Your hopes, your dreams,
We accept all of you,
All of you is welcome here.

OUR PURPOSE IS HARMONY

when I am at peace

with myself I don't

need to fight with you

We live in a world of duality. There is light and there is shadow, there is suffering and there is joy, there are valleys and there are mountains. They are all here for us to experience the full spectrum of the magnificent experience that is life, and without one there couldn't be the other. We couldn't appreciate one without the other. So in truth, these contrasts are there to uplift each other, so we may find beauty in one and beauty in the other.

However, we do have a natural tendency to reach for whatever brings us most joy and pleasure. While it is reasonable and even essential, in this pursuit we also tend to criticise and reject the parts that we don't enjoy so much. And by doing that, we also tend to increase the problem through our own focused attention upon it. With Aware Wolves, we are setting out to integrate both ends of the spectrum, so we may live in greater harmony and balance. 

It is our belief that once we find peace with the wholeness of who we are, we gain a greater capacity to love and fully accept ourselves, and thus - love and accept others. When I am at peace with myself I no longer need to fight with you. I can be here with all parts of myself and all parts of you, and all parts of the world. There is beauty and there is value in each one, no matter if I see it now or I will come to see it eventually. And from this place, we grow our ability to form and maintain communities that are truly inclusive, allowing each individual to express their innermost being, and being judged for nothing. No judgment, just appreciation. Thank you for being here. Thank you for your gifts. No matter where you are, you are of value.

Digging back, back, back to to the very moments our personalities started to form, this attitude and acceptance is the attitude that babies know is their birthright, that each toddler screams for as they throw a temper tantrum, that each adult expects when they get into a never ending argument with their partner. We know that we are deserving of unconditional love! And if we cannot find it for and in ourselves, we demand it from others. We act horribly, yes, but we do it to test the love - is it really unconditional? Will I still be loved if I say and do this, or that? 

And we demand this unconditional love because we know that unconditional love is who we are. Who we all are. And we challenge each other to find that love in and for themselves, because we want to live in a loving Universe on a loving planet. In our essence, through challenging one another we are also striving to uplift one another.

In a perfect world, we wouldn't have the need for such challenges because it would all be unconditional love already. But while it's not - let's embrace the alchemists within. We are all on a quest for human evolution. 

project timeline

DAY 1

registration & picnic in Riga
taking bus towards Bajari
transition hike to the venue
opening circle

DAY 2-3

meeting the tribe
aligning our intentions
envisioning the world we wish to live in & how to bring it into being

DAY 4-6

sharing & discovering different self-awareness tools
communing with the locals
testing & challenging our perceptions

---

DAY 7-8

choosing one mindfulness tool to integrate in your daily life
planning follow-up 
evaluation & appreciation

WHOLE OF AUGUST

committing to one mindfulness practice that you will do daily
documenting your process
implementing local follow-up activities

SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER

taking all of our mindfulness practices and experience & turning them into an online Mindfulness Challenge to which we will invite our social circles

general attitude

We remind you that this project is a youth exchange happening under the Erasmus+ frame.
We are here, creating Aware Wolves together, which will require your full involvement in all of the project stages - preparation (specific tasks will be explained after confirmation), program activities (that include you delivering your own workshops as part of the community exchange), and the local follow-up phase (bringing your discoveries back to your community in the form of locally implemented workshops, discussions or other get-togethers on mindfulness and/or other topics explored in Aware Wolves).
The attitude we are keeping throughout the project is ''I create my own reality'', which means taking full responsibility for your own experience.

Care for planet is what drives this project, and so we also strive to implement Zero-Waste and Leave No Trace principles, making sure we leave the forest and the venue in a better condition than we found them. We reduce what we need, reuse as much as we can, send little to be recycled, and compost what we cannot. For this reason, we also ask you to take extra care for what you bring with you and how you show up in this project, limiting all waste both in terms of trash and unnecessary packaging, but also when using water, electricity and other resources of our planet.

OUR HOME

is what we create

During our gathering we will settle on a piece of land on the outskirts of a tiny shop-free village Bajari approximately 35 km from Riga. 

There will be access to electricity and water, but no permanent housing or fancy washrooms. We will have a larger tent for gatherings, but sleeping will happen under make-shift roofs, tents or hammocks, in your own sleeping bags. Whatever creature comforts you might need, bring them with you!  A detailed list on the advised equipment will come with the confirmation letter.

During the course of our journey, you will be nourished with fully plant-based, home cooked and sugar free meals that will fill your belly and your heart!

As a rule, we are creating a space free from drugs and alcohol. This applies to all 8 days of the program.
In case of disrespect for this rule, you might be asked to leave the program with no chance for reimbursement.

ALL THE IMPORTANT NUMBERS

time frame and costs

ARRIVAL
The arrival time to the meeting point in Riga is Sunday, 24 July, 14.00.
After registration, we will go together to Bajāri by bus, and then - on a hike to the venue.

DEPARTURE
The departure day is Saturday, 1 August, starting from 7.30, which means that you can be at the airport earliest at 10.00.
Plan your travels accordingly.

If you wish to explore Latvia, you can come/leave 2 days before/after the project dates. All expenses during these days are up to you.
​
The partner countries of this project are Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, Romania, Greece and Latvia.
Your travel expenses (that include a travel insurance which is MANDATORY for all participants) will be reimbursed according to the Erasmus+ distance calculator and the following limits:

Czech Republic	275 EUR
Germany	​275 EUR
Italy	​275 EUR
Romania	​275 EUR
Greece	360 EUR
Spain	​360 EUR
Latvia	20 EUR

There is a contribution fee of 50 EUR to be paid upon registration.
The rest of the expenses within project dates are funded by Erasmus+ program.

Note on travel reimbursement limits:
The amounts written above have been calculated based on the partner organisations' home cities. If it differs from where you will start your travels from, the reimbursement limit might change. Contact your sending organisation for questions.

CONTACTS

about us

We're on a mission to redefine what it means to lead a mindful life, supporting the growth of sustainable, caring and loving communities living in connection with nature.
Mindful Journeys is an experiential education organisation focused on creating spaces for people to reconnect to themselves, others and nature.
Through our projects we want to foster the human understanding of the interconnectedness of all life, empowering individuals and groups alike to re-evaluate their daily decisions and behaviours and their impact on the environment.

In this project, we are cooperating with 6 international organisations, details of whom you can find out by contacting them directly.

Mindful Journeys, Latvia
mindfuljourneyslv@gmail.com
​
Cercul Excelentei, Romania
diana.luca@cex.ong
YOUth Connect, Italy
international@youth-connect.com
​Asociacion Dinamica, Spain
dinamica.asociacion@gmail.com
Roes Cooperativa,  Greece
roes.cooperativa@gmail.com
Pinky Promise, Germany
pinkypromise@posteo.de
EYCB, Czech Republic
eycb.info@gmail.com

WE ARE HERE FOR YOU

your team

Rota Marite Strazda

Facilitating self-discovery

Janis Sturis

Facilitating fun stuff

Otto Strazds

Creating beautiful visual material

Edite Enkuzena

Getting things done

There is a free spot for our Chief social media guru who would update our Instagram and Facebook channels with fresh news from Aware Wolves, reflections of participants and other interesting material.

It is a special role that would allow you to join the team behind the scenes, as well as have your contribution fee covered.

Drop us an email to mindfuljourneysLV@gmail.com if that's something you would be interested in.
We are looking for a long-term collaboration, as well.

maybe you?

Managing social media presence

are you a werewolf or aware wolf?

EMBRACE THE WHOLENESS OF WHO YOU ARE

apply soon

This project is co-financed by the Erasmus+: Youth in Action program.