Walking the Inner Path

Project Code 2023-2-HU01-KA210-ADU-000173827
Action type Small-scale partnership in Adult Education
Topics mental health, well-being
Duration : 16 months from 01 Jan 2024 to 28 Feb 2025
Goals Enhancing resilience, well-being, and workforce integration.
Targets: (1) adult educators at risk of burnout and (2) disadvantaged adult learners, including the unemployed, disabled, and those in rural areas.
Activities: (1) two residential sessions in Hungary and Italy; (2) creation of easy-to-use tools; (3) guidelines on overnight walking programs; (4) mini-film on the experience.
Project Results on E+ Results Page: https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/projects/search/details/2023-2-HU01-KA210-ADU-000173827

What is “Walking on your Inner Pathways”?

"Walking on Inner Pathways" is designed to support adult educators who are facing burnout, exhaustion or considering leaving their profession, as well as to aid their learners from disadvantaged backgrounds, including the unemployed, disabled, refugees, and those living in rural areas. Our approach includes organizing two residential learning sessions Inner Pathways 7 days in Hungary (June 2024) and a Walk to Assisi 12 days in Italy (September 2024), and launching a preparatory online course, providing ongoing mentoring, and conducting various dissemination activities. Our ultimate goal is to boost the resilience and well-being of adult educators, helping them to integrate more effectively into a long term community work practice.

Coordinated by Origo Workshop (https://www.theorigoworkshop.com/) the project is built in collaboration with Libero Pensatore Italy and Kulcs Association Romania - https://www.kulcs.ro/tapping into a decade of exceptional adult education experiences shared among our partners. We're committed to exchanging insights, developing innovative tools, and applying best practices learned from our residential sessions across participating countries and beyond.

The objectives of "Walking on Inner Pathways" include:
Enhancing the quality of adult education and learning.
Improving the resilience and well-being of all participants.
Creating sustainable career paths for both learners and facilitators
Fostering collaboration among diverse groups.
Implementing a common framework based on resilience tools.

Our innovative methodology blends folktale therapy, storytelling, and informal outdoor walking courses inspired by non-formal education-based "pilgrimages," tailored to the specific needs of the participants involved. We also offer a suite of accessible tools, including individual and group activities, a "Heartland" online resilience course, and guidelines for overnight walking programs.

Moreover, we address the crucial issue of social inclusion, focusing particularly on youth workers who are at high risk of burnout due to the pressures of working with adults facing fewer opportunities. These educators often experience increased stress due to global crises or lack of recognition in their roles.

We have created Guidelines for Overnight Walking Programs based on the experience of the modern pilgrimage to Assisi. Please use it for inspiration and to help plan your own educational walking programs.

What is the role of LiberoPensatore?

LiberoPensatore APS has been responsible for designing, coordinating, and implementing the 12-days experience "Walk to Assisi". Held from Sept. 5th through to Sept 15th, the experience involved 20 educators who engaged in a "walking training" from Chiusi della Verna to Assisi along the Route of St. Francis in a test of the "Pilgrimage to Sustainability" concept, which has been subsequently implemented in 2025 as a stand-alone KA153-YOU coordinated by LiberoPensatorePILGRIMAGETOSUSTAINABILITY.ORG).

The main idea behind this training concept is the following: in the middle ages, Pilgrimage was a major avenue of self-development. By travelling (usually, to a religious destination), the person could encounter people, situations and places that were conducive to learning and self-knowledge. The whole idea of the walking training is the same: a modern pilgrimage looking for self-knowledge about sustainable life. Once you’re on a pilgrimage, you cannot afford luxuries – you make do with what is available on a day-by-day basis, with the help of others. You thank for whatever hospitality you receive and move on to the next destination, making sure you leave the lightest footprint possible behind you. This has been an invaluable experience for participants.

The beautiful mini-film by Camilla Tiefensee Schroeder illustrates the experience beyond what words can do:

Thanks to the presence of Danish photographer and video-maker Camilla Tiefensee Schrieder, the experience has been documented with a series of beautiful pictures which were included in the book in Italian Il Pellegrinaggio della Sostenibilità

If you'd like to propose a training partnership or develop a training project with us, please contact us at associazione@liberopensatore.it

Disclaimer: Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.