“My name is Celia and I am a Spanish teacher working in a high school near Tallinn, Estonia. This year in the middle of the exam period I found the opportunity to participate in “WE GOT THIS!”, an Erasmus+ project that raised awareness not only about the importance of mental health of young people, but also of all those who work with and for young people (teachers, educators, psychologists, youth workers…).
Without hesitation, I submitted my application and a few weeks later this adventure began near Viljandi, a small Estonian town. In a venue near the forest with a joyful river running through it, we spent a wonderful week with a total 22 international participants and four wonderful trainers -Olalla, Petra, Liisu and Julia-.
This week was intended to promote and raise awareness about mental health, and it ended up being a life lesson.
The initial workshops helped us to break the ice and start bonding. But little by little these workshops started to take shape and depth towards a much deeper argument, getting to the bottom of some of my daily worries and thoughts, which I was able to share with many of my colleagues there. In these workshops we learned different self-care techniques, how to combat complicated psychological situations and even how to create our own emergency kit in case of a psychological crisis. Breathing techniques, yoga, meditation and art therapy became our routine during those days.
However, beyond any workshop, a beautiful community was created among the participants, with whom we were caught up in exciting hours of chatting, in coffee breaks that we didn’t want to end, enjoying local food, practicing sports, enjoying the river. During the free time, someone always proposed a new game, a new activity, singing, dancing, theater. And so we became in a short time a big family, a safe place where we could express and allow ourselves to be ourselves.
The spaces for debate and the more personal conversations planted in me many new ideas to apply to my reality. And I found myself in bed before going to sleep, thinking about how I could transfer what I was learning to my students, how I could be a good reference for them, how my Spanish classes could be a refuge from the difficulties of their daily lives.
I happily can say that today, some time after the training, I see myself making decisions that were formed in this magical time.
On a personal level, I asked myself how to improve my sensitivity, my relationship with my community, my plans for the future… I enrolled in a new master’s degree with the desire to improve myself and my work, I’m much more aware of the importance I place on my relationships and my community and want, even more than before, to create a better world where mental health is a priority. The impact that these brief days created in me and my work will undoubtedly remain with me.“
Celia Guilló