Project details
Project No: 2022-2-NL01-KA210-ADU-000094886
Role: Project Partner
Coordinator: Stichting Thick Present (Netherlands)
Partners: FENAN Consulting (Netherlands), Non-Formal Learning Club “We” (Lithuania)
Project objectives
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has displaced millions and destroyed critical infrastructure. The EU has provided 4.2 million Ukrainian refugees with access to labor, housing, healthcare, and education. Despite this support, refugees still face significant integration challenges, including isolation, war trauma, and limited psychological support. The Wayfinding project addresses these issues by offering a non-formal training program that builds resilience and empowers Ukrainian refugees to regain control over their lives.
Project objectives
Pilot Workshops: Conduct training workshops for Ukrainian refugees in the Netherlands and Lithuania, focusing on resilience, adaptation, and integration in host communities through creative activities like guided tours and storytelling sessions.
Non-Formal Training Program: Create a non-formal training program that includes training sessions and guided tours, aimed at improving refugees’ mental health, civic integration, and participation skills.
Self-Support Groups: Form self-support groups for refugees to ensure ongoing mental health and social support post-project, providing resources and connections to local support organisations.
Dissemination: Share the training program and methodology with adult educators across the EU, enhancing their skills to support refugees and other vulnerable groups in coping with traumatic experiences and fostering integration
Project results
Participatory Creative Workshops
We organised three participatory creative workshops for Ukrainian people residing in the Netherlands and Lithuania. These workshops helped to develop psychological skills and coping strategies for managing trauma, stress, and the challenges of integration in host societies. Each workshop included six sessions, utilising participatory methodologies, experiential exercises, storytelling, and co-development of knowledge.
Self-Support Groups
During the workshops, we established self-support groups to offer participants ongoing, low-threshold mental health support beyond the project’s timeline. These groups provided a support network, enabling participants to assist each other and other vulnerable community members.
Non-Formal Training Program
We developed a non-formal training program aimed to prevent mental health issues of refugees and build skills essential for civic integration and participation in host societies.
Dissemination across the EU
The non-formal training program was distributed to adult educators across the EU via professional associations, the EPALE platform, and other networks supporting refugees and mental health services for vulnerable groups.
“Although it’s difficult for me to open up and share my experiences, especially with people I don’t know well, I was able to do so because you created a safe space and made me feel seen. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your work and support during this challenging time for all of us.”
Oksana, The Hague
Resilience is the ability of a person to cope, process and adapt to a traumatic event. While having a temporary traumatic stress response to an adverse experience is normal, resilience determines how long the stress will affect our daily functioning, what areas of life will be affected and how deeply they will be affected.
Storytelling promotes personal resilience and gives opportunity to recognise the tenacity of individuals who share their experiences of difficulties and struggle. By sharing their stories, individuals engage in the processes of fostering resilience, affirming identity, legitimising feelings and pursuing positive steps forward.
FENAN Consulting 