Re:Connect – A Healing Space: Experience of BSPU Educators in an International Project in Slovenia

From June 10 to 14, 2025, the picturesque town of Ribnica na Pohorju (Slovenia) hosted the international seminar Re:Connect – a space for recovery, professional growth, and intercultural cooperation for specialists working with youth in complex social contexts.

Representatives from Bohdan Khmelnytsky Melitopol State Pedagogical University (BSPU) participated in this event: Yevhen Topalov, Senior Lecturer at the Department of German Philology and Methods of Teaching Germanic Languages; Tetiana Mostova, PhD in Psychology, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Psychology; Hanna Varyna, Senior Lecturer at the Department of Psychology

The Re:Connect seminar was organized by NGO VitaTiim (Estonia) with support from the Erasmus+ Programme and co-financed by the European Union. It continues the efforts of the earlier project Embrace Resilience (https://www.vitatiim.ee/embraceresilience), initiated by Ukrainian activists. Re:Connect (https://www.vitatiim.ee/reconnect) was created as a space where educators, youth workers, and activists from different countries can share their experiences of recovery, rethinking, and rebuilding in difficult times, find inner resources, learn new support practices, and build new partnerships in an atmosphere of trust and openness.

What made the seminar unique was its peer-to-peer format – an equitable exchange of experiences. Rather than following a traditional “trainer–participant” model, Re:Connect became a co-creative space where everyone could initiate a workshop, share their own practices, propose a topic for discussion, or simply be present and draw inspiration from an atmosphere of trust and mutual support. Facilitators didn’t impose content but held space open for initiative and authentic dialogue.

The seminar program offered a holistic balance of body, mind, and community, providing participants with a space for integrated personal and professional development. Over the course of five days, attendees engaged in comprehensive practices, including mindfulness, psychological transformation, creativity, somatic work, and professional exchange.

Morning breathwork, yoga, and walks among mountain landscapes promoted self-care, while somatic practices, such as Somatic Experiencing and Trauma, helped participants reconnect with the body as a healing resource. Workshops on mindfulness in a new cultural environment expanded perspectives.

The psychological block included the transformational psychological board game “Unfold Your Wings” (developed by Hanna Varyna and Svitlana Shevchenko), social meditations, reflective practices, and the creation of a personal safe space for emotional processing.

Dialogue played a central role in the program: learning Nonviolent Communication (NVC), sessions on Authentic Relating, and working with metaphorical cards helped to build deep interpersonal connections. The session “Uncovering the Emergent Future through Embodied Presence” encouraged profound reflection on how bodily presence can unlock intuitive visioning of the future and personal development. Another key theme was the “4 Levels of Listening” practice – a method of deep listening that teaches one to hear not only words, but also the meaning between the lines, the emotions, needs, and potential for interaction.

Creative formats – such as collage-making, somatic improvisations, dance therapy, and even intentional “do-nothing” spaces – offered alternative paths to self-expression and healing.

The seminar concluded with an educational exchange session, where participants co-designed new approaches to youth work, discussed the integration of trauma-informed practices into education, and developed strategies for future collaboration.

The Re:Connect program was more than just a series of activities – it was a profound, holistic experience of transformation, combining inner growth, professional development, and the power of a supportive community.

The participation of BSPU representatives in Re:Connect was not only an opportunity for professional growth but also a powerful example of integrating Ukrainian experience into the European context. The university educators actively shaped the seminar’s content, shared their original methods (e.g., the “Unfold Your Wings” game), and deeply engaged in the co-creative process.

The core values of Re:Connect – resilience, trust, community, peace, and humanity – are especially significant for Ukraine today. They form the foundation for supporting young people, creating safe educational environments, and fostering psychological recovery.

We are sincerely grateful to the VitaTiim team, European partners, and project organizers for creating such a meaningful and inspiring Re:Connect space.

Our educators return home with new ideas, tools, and renewed strength – ready to share, inspire, and be agents of positive change.