My Latvian experience.

Datum objave: 20. December, 2021.

“Caring as Second Nature” is the name of the training that took place in Latvia from 6 to 10 October, 2021, organized by the association Radi Vidi Pats from Latvia, with which Argonauta Association has been cooperating for many years. Mihaela from Croatia participated in the training and she shared her experience with us.

“In this life we ​​are often so lost and confused… And in some places and with some people we learn things,
we learn things that change us.
In this life I am often so lost and confused… And in some places and with some people I learn things,
I learn things that change me.

I learned to speak from the eye. From myself (I = eye). And it was hard. But at the same time easy because I am often selfish. But that’s probably how it is with everyone.
This workout is not something I expected. I was expecting something much more superficial, structured and by the book. But my book flew out the window as I walked through the rocks. He started each day with one an amazing tool: free writing. I’ve never done that before, but I will continue. Every time I recognize that I have too much clutter in my head. That tool brings clarity, and the pain in your hand is worth it. Other than free writing, we also had time of day, completely random, when we listened to a song of strength of each participant – a song that makes them feel good. That was wonderful. During one of mine, the songs made me very uncomfortable, and during the second very exciting.

In this short time we went through very practical tools about emotions, burnout, mental health in general, deep listening and mirroring… And much more. Everything was broken down into simple steps, but when we did the practical part, it was not so easy. Which is just an indication that these practices are not known and used in general society. Nothing new, but sad.
For me personally, it was incredibly gratifying to hear about this approach to emotions. Because in my community, emotions are painfully minimized and neglected. So, more than anything else, this training made me FEEL more. It made me start thinking about my needs and made me give them the right priority. And it was so hard. We had a 22-hour challenge where we had to think about our own needs and self-care. During that time, we only had to do what was on our self-care list.
It was hard, I couldn’t even remember what my needs were and how I was going to take care of myself… It was challenging.
And I realized that I am pleasing people and I am not honest in the work I do.

I decided to change job. I realized that working with people was too challenging for me. At least for now.
So I have to thank these wonderful people who made it possible for me. I will work in the same place, but work
in which I feel good.

I met so many wonderful people at this training. I stayed in touch with some and did plans for the future. I will meet them again. I got some new ideas on how to pursue my own way of living, I gained some new perspectives from the relationships I build up. So I feel enriched in more ways. It was absolutely something I needed and I would recommend to anyone. But, if it’s not meant for you, it won’t happen. Because the universe has a way to put the right people in the right place at the right time. There are no mistakes! “

The mobility of young people “Caring as Second Nature” is funded by the Erasmus+ program of the European Union, which is managed in Latvia by the Agency for International Youth Programs.
This publication reflects the views only of the author.

Recommended to read.


Argonauta is a member of.

Hrvatski otočni proizvod
LAGUR Galeb
More 249
Partnerstvo za more
Youth and environment Europe
Zeleni forum



Argonauta manages, updates and presents:

Eko patrola »

Extracurricular educational program for sustainable development

Colentum »

Archaeological Park Colentum

Sea is life »

International volunteers blog

Jedro.eu

Adriatic cross-sectoral educational and community center for sustainable development of the island