Creative Writing, Connection and Wellbeing

Being constantly connected can sometimes become overwhelming. Messages, notifications, social media and endless scrolling can make it difficult to switch off, slow down and simply have space to think.

That challenge sits at the heart of kokoVERSES, a European youth project exploring the impact of hyperconnection on young people's wellbeing, relationships and everyday lives which we participated in this July in Orta Nova, in Italy. 

As part of the kokoVERSES Youth Exchange – Creative Writing for a Healthy Mind, young people from different countries came together to explore creative writing as a practical way of reflecting, expressing themselves and connecting with others.

Throughout the exchange, participants took part in a range of writing and group activities designed to create space away from the constant pressure of being online. They were encouraged to think about their own experiences, explore emotions, share ideas and listen to the perspectives of other young people.

For us at Blackwater Training, one of the most valuable parts of international youth work is the opportunity it creates for people from different backgrounds to meet in a meaningful way. The learning does not only happen through workshops or organised activities. It also happens through conversations, shared experiences and the relationships that develop when people are given the time and space to connect.

Creative writing provided a particularly useful tool within this project because it allowed participants to express thoughts that can sometimes be difficult to communicate in ordinary conversation. It also created an opportunity to slow things down. Instead of responding immediately to a message or notification, participants could take time to reflect, put their thoughts into words and decide what they wanted to share.

The project also encouraged wider discussion around how digital life affects the way young people communicate, form relationships and understand themselves. Technology and social media are an important part of modern life, but projects such as kokoVERSES create an opportunity to consider how we can use them in healthier and more balanced ways.

At Blackwater Training, we are particularly interested in projects that support participation, inclusion and genuine connection between people. kokoVERSES reflects many of the same values that underpin our work in rural communities in Ireland: creating welcoming spaces, encouraging dialogue and giving people opportunities to learn from those whose experiences may be very different from their own.

kokoVERSES is delivered through a European partnership involving Hate Fighters Network, Deschide Zambete, ADO Lyon, Amigos de Europa and Blackwater Training, with the support of Agenzia Italiana per la Gioventù through Erasmus+.

We are delighted to be part of another European partnership that gives young people opportunities to travel, participate, express themselves and build connections beyond their own communities.  Sometimes creating meaningful change begins with something very simple: slowing down, listening to each other and finding the words to say what we really think.