OUTnature. Explore the power of nature in working with youth.
Why do we do this?
Young people in Europe are dealing with stress, loneliness and worries about the climate. These are not three separate problems. They feed each other, and they hit hardest those who already have fewer chances.
Youth workers are often the people closest to them. Many of them see what happens when a group goes outside: people slow down, open up and start talking. But they also tell us they lack the skills and confidence to make it a regular part of their work.
What's missing is knowing how to hold the space outside: how to be with a group in nature, deal with the unexpected, and guide the reflection that turns an experience into something young people take home. That's where OUTnature comes in.
What OUTnature delivers
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Power of nature in working with youth
THE BOOK, COMING Q1 2027
A framework and toolkit for youth workers who want to use the outdoors in their work, with stories from the field at its heart. In English, Dutch and Italian, and free thanks to Erasmus+. -
Training design and course
COMING SUMMER 2027
A tested five-day training programme with facilitator guides and an implementation kit, so other organisations can run it themselves. -
Project curriculum
COMING AUGUST 2027
How we engaged young people locally, written down so others can do the same.
Helping youth workers bring young people outside, and make it count
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40
YOUTH WORKERS
trained in the Netherlands and Italy -
100
YOUNG PEOPLE
involved in shaping and testing the activities -
2
COUNTRIES
the Netherlands and Italy, working side by side -
20
MONTHS
from January 2026 to August 2027, co-funded by Erasmus+
The steps we take
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Listen to the field
STEP 1
We interview outdoor professionals and youth workers in the Netherlands and Italy. What works, what doesn’t, and what do they need? -
Build the handbook
STEP 2
We turn those insights into a practical handbook: a clear framework, more than 30 ready-to-use methods, debrief formats, and safety and inclusion guidelines. -
Test it outside
STEP 3
Youth workers from both countries join a five-day residential training in Italy, with online preparation and follow-up. Young people help shape and test the activities. -
Share it
STEP 4
Everything we make is free and open, in English, Dutch and Italian. We present it at events in both countries and in an international webinar.
Three words we take seriously
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Nature
Not just a nice backdrop. Nature is a co-facilitator: it responds, resists and can’t be fully controlled. That is exactly what makes it a powerful place to learn.
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Experience
An activity isn’t automatically a learning experience. It becomes one when it means something to the person who lives it, and when there’s room to reflect on it.
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Facilitation
The craft of creating the right conditions: reading the group, offering the right challenge, and knowing when to step in and when to step back.
Stories from the field
We spoke with outdoor educators, coaches, researchers and youth workers about what nature does to people. Their stories form the heart of our book, Power of nature in working with youth.
Join us outside
Are you a youth worker?
Join the OUTnature pilot training in Italy, from 18 to 25 April 2027, and learn to use the outdoors in your own work. Register your interest with the form on this page and we’ll get back to you with all the details.
Working with young people as an organisation?
Want to use the OUTnature methods, host a workshop or think along? We’d love to hear from you at foundation@wijzijnoutofoffice.nl
OUTnature (2025-2-NL02-KA210-YOU-000373884) is co-funded by the European Union. All OUTnature materials are free and open under a CC BY-SA licence. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or Erasmus+ Youth NL. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.