Mindful Photography
Youth Exchange on self-care through mindful photography & other mindfulness practices
Mindful Photography
Youth Exchange on self-care through mindful photography & other mindfulness practices.
When: 7 – 17/4/2026 (including travel days)
Where: Statek Habří, Moravecké Pavlovice, Czech Republic
For whom: 25 young people from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Finland, Georgia, and Ukraine
“When times are tough, it makes sense to do what brings us joy, to find meaning in the everyday and build immunity against despair. Noticing the beauty of the world around us and finding creative ways to deepen and share our gratitude for the people and places we love is not frivolity. It is one of the most assured ways in which we can stay optimistic and well-resourced in the face of challenge.”
– Sophie Howarth, The Mindful Photographer, @_sophiehowarth
Main info
Get ready for an unforgettable journey where mindfulness meets creativity!
During this youth exchange, you’ll explore how photography can be more than just taking pictures – it can become a tool for self-expression, intercultural dialogue, and emotional well-being.
Together with young people from across Europe, you’ll:
📸 Learn the basics of mindful photography – no fancy cameras needed, just your eyes, your phone, and your imagination.
🧘 Practice simple mindfulness techniques that help you slow down, focus, and connect with the world around you.
🌍 Take part in inspiring workshops, creative challenges, and group projects in a safe and supportive environment.
🎨 Create and share your own photo stories that reflect who you are and what matters to you.
🤝 Live, learn, and laugh together with new friends from different cultures – cooking, exploring, and enjoying intercultural evenings.
🌟 End the week with a collective exhibition where your work will be celebrated by the group and shared with a wider audience!
This is not just about learning new skills – it’s about discovering new ways of seeing yourself, others, and the world.
This youth exchange is open to curious, creative, and open-minded young people who want to explore new ways of expressing themselves and connecting with others.
Participants
👤 Age: 18–30 years old
🌍 Countries: Participants will come from Czechia, Finland, Bulgaria, Georgia, and Ukraine.
💡 Experience needed: None! You don’t need to be a professional photographer or an expert in mindfulness – just bring your phone/camera, an open heart, and a willingness to try new things.
🤝 Inclusion: We especially welcome young people with fewer opportunities – whether social, economic, or geographic – and will make sure the project is a safe and supportive space for everyone.
If you’re ready to learn, create, and share with an international group of new friends, then this project is for you!
Group leaders
Group leaders are the heart of the exchange – they guide, support, and inspire their national teams while also taking part in the adventure themselves.
👤 Age: 18+ (no upper age limit).
🌍 Role: Each partner country will send 1 group leader who accompanies the participants throughout the project.
💡 Experience needed: Previous youth work experience is welcome.
🤝 Responsibilities:
Support your group before, during, and after the exchange.
Encourage active participation and inclusion.
Cooperate with other group leaders and the organising team.
Help participants reflect on their learning and complete their Youthpass.
Being a group leader is not just about responsibility – it’s also about personal growth, intercultural teamwork, and developing leadership skills while sharing unforgettable moments with an international group.
- You will take a full part in the whole programme
- You will fill the evaluation form send by INspire within 6 weeks after the program, and Impact form send within 3 months after the program.
- You will organize a local performance/exhibition in collaboration with your target group
- You will support spreading the learning from the project by participating in an online campaign
- You will support the overall dissemination of the project
- start with filling the application form.
- every partner organization (see below) will select 4 participants and 1 group leader to take part in the programme.
- if you are selected, you will receive a Confirmation Letter with more information regarding your participation. ONLY then you can start managing your travel arrangements and booking your tickets!
- if you have any questions, please contact us on an email info@czechinspire.eu
Learning Process & Programme
Throughout the program, you will engage in a variety of interactive activities designed to foster growth and connection:
- Mindful Photography Sessions: We will guide you through photography exercises focused on capturing the present moment. This includes exploring different perspectives, such as “Child’s Eye, Bird’s Eye, Ant’s Eye,” and themes like texture, light, and shadow.
- Creative and Interactive Workshops: We believe in learning by doing. Our workshops will introduce mindfulness techniques and reflective practices. You’ll collaborate on photo storytelling projects to create visual narratives that reflect your personal journey and insights.
- Playful Group Activities: From icebreakers like “Remember the Name” to an observational game of “I Spy” , our activities are designed to build trust and create meaningful connections within the group. This helps establish a safe space where you can feel comfortable sharing personal thoughts and ideas.
- Peer-to-Peer Learning and Support: Our project emphasizes social connection and peer support. You will learn from young people from diverse cultural backgrounds through collaborative activities and group discussions. This international exchange fosters a sense of belonging and community.
- Focus on the Process, Not Perfection: We emphasize personal exploration over technical perfection. You will be encouraged to embrace imperfection, gaining confidence in your unique perspective and artistic abilities.
* This is a plan but it will most probably change according the current needs of the group. Thus, you have an idea what is coming, but nothing is written in stone.
- program is fully vegetarian
- you will be helping with cooking (and learning on plant-based cooking in the process, under the guidance of our vegan-chief)
- You are suppose to organise a local mindfulness workshop or to a photography exhibition
- You are expected to support an online campaign and contribute to an online photo platform
- You have to fill INspire evaluation form within 6 weeks after the program, and Impact form within 3 months after the program
- EU insurance card/travel insurance
- swimsuit if you need it (there is a jacuzzi)
- earplugs (for your own comfort)
- personal notebook (we have some for you as well, but they are not so fancy)
- umbrella/rain coat
- towel
- comfortable clothes and shoes for indoors/outdoors activities, including longer walks
- some local vegan sweets (you can share them together during the breaks)
- water bottle
- slippers (only for your own comfort)
- personal hygiene, medicine, etc.
- smartphone/camera and a tools for transferring the photos to my computer
- magazine/postcard for making a collage (materials will be shared together, we have some, so you don’t have to take too much)
- Auto-portrait
Create a self-portrait in any way that feels authentic to you. The idea is to capture yourself in the way you currently see or feel yourself. You are welcome to share it in the WhatsApp group, but it is also completely fine to keep it private. (We will revisit this activity in a different form during the project) - National team workshop
In your team, prepare a workshop for the rest of the group. It should be connected to the topic of the project (mindfulness, photography, etc.), and it should take in between 1-1.5 hour. If you need any materials for it, communicate it with us in advance.
Q&A
No, you don´t need to know anything beforehand. We will be welcoming both amateurs and professionals, since the project is not about “becoming a photographer” but about practicing “mindful photography” .
No. You can take it, of course, if you have one. But any digital camera or phone with a camera is more then enough.
If you don’t have either phone with a camera, let us know in advance, and we will see how we can provide you a camera for the project.
We want our participants to show a dedication to the project. All the participation fee is passed to sending organization to compensate for their office hours that takes to send you abroad (and trust me, there is a lot). If you are already paying any participation fee to your sending organization, you won’t pay us anything. If you can’t afford a participation fee, that’s all right, we will ask you to support the project in a different way (i.e. support with travel reimbursement process, extra dissemination activity, etc.).
Write us on info@czechinspire.eu, and we will come back to you.
Accommodation – Statek Habří
- The venue is a pension in the Vysočina region. Forest is nearby, there is a pool, stand-alone studio.
- Rooms will be from 4 to 8 people. The rooms are equipped with bedsheets.
- We are not providing gender separated room, unless it is a psychological or religious necessity (if so, contact Project Supervisor on info@czechinspire.eu who will arrange you extra support).
Website (in Czech).
- There will be 3 meals a day + 2 coffee breaks. The food provided during the program will be an environmentally-conscious vegetarian diet cooked by our amazing vegan chef who will be happy to provide you with information on sustainable and healthy cooking.
- Before the project, we will ask you about your special diet or allergies to arrange your needs in time.
- There are no shops nearby, please bring all the necessary stuff with you.
- In case of need, we can do shopping from time to time, based on availability of our shopping crew.
- Be at Křížanov (district Žďár nad Sázavou) on 7/4/2024 at 18:00. You will be picked-up from there by bus.
- For traveling in Czech Republic, you can use this website: https://idos.idnes.cz/en/vlakyautobusymhdvse/spojeni/
Good tip:
It can be difficult to pronounce names of Czech cities. Put the names on a paper and show it to people! They will try to help.
Travel Reimbursement
The project is co-financed by the Erasmus+ programme.
The costs of the programme, including meals, accommodation, and travel costs (according to the maximum amount of money allowed per country) will be covered by the Erasmus+ programme. Please contact your sending organisation to learn more about the financial details, and how to arrange the booking of your travel tickets.
Very important!
The travel expenses will be reimbursed on the basis of tickets, bookings and invoices, so remember to keep them all with you!
Erasmus+ calculated maximum amount of travel reimbursement you can receive based on the distance band.
Green travel means you are obliged to travel in a sustainable way – that means not by plane, but by bus, train, or carsharing (travelling alone in car is not considered sustainable). If you don’t want to travel green, please, contact project supervisor on info@czechinspire.eu.
| Country | Travel reimbursement limit | Green travel |
| Bulgaria | €309 | No |
| Czech | €56 | Yes |
| Finland | €309 | No |
| Georgia | €395 | No |
| Ukraine | €417 | Yes |
- If you are paying any participation fee to your sending organization, we don’t ask for any extra fee.
- If you are send for free, we ask you to pay a €30 participation fee. It will be send to your sending organization to cover their administration hours.
- If you can’t afford to pay any fee, that’s ok. Simply contact your partner organization or Project Supervisor, and they will support you by discussing alternatives (i.e. you help us photos during the project, instead of the fee). We want to make participation open for everybody. All we care about is to have involved and motivated people.
Partner organisations
Project's Team
Lika Devadze
Facilitator
I am a project manager, trainer, and aspiring photographer.
My background includes supporting young people from underprivileged communities to realize their potential. I have managed a wide range of educational projects and implemented initiatives that support women, migrants, and internally displaced persons in integrating into society.
Alongside my professional work, I am deeply interested in art, particularly photography. Photography allows me to express emotion by capturing moments that will never occur again.
I was a participant in YE several years ago, and I am excited to return as a facilitator for such an inspiring project.
Mariam Saatashvili
Facilitator
I’m a digital artist and graphic designer working with photography and therapeutic art.
My background is in visual storytelling, art history, and mindful creative practices, with a strong focus on both social themes and personal exploration.
I’ve spent several years organizing exhibitions and cultural projects, supporting young photographers as they take their first steps into the creative field.
Alongside this, I use art as a therapeutic tool – to explore emotions, identity, and human nature through images, questions, and self-expression.
I first joined this project as a participant, and now I’m returning as a facilitator, which feels very special. I’m excited to create an open, friendly space where we can explore, reflect, connect, and inspire each other – through photography, conversation, and curiosity.
+995 598545743
chariteuphrosyne@gmail.com
Vojtěch Žák
Project supervisor
I am a trainer, facilitator, coach, storyteller, and writer.
The main topics I am focused on are the labor market, social inclusion (mainly of the LGBT+ spectrum), and personal development. The main methods I use are storytelling, coaching, systemic work, body movement, art, gamification, and LARP.
I went from a career as a journalist and marketing specialist to becoming a coach, facilitator, and trainer. I have worked for 6 years as a scout leader and later participated in the EVS program at Olde Vechte Foundation in the Netherlands.
info@czechinspire.eu
+420 775 636 658
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Michal Filípek
Kitchen and sustainability facilitator
Plant-based chef, low-waste lifestyle geek and sustainability lover.
From studying French language and literature to Erasmus+ cooking. Long story short, I like cooking more.
I can share with you my experiences in the kitchen, including several years working in a restaurant. My method is simple – everyone can cook.
I believe that a sustainable lifestyle is not a matter of being perfect but implementing small steps into your everyday life. During this project, you will have a chance to experience many of these little steps and see which one is working for you. I will be there to support you!
mifilipek@gmail.com
+421 902 400 626
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