On 3–5 September, employees of the Faculties of Arts and Education, Medicine, and Business of Kauno kolegija Higher Education Institution participated in the international Erasmus+ project ‘Well-being in Networking Schools’ (W.I.N.S.) contact training, which took place in Sibiu, Romania.

The third phase of the ongoing project brought together educators from five European countries – Italy, Lithuania, Romania, Greece and Portugal – during which knowledge about educators’ and students’ well-being strategies, emotional intelligence was deepened, and the acquired ideas were applied in practical activities. The Kauno kolegija team consisted of: representatives of the Faculty of Arts and Education Ieva Brazauskaitė-Zubavičienė, Inga Borzenko, Asta Pukienė, Jūratė Bauraitė, Daiva Stankevičiūtė-Volkauskienė, Edvinas Ignatavičius, Jovita Kniežaitė, Almeda Ignatjevė, representative of the Faculty of Business Skaistė Kalininaitė and representative of the Faculty of Medicine Ieva Trepkuvienė.

Theory and practice – from personal well-being to digital tools

The training programme not only introduced participants to various well-being enhancement methodologies, but also applied them in practice. The development of educational materials for the project’s future innovations – a well-being app – was also initiated, which will help educators strengthen emotional intelligence and work-life balance in their daily activities.

The project is a long-term investment in the well-being of the education sector

Kauno kolegija is responsible for the impact analysis in the project – an area in which the Language Centre already has experience. By 2026, it is planned to create a training programme and a digital well-being app, and a wide audience will be involved in the dissemination of the project – from kindergarten teachers to university lecturers.

The next stage of the W.I.N.S. project is the dissemination of the competences acquired by the participants in their institutions. This means that Kauno kolegija representatives will soon organise training and share knowledge with colleagues – from kindergarten teachers to university lecturers. Pupils and students will also be included in the training chain, which will allow creating an even wider impact on the education community in Lithuania. The project is planned to reach more than 3,000 educated persons in various countries. The final focus is on 2026. an international conference in Portugal, where the project results will be presented: a developed curriculum, a digital wellbeing app and an impact analysis demonstrating how innovative educational tools contribute to the emotional and social wellbeing of educators and learners.

The project is funded by Erasmus+. Project number: 2024-1-PT01-KA220-SCH-000257628.