Four elements for calm: practical tools that are always with you

How do you pull yourself together in 2 minutes if you feel scared or anxious? In the final session of the “Trauma-Informed youth work” course, Iryna Lutsenko shared specific resilience tools with our students.

Even in an online format, we were able to practice the legendary “Four elements” protocol:
Earth – Feeling the ground beneath your feet to return to the “here and now.”
Air – Breathing exercises to calm the nervous system.
Water – How a simple sip of water “washes away” stress hormones.
Fire – Using imagination to find your “safe space.”

The result: every teenager created their own “Resource map” – a personal list of activities that give them energy.

We are proud of our participants, who choose to be active creators of their future rather than just witnesses to events. We thank Iryna for bringing the best practices of the Council of Europe into the life of our foundation!