EQUICARES at the workshop “Designing WITH and FOR the community” organised by the LISTEN Project

On October 9th, the EQUICARES project actively participated in the final capacity-building workshop of the LISTEN – Learning and Inclusion for Sustainable Community Engagement series, held in Thessaloniki. The event was organised by the South-East European Research Centre (SEERC) and Light Trees, in collaboration with the Deputy Mayor’s Office for Culture of the Municipality of Thessaloniki.

Hosted at the Municipal Amateur Dance School of Thessaloniki, the workshop gathered around forty participants — professionals, volunteers, and engaged citizens — for an interactive capacity-building session focused on supporting individuals who have experienced trauma. The discussion went beyond understanding trauma itself, exploring how communities can foster self-care, resilience, and mutual support.

The EQUICARES team contributed to the workshop discussions, sharing insights from the project’s work on equitable, inclusive, and community-based models of care. By engaging directly with participants, EQUICARES highlighted how its approach aligns with the broader goals of building empathetic and supportive community ecosystems — a vision at the heart of both EQUICARES and LISTEN.

Participants were introduced to the principles of psychological first aid, learning through collaborative exercises how to respond empathetically to people in crisis, recognise signs of trauma, and safeguard their own wellbeing when caring for others.

The LISTEN project, funded by the European Union under the Horizon Europe programme, aims to foster inclusive learning environments that prioritise emotional wellbeing as a cornerstone of social cohesion. Together with initiatives like EQUICARES, it contributes to a shared European vision of more caring, inclusive, and resilient communities.