Happiness in Practice: From Modena to Valencia – Advancing a Shared European Path on Well-being

The Erasmus+ project Happiness in Practice – Positive Psychology & Community Resilience has entered an important implementation phase, marked by the completion of its first International Workshop in Modena and the preparation of the next transnational meeting in Valencia.

·      First International Workshop in Modena

From 19 to 21 January 2026, SOLIS SRLS hosted the first International Workshop of the project in Modena, under the patronage of the Municipality.

The meeting brought together educators and facilitators from the partner organisations European Social Art – ESA (Spain) and Projects for Europe – PFE (Belgium), creating an interdisciplinary and intercultural learning space grounded in adult education, facilitation, culture, and community work.

For SOLIS, this first transnational workshop represented a key step in building a shared methodological framework on well-being, understood not as a therapeutic concept but as a set of competencies and relational practices that can be cultivated through learning.

Day 1: Positive psychology, embodiment, and community perspectives

The first day focused on group building and on introducing the project’s methodological foundations.

Through body- and movement-based activities, participants worked on presence, trust, and non-verbal communication within the international group. Positive psychology sessions explored emotional needs, relational balance, and personal positioning in relationships, combining individual reflection and small-group dialogue.

In the afternoon, the focus broadened to the community dimension of well-being. Participants reflected on the role of art and culture in supporting collective care, memory, and renewal.

The day concluded with a cultural visit to a historic acetaia in Modena — a symbolic opportunity to reflect on time, sustainability, and intergenerational transmission as key dimensions of well-being.

Day 2: Holistic well-being, body-based practices, and culture

The second day deepened the exploration of holistic well-being by integrating emotional, bodily, social, and cultural dimensions.

Positive psychology activities addressed relational nourishment and balance across different life domains, supporting the transfer of learning into both personal and professional contexts.

A central moment of the day was the experiential laboratory based on Laughter Yoga. Through breathing, movement, and shared laughter, participants experienced how accessible body-based practices can support stress reduction, vitality, and social cohesion — tools that are highly transferable to adult education and community settings.

In the afternoon, participants continued exploring culture as a resource for community health, strengthening the link between well-being, territory, and participation. The day ended with a guided walk through Modena, reading the city as a living space of identity, memory, and collective care.

Day 3: Narrative practices and Empathy Circles

The third day focused on integration, combining body awareness, narrative work, and empathic listening.

Grounding exercises prepared participants for deeper reflective processes, followed by autobiographical narrative and collaborative writing activities. Storytelling was approached as a symbolic and creative tool capable of transforming personal experience into shared meaning.

This work naturally led into the core practice of the day: the Empathy Circles.

Through structured deep listening — based on voluntariness, confidentiality, and non-judgement — participants experienced the difference between listening to respond and listening to understand. These practices strengthened trust, mutual recognition, and a sense of shared responsibility among partners.

The workshop concluded with a collective synthesis session, ensuring methodological alignment and coherence for the next phases of the project.

Overal, the Modena workshop laid the relational and methodological foundations for a transnational community of practice grounded in listening, participation, and shared learning.

·      Moving Forward: Next International Workshop in Valencia

The project is now progressing toward its next international milestone.

From 23 to 25 March 2026, SOLIS SRLS will participate in the upcoming International Workshop in Valencia, hosted by European Social Art (ESA).

The SOLIS delegation will include:

• 3 facilitators• 5 participants

Over three days of collaborative work, partners will continue exploring how:

• artistic practices

• positive psychology

• lifelong learning

can contribute to emotional well-being, resilience, and social inclusion.

Starting from a shared work of fiction, the workshop will examine how individuals connect differently to the same narrative — highlighting the importance of empathy and interpretation in meaning-making processes.

This reflects one of the core ideas of the project: well-being emerges through dialogue, creativity, and relationships.