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ACTIVITY

Slow Down and Observe

ACTIVITY DETAILS

PART OF
PROJECT ID: 2025-1-IT03-KA151-YOU-000304652
PARTICIPANTS: 30 people: 25 young people and 5 group leaders
STATUS: Completed
Youth exchange
La Buona Terra, Passignano sul Trasimeno, Italy
FROM 25 November 2025
TO 2 December 2025

ABOUT THIS ACTIVITY

Youth exchange on slow living and nature

Our world runs faster and faster. Young people from five countries explored how slowing down can benefit us personally, socially and environmentally.

Why

Slow Down and Observe invited young people to reflect on the growing need to slow down. Inspired by slow movements, permaculture and the cycles of nature, it explored how slowness can be a form of resistance to hustle culture and consumerism.

Participants writing on cards on the floor, Slow Down and Observe youth exchange
Small group sharing on the floor of the workshop room, Slow Down and Observe youth exchange
Participant hanging drawings on a wall, Slow Down and Observe youth exchange
Group in winter coats listening outdoors, Slow Down and Observe youth exchange
Participants drawing on the floor in the workshop room, Slow Down and Observe youth exchange
Participant speaking to the group in the workshop room, Slow Down and Observe youth exchange
Participants sitting on the floor in a circle, Slow Down and Observe youth exchange
Two participants talking face to face, Slow Down and Observe youth exchange
Group standing in a circle indoors, Slow Down and Observe youth exchange
Group sitting around cards spread on the floor, Slow Down and Observe youth exchange
Facilitator presenting with a flipchart, Slow Down and Observe youth exchange
Participants holding a web of yarn across the room, Slow Down and Observe youth exchange
Participants standing in a circle holding a web of yarn, Slow Down and Observe youth exchange
Handwritten recipe card 'Trasimeno beans all'olio buono' next to a bowl of beans, Slow Down and Observe youth exchange

What happened

  • Slow movements across Europe: each national group shared the slow initiatives of its own country.
  • Sensing and observing: silent and blindfolded exercises, sensory walks, outdoor meditation and observing nature on the farm.
  • Slow food day and a workshop on permaculture.
  • Looking inward: reflection notebooks, “the island of life”, creative work and group discussions on values, society and wellbeing.
  • Living together: a common agreement written by the group, intercultural evenings and daily reflection groups. The programme was co-created with the group leaders.

Results

  • A deeper understanding of slow movements, and of how to live more intentionally.
  • Average overall satisfaction: 8.4 out of 10 (19 responses).

“The nature walk, connecting with nature and the person I was paired with, was the best moment of the project. It made me appreciate my surroundings and people a bit more.” (a Slow Down and Observe participant)

“It gave me a new understanding of what this movement is all about: that it is indeed possible to have a less hectic and more peaceful life. It also motivated me to move from ideas to action.” (a Slow Down and Observe participant)

Co-funded by the European Union

Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the Agenzia Italiana per la Gioventù. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.