This week, project partners of the Erasmus+ initiative GreenTouch: EcoMind Development for Higher Education Future met in Lisbon for an in-person coordination meeting focused on advancing key project activities and strengthening international collaboration.
The meeting brought together representatives from Forest Therapy Hub, Rīga Stradiņš University (Latvia), University of Maribor (Slovenia) and Cyprus University of Technology, supporting joint work focused on integrating nature-based approaches, mental health, and sustainability within higher education. Forest Therapy Hub was represented by Alex Gesse, Executive Director; Sonia Juárez, Learning and Finance Director; and Manuela Renzi, Training and Capacity Building Director.
GreenTouch forms part of an international effort responding to growing scientific evidence highlighting the decline of mental health and well-being across different social groups, particularly among university students and professors, partly linked to an increasing disconnection from natural ecosystems. In this context, the project seeks to integrate the EcoMind approach into higher education, promoting digital and ecological competencies that contribute to more sustainable and well-being-oriented educational models.
Across three working days, partners concentrated their work on the development of the EcoMind Practice e-Course, one of the project’s central educational outputs. Discussions focused on refining the course structure, strengthening the learning pathway, and aligning the pedagogical logic guiding each session. Partners also coordinated roles, responsibilities, and timelines for the creation and integration of course content.
The final sessions focused on upcoming milestones, timeline coordination and next steps, including future networking and knowledge-sharing activities. The Lisbon meeting marked an important moment of alignment for the GreenTouch project, supporting its aim to strengthen mental well-being, ecological awareness and digital competencies in higher education through evidence-based, nature-connected approaches.
Aja agora: inscreva-se nas nossas formações de Guia de Banhos de Floresta e Profissional de Terapia de Floresta. Vamos crescer juntos, adquirindo as habilidades essenciais para conduzir experiências significativas na natureza.
