Changes for youth education in relationship management with Emotional Intelligence

<< Background >>The CURIE project was created to address the psychological and social needs of young people in Europe, exacerbated by socio-economic and environmental crises, the COVID-19 pandemic, and geopolitical tensions. The increase in anxiety, depression, and behavioral and cognitive difficulties calls for new strategies for emotional and social support within the youth non-formal education sector. CURIE targets professionals in this sector—youth workers, trainers, and socio-educational facilitators—offering innovative methods based on Emotional Intelligence (EI) to develop professional skills aimed at enhancing resilience, problem-solving, empathy, leadership, and wellbeing among practitioners. By adapting well-established practices from various professional sectors, the project provides educational tools to identify and address distress, support personal growth, and promote inclusive peer relationships. CURIE also tackles the risk of burnout among practitioners, ensuring sustainable interventions. The developed tools and methodologies aim to strengthen educational and emotional development initiatives for young people, in line with the priorities of the European Youth Strategy.<< Objectives >>CURIE aimed to establish new standards and tools to enhance the application of socio-emotional competences in the youth sector across Europe. Grounded in Emotional Intelligence (EI) theory, the project promoted non-formal education and fostered synergies between research, training, and youth work. EI, defined as the ability to recognize, express, and manage emotions, is considered essential for personal wellbeing, leadership, and social integration. CURIE addressed the need for youth-centred learning pathways capable of reducing skills gaps, supporting social inclusion, and strengthening resilience. To achieve these aims, the project developed flexible, non-linear learning pathways underpinned by the RAP (Reflect–Analyse–Practice) model, which combined theoretical content with interactive piloting activities. These pathways enabled youth workers, trainers, and psychologists to apply EI methods effectively in diverse youth work contexts, fostering innovation, professional development, and transferable soft skills.<< Implementation >>CURIE developed and applied socio-emotional skills within the European youth sector by:•Defining a conceptual model of Emotional Intelligence (EI) for the youth field and identifying 10 key competences perceived as lacking, based on an analysis of 372 interviews with young people across four countries. Building on this foundation, the partnership created innovative learning tools and an evaluation framework to monitor their effectiveness.•Transforming project results into open-access resources through a digital learning platform. The platform includes theoretical and practical content, hands-on guidelines, and a digital handbook, integrating best practices and case studies in a flexible, user-friendly format suitable for diverse educational contexts.•Implementing practical training sessions through international mobility activities, involving 14 youth workers and 107 young participants in person as well as 50 youth workers who formed a control group for online-only learning. These activities enabled participants to apply and strengthen their competences, highlighted differences between learning approaches, and—through collected data—helped to refine and consolidate the structure and quality of the educational pathways offered.<< Results >>The CURIE project addressed rising levels of depression, anxiety, and social isolation among European youth by introducing research-based Emotional Intelligence (EI) tools for youth work. Building on proven approaches from business and HR, CURIE strengthened the emotional skills of youth workers to enhance sector quality and bridge research with frontline practice.The project delivered four key results:1.Multimedia learning resources and an EI Youth Learning Model;2.An EI Assessment Model to evaluate needs, integration, and impact;3.Capacity building through blended Interactive Participation Activities (IPAs);4.A Practical Roadmap of best practices for applying EI in youth work.All outputs were consolidated in the CURIE Interactive Learning Platform, the fifth and final project result. This open-access platform provides flexible, inclusive, and evidence-based tools for informal education, supporting socio-emotional development in young people while promoting social integration, diversity, and international cooperation. The platform also enables educators and youth workers to apply EI methods in practice, ensuring long-term impact and accessibility across Europe.