NordPlus Adult Education sub-programme project
No NPAD-2025/10226
“Empowering Education Professionals for Sustainable Leadership: Awakening the Six
Senses”
From May 18 to 20, 2026, the Kurzeme Planning Region, in collaboration with the Personal Growth and Development Department of the Education Development and Methodological Support Center at the Liepāja Education Board, hosted the Nordplus adult education project “Encouraging Education Professionals for Sustainable Leadership: Awakening the Six Senses” (NPAD-2025/10226) for their third working meeting. The meeting was both an inspiring experience in nature and focused work on the methodological material “Recommendations for Sustainable Leadership in Adult Education.”
Leadership that begins with the senses
On the first day of the meeting, participants went on a sensory hike along the Baltic Sea from Liepāja to “Vērbeļnieki.” During the 9.5-kilometer hike, participants not only enjoyed the walk and the power of nature, but also trained their sensory perception by completing practical tasks, such as “Senses MIX,” “Practicing Joy and Happiness,” the “5-4-3-2-1” technique for the interaction of the five senses to be present in the here and now, and creating a sensory nature canvas.
After the hike, the participants themselves acknowledged that such an experience helps calm the mind, strengthens presence and empathy, and fosters creativity and team bonding, which are essential for the development of sustainable leadership.
Practical collaboration in Liepāja
The project focuses on developing leadership skills among education professionals through training the individual’s six basic senses—sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch, and balance. That is why, on the second day of the meeting, we continued with sensory training, this time focusing specifically on balance. The morning began with a peaceful session for body and mind led by yoga teacher Evija Branta, not only to get us moving for the day but also to awaken the mind by listening to the sounds of a crystal harp.
Afterward, the lead partner’s team presented progress on the development of the methodological materials, agreeing on content refinements, deadlines, and remaining tasks. In the afternoon, work on the methodological materials continued at the “stay-tion” co-working space in Lielais Dzintars, where the environment organically complemented the sensory training and stimulated creative thinking.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the project partners provided feedback on the sensory hike, agreed on the layout and visual design of the methodological materials, and discussed other organizational aspects of the project.
Involvement and Benefits for the Kurzeme Team
We also invited Kurzeme Planning Region volunteer adult education ambassadors, Ilze Ausekle, a representative of the association “Dzintarstrauts,” and Vija Zīverte, the head of the association “Jaunpils Regional Development Center ‘RATC’” ,”as well as adult education coordinators from the Kurzeme municipalities, the city of Liepaja, Kuldīga County, and Talsi County: Agnese Lejniece, Egita Saulgrieze, and Liene Katlapa. The participation of volunteers and coordinators in the hike was highly valuable, as they gained new experience by practicing adult non-formal education methods, experiencing nature as a new learning space, and strengthening regional cooperation. The hike served as a platform for professional growth, helping to improve language and communication skills and establish international contacts.
Furthermore, the participants’ evaluations and insights will provide practical input for the development of the project’s methodological materials.
The project’s third meeting in Kurzeme also confirmed that sustainable leadership in adult education is formed when thinking, feelings, and action come together in practice—in nature, in movement, and in collaboration.
You can follow the progress and results of the project on the Kurzeme Planning Region website.
Project Manager
Agnese Lāce
Regional Education Coordinator
Tel.: +371 28381229
E-mail: agnese.lace@kurzemesregions.lv
