Notus participated in the design and validation of EchoLove’s new artistic and educational device
The project’s international team conducted a non-formal education pilot session at an educational centre in Vic, testing methodologies aimed at promoting healthy relationships and preventing affective violence.
On 2 June 2026, the same educational centre hosted a new working session of the EchoLove European project, an Erasmus+ initiative dedicated to preventing violence in relationships through non-formal educational methods. This pilot session aimed to test and refine the dynamics that will comprise this innovative artistic and educational tool, in which Notus actively participates as a partner organisation.
A safe space for reflection and relational analysis
The activity was structured to provide a safe environment in which to explore key concepts such as healthy relationships, identifying toxic dynamics and body awareness. Following the initial presentation, participants carried out an initial diagnosis using the conceptual dynamic ‘Think–Write–Post’ and an individual questionnaire. These tools are designed to evaluate the workshop’s impact, and will be contrasted with the final results. Before beginning the thematic sessions, the facilitation team established a collaborative working framework based on a digital agreement, confidentiality and short exercises to focus attention through breathing.
From social deconstruction to body awareness
The morning’s methodology combined analytical reflection with bodily experience. Using the ‘Social Influences Map’, participants physically and critically examined the origins of their ideas about romantic relationships, analysing the influence of factors such as family, culture, social media and gender stereotypes. Similarly, the session provided specific technical criteria, such as reciprocity, impact on well-being and respect for boundaries, to differentiate between conflicts that are inherent to any relationship and those that are purely toxic. Artistic and pedagogical innovation was reflected in activities such as ‘The body feels: follow/be followed’ and the ‘Emotion Map’, where relational concepts were translated into movement patterns, distance and synchrony to train emotional proprioception as an early warning system. Similarly, the ‘Body Question Time’ activity introduced a simple non-verbal gestural vocabulary that enabled participants to express complex views on control, jealousy or autonomy without needing to justify them verbally, thereby promoting a sense of agency and collective protection. The morning session concluded with the ‘Our Film’ activity, in which short film scenes developed by the participants were analysed to identify warning signs (red flags) and power dynamics.
Impact assessment and transfer of results
The day ended with a feedback circle, during which the participants provided highly positive assessments and conclusions. They explicitly highlighted key concepts such as ‘feeling’, ‘boundaries’, ‘love’ and ‘tranquillity’. Next, the post-evaluation phase, coordinated directly by the Notus team, took place. By completing a final questionnaire and exit ticket containing open questions, the organisation gathered high-quality empirical data with which to measure the real impact of the experience. For Notus, participating in this session at the educational centre is a significant milestone in establishing EchoLove as a rigorous technical, artistic and educational tool. The evidence and observations gathered will be used to optimise the final version of the itinerary, which will then be made available to education professionals and third-sector organisations working in the youth sector.
The project’s international team then met in person at Notus headquarters the following day to close this meeting. This technical meeting enabled the team to share their impressions of the pilot activity’s methodology, assess the quantitative and qualitative results obtained from the evaluations, and plan the next strategic steps for developing the project’s future work packages.
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