28 November
2018 a conference Get out of the shadow,
good practice of adult education
in the area of social inclusion took place in Poland. It was the time
summarizing the three-year activities carried out under the Erasmus +, Adult
Education as a tool for social inclusion. Project coordinator Piotr Harhaj and others
representatives of Social Municipal Welfare Center in Gdynia together with
partners from MVO, Proxima, Kofoeds Skole and the Solidarity Association „PLUS”
presented personal experiences during numerous mobilities (meetings of the
monitoring-implementing groups, seminars and job shadowing). Participans of the
project have often pointed out the role of education in the implementation of
social activities.
During 3 years within Partnership Edu4Adu participans looked for answers, methods, and tools, which would improve the quality of learning and supporting in the process of social inclusion for people threatened with marginalization.
During the conference, the partners wanted to inspire others to get out of the shadow of everyday work for the benefit of another human being, shadow of our own beliefs and usual ready-made solutions, from the shadow of known answers for difficult questions, and maybe from the shadow of routine and fear of change. Furthermore, they would like to inspire others to get out of the shadow of our comfort zone. They say that it’s worth to learn, to experience, cooperate, inspire one another, and show that sometimes it’s worth to break the mould and experiment.
The next day four workshops were organized:
- Motivation in organization– by Bartosz Karcz (University SWPS):
Aim of the workshop are: broadening knowledge concerning motivation at work, creating motivational model in team, learning about motivational communication style.
Gathering group of different environments, departments or positions in institution is an opportunity to present unique experiences and knowledge about motivation at work. Meeting’s aim is: to gain basic knowledge about communication and motivation, exchange of good practices in group, deepening knowledge about challenges, which are ahead of the individual, team or group in different moments of work or cooperation.
- Me- where am I going in my personal development- by Piotr Wołkowiński:
Workshop is based on being active, dialogue, but mostly on compassion and asking existential questions: Who am I? Where am I going? What is the quality of my life? Workshop proved, that looking for answers for these personal questions has a fundamental meaning in the process of being in relation with another person, also in the relation: educator – student, social worker – client, therapist – patient.
- Theater forum tool in education– by Jarosław Rebeliński (Theater Forum):
The lecturer spoke that Forum Theater has enormous therapeutic, educational, and creative opportunities. It gives the chance to be in the experience, to gain the skills to be able to solve the problem, look for the opportunities and to choose what is closest to a person. It gives the power and strength to change.
- First-hand education– by Joanna Rogalska, Jan Sitny, Katarzyna Bielik, Katarzyna Szczepaniak- Self-help Ex-In MOPS Gdynia.
EX-IN – experienced involvement is a concept, which main idea is to include people who experienced mental crisis as partners and support in mental health treatment and education. Their experience is a very precious and one of a kind source of knowledge about mental illnesses. From 2016 to 2018 Municipal Center for Social Services in Gdynia ran a project “Experienced Involvement” which aim was to train people who suffered from mental illnesses to become experts able to use their own experience to help and educate others. A group of 20 people took a 12-month special course “Ex-In”, which consisted of theoretical and practical training. They were also provided with professional support of counselors, psychologist and job coach. After completing the course, internship and making a portfolio, they became certified experts. During the project some of the participants, in cooperation with professionalists, started to take part in workshops educating social workers, students of humanistic studies, other patients, families. This initiative is still continued. Project participants were also involved in many events aiming to broaden the knowledge about mental health and preventing stereotype threat. After the project the participants formed a non formal self-help movement, where they share their experiences and support one another. A recent initiative is an information point where en expert works in cooperation with a professionalist. The aim is to provide information that is a combination of professional knowledge and the experience of recovery.
Adult Education as a Tool for Social Inclusion 