Train the trainer program
JPJO Polish As A Second Language Instruction Course
Children from Ukraine are suffering not only because of war trauma, but also because of the isolation that results from lack of fluency in the Polish language. Teaching Polish to foreigners is not the same as teaching native speakers and Poland does not have much experience in this field. Teachers in Poland desperately need help rising to this challenge, but public institutions have not been able to respond quickly to this sudden need. This is why our organization decided to fast-track an essential support system for teachers. Our training program combines modern glottodidactic methodology with stress reduction and emotional regulation techniques. Thanks to remote learning access, our program is available to everyone, regardless of location. Pre-recorded lectures are viewable at any time while the workshop sessions and consultations are scheduled to allow real-time interactions between instructors and participants. Everyone taking the course receives workbooks and study materials for developing instructional skills in teaching Polish as a second language. Our program targets foreign language teachers, teachers of Polish, and other professionals in the education and culture sectors, such as after school care workers and librarians.
5 week program for schools and organizations
Mental Health and Psychosocial Support
The goal of psychosocial support is to reduce the negative psychological and social consequences of difficult and traumatizing experiences, such as those in response to war and the forced relocation to a foreign country. In the case of refugee children the risk of post-traumatic stress is especially high because of the aggravating influence of the powerlessness children experience with regard to loss and extreme change affecting the family. We have developed a training program that trains teachers and caretakers in techniques for supporting children in accepting their current reality and in nurturing their sense of belonging and their sense of agency. Our program additionally gives participants solutions to the challenges they themselves experience as they work with Ukrainian school children affected by war trauma. The curriculum also covers inter-cultural communication and techniques for cultivating inclusivity to counteract discrimination.
Program for schools and organizations
Polski na spokojnie / Polish at ease
Project implemented in cooperation with the Qzmianom Foundation. It is a Polish language course for refugee children from Ukraine residing in Warsaw. The course lasts 4 weeks and includes 20 lesson hours. Teachers conducting the course ``Polish at ease`` will receive remuneration, as well as the necessary teaching materials: textbooks for Polish as a foreign language written by experienced teachers and the best glottodidacticians in the country; scenarios for practical classes; teaching materials necessary for the classes, including, for example, tickets to the museum or on public transportation. The project included classes to equalize the Polish language for children attending Warsaw schools. Teachers were additionally able to participate in a 2-week free training course for teachers of Polish as a foreign language with an emotional regulation component, conducted by experienced teachers of Polish as a foreign language and psychoeducation trainers in an online format. The addressees of the training are teachers of foreign languages, Polish language, as well as other specialists functioning in educational structures and cultural institutions, and all those wishing to support Ukrainian children in learning our language and culture, which will facilitate integration in the Polish environment and integration into the Polish educational system in the next school year. As part of the training, each participant received a package of textbooks and teaching aids to support the work of the lecturer. The project is implemented with the support provided by the Office of Education of the City of Warsaw. Implementation of the public task is possible thanks to financial support provided by the United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF.
4 week program for Ukrainian youth
Resilient Youth
A pilot program with integrative and educational elements for Ukrainian refugee youth aged 14–18 residing in the Warsaw area but not part of the Polish or Ukrainian school system. The four-week course deploys hybrid learning methods and workshop style sessions held at the Little Chef cooking school and throughout the city. The course combines Polish and English language instruction with teaching MHPSS-based psychosocial support skills. Only 25% of Ukrainian refugee youth in Poland are enrolled in Polish schools. The remaining 75% are outside the system and often without any source of support in connection to war trauma and the challenge of adapting to the new reality of life in Poland. While some of these kids are connecting remotely to their Ukrainian schools of origin, many are not, lacking even this virtual form of stability. Our program’s objective is to help these kids find a place for themselves here in Poland and to support them in acquiring crucial language abilities and psychosocial skills.
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This is your chance to embark on a journey to become a teacher of the future. Take part in our courses to create a better, safer environment for the children around you and for yourself. Transform lives with us!
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16 voievodships
2000 educators
14 trainers
40000 young adults
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