Me and My Path – Art and Creativity Workshops

Why?

The aim of this project is to show children what the graphic arts and their possibilities are. Thanks to this project, the children participating in it will be able to get to know various aspects of the graphic arts. They will engage in the creation of beauty by getting to know themselves better. The children will be able to recognise and develop their imaginations as well as get to know the world around them from a creative perspective. These workshops are also going to demonstrate the potential for making use of the graphic arts in life from day to day, because the everyday, i.e. life, is the beauty that we create. With the help of this project children will gain the courage to create not only art, but also their own lives. The workshops are gateways to a future in which it is difficult at present for children from families stricken by poverty and unemployment to see much hope. Thanks to these workshops they will learn how to become creators of their own world. The workshops will provide the opportunity to discover reality from a more appealing perspective. Many of those who complete the classes will be able to attain good jobs and education thanks to newfound creative ambitions formed through skill. We want to show them that the life they are currently living is not everything they can have. The world is waiting for them and wants to give them more, all they have to do is keep moving forward and always try to be better both spiritually and in terms of education.

What is going to happen?

The project is designed for children from the age of 13 to 16 who come from families stricken by poverty and unemployment. We would like to focus on topics of great interest to most people in this age group, and particularly to children who have difficulty defining their options for the future. We will therefore creatively present and work with themes such as “my own personality”, “my relations with the world”, “who I am”, and “who I want to be”.

The workshops will be divided into two thematic sections: Me and My World and My Relationship to the Outside World. These themes will be dealt with through art, particularly drawing and painting.

Me and My World

My Relationship to the Outside World

In each of these topics there is not only room for practical application, but also for some theory and points of interest connected to the topics.

The workshops will be conducted by Justyna Janczuńska, a graphic designer and interior decorator connected to the Jan Matejko Academy of Fine Art in Cracow. Ms Janczuńska will also be co-ordinating the activities. The project will be supervised by the faculty of the Academy of Fine Art. The foundation is carrying out this project in partnership with the Cracow – Nowa Huta Centre of Support for Social Initiatives. Refreshments are planned in the form of fruit, juices and warm meals, which participants do not always have at home. In order to conduct the workshops effectively, the following will also be necessary: a computer, printer, camera and digital projector. All of this equipment with the exception of the camera will be provided by the foundation or its partners.

When will it be happening?

April and May

During these months all the details of the project will be worked out. We will be in constant consultation with professors from the Academy of Fine Arts in Cracow, we will be searching for the cheapest and best materials needed for the workshops, we will be agreeing on the catering, we will be in constant contact with the children and their parents in order that the preparations are carried out in the best possible way, we will be in negotiations with our partner.

There will be at least 15 classes. Each of them will last at least 1.5 hours. The classes will take place during school holidays.

The first classes will take place June 5 and they will continue every week according to the following schedule:

June 5, 2010 – needs analysis, establishment of the specifics together with the participants

June 12, 2010

June 19, 2010

June 26, 2010

July 3, 2010

July 10, 2010

July 17, 2010

July 24, 2010 – Parents participate in the classes together with the children.

July 31, 2010 – Interim evaluation, discussion about what the participants have done, what they would like to change.

August 7, 2010

August 14, 2010

August 21, 2010

August 28, 2010

September 4, 2010 – Preparation for an exhibition of the results of the workshop.

September 11, 2010 – Final casual classes (summing up the workshops along with the participants, deliberations about future workshops, meeting with parents and children, final evaluation of the project)

What will the children learn during the classes?

The children and young people will get to know themselves better; developing and better understanding their imaginations. They will also be able to increase their sensitivity and empathy by observing the ideas of the people around them. Most importantly, however, they will be able to redefine their world, this time from a creative-artistic point of view. The workshops will also show the children new ways towards self-realisation; they will give them courage to create their own path in life. This is particularly important for children, who do not have good role models at home, who do not see a bright future for themselves. The classes will also be an important step in a possible artistic career. Young people connecting their future with a broad conception of art will have a unique opportunity to find out new things, and become sensitive to different forms of expression . Upon concluding these workshops, we are going to try to organise further, significantly more comprehensive ones, during which previous participants will take part in running the activities. Thanks to this they will be able to improve their leadership and interpersonal skills, as well as work on their self-esteem. Thanks to the skills taken from the workshops, it will be easier for the children to define their personal identity, go on with their studies at high school or university and find familial happiness in a healthy, functioning family.

What about when the workshops have finished?

Upon completion of the workshops, we want to begin another series, similar to the first but more extensive. More participants will take part in them and past participants will be invited back to assist in the running of the workshops. Together with the instructors they will shape the content of the following lessons. Upon completion of the workshops, a catalogue documenting all of the activities will be made. Children who wish to do so will be able to develop it, fleshing it out with their ideas and skills. Next, we plan to hold workshops for a wider age group; these will involve field trips outside Cracow. We want the children to keep up their artistic activities after these workshops have finished. We wish to give them opportunities to develop on different levels of advancement and involvement. In future projects we are also going to try to involve children who have previously participated in these classes. Our partner is delighted to help us with these activities.

Where can we find information about the classes?

The graphic art workshops will be promoted by fliers as well as posters displayed in public places, such as schools, colleges and universities, health centres, Social Assistance Centres, Employment Agencies, as well as at bus and tram stops. Information about the workshops will be available on the foundation’s web site, www.cognosco.pl. Thanks to the help of the Centre of Support for Social Initiatives and Cracow City Council, it will also be available on the City of Cracow’s web page, “Magiczny Kraków”. We are also planning have content about the workshops broadcast on TV eM, i.e. local city television found on board vehicles in the public transport system. Thanks to the help of Dziennik Polski, there will also be mention of the classes in the local press. The workshops will be documented photographically throughout. As a result of this, it will be possible to follow their progress as shown in photographs and videos on the foundation’s web site, www.cognosco.pl, at any time.

Where will it take place?

Cracow and the Cracow area, particularly Nowa Huta. Classes in the Centre of Support for Social Initiatives or the Nowa Huta Cultural Centre.

How many children are going to take part in the classes?

25 children will take part. Parents who wish to assist in carrying out the classes are welcome.

How much will it cost?

Participants in the project do not have to pay anything to take part. Funding for this project will be come from the Bank of Children’s Smiles, our partners as well as from our own resources.

The co-ordinator/instructor has given up a portion of her fee. The cost of executing the project comes to 7,730 PLN.

SAILING CAMP IN THE MASURIAN LAKE DISTRICT
with psychological workshops for children with developmental dysfunctions

DATES:

Jul 12, 2010 – Jul 25, 2010

PLACE:

The Masurian Lake District, start – Wilkasy.

FINANCED BY:

Częstochowa City Council, own resources.

AGE OF PARTICIPANTS:

Gymnasium (junior high school) students from the Częstochowa area with dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia or dysorthography.

STAFF:

A sailing instructor and certified yacht skipper, an educator, gymnasium teachers who are also certified coastal yacht skippers, psychologists from the Jagiellonian University.

OBJECTIVES OF THE TRIP

To foster a desire to get to know Poland better in the young people taking part.

To teach the gymnasium students the basics of sailing.

To help overcome developmental dysfunctions.

To provide participants with a summer break working on a sailing boat.

To actively explore the Masurian region.

To integrate as a group and to break down barriers.

DESCRIPTION OF THE TRIP

Very few young people at gymnasium age want to explore our country. This group does not hold the pursuit of qualifications in activities such as climbing, skiing, kayaking and indeed sailing, in particularly high regard. School students prefer to spend their time in front of the television or computer instead of exploring the country and gaining new skills. Among them, young people with developmental dysfunctions such as developmental dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia and dysorthographia constitute a special group. These young people frequently have low self-esteem and quite often they are not accepted by their peers. Unfortunately, quite often they are not accepted by their teachers either. This state of affairs is not conducive to the formation of attitudes of openness to the world and other people.

The activities proposed aim to change this state of affairs. Sailing is the sort of activity which demands teamwork and openness to the world and in addition provides the opportunity to see many places of natural beauty and historical significance. In our program we would like to combine three major elements: exploration of the Masurian lakes and environs (such as Hitler’s former headquarters in Gierłoż, the Masurian Canal, the Boyen Fortress, and post-Teutonic Order castles); hands-on learning to sail a yacht together with group integration through teamwork; and daily workshops on creativity and coping with dysfunction. Taking part in the voyage, there will be 15 Częstochowa gymnasium pupils who have difficulties arising from dysfunctions. Enrolment will be carried out in several Częstochowa gymnasiums in agreement with educators and administrators at the schools.

The staff will be composed of experienced sailors along with teachers and psychologists. The entire group will be led by a teacher from Cracow gymnasiums and high schools who is also an employee of the Jagiellonian University with a Ph.D. The psychologists will be responsible for running the daily workshops for the children for at least two hours every day. These workshops will be carried out both “on the water” and “after landing”. The yacht skippers will be responsible for sailing the yachts, teaching and demonstrating sailing skills and techniques, teaching about the area and for the day-to-day care of the children. The participants’ safety will also be monitored by an experienced lifeguard from WOPR (a Polish volunteer lifeguard organisation). On the first day of the event, participants will be trained in first aid and the use of life-saving equipment as well as what to do in the event of the boat capsizing.

TRIP ITINERARY

On the first day the group will go to Giżycko by train, where everyone will clean and tidy the yachts together and the first psychological workshops will be conducted. The following days will be spent sailing on the lakes – weather permitting. Visits are planned to place such as Mikołajki, Giżycko, Ruciane-Nida and Pisz. Participants will sleep and take their meals on the yachts or around campfires during stopovers at timber-rafting stations. Both participants and staff will be responsible for supplying and preparing meals. This activity will increase the children’s self-reliance and sense of responsibility. Alongside these activities, psychological workshops and sailing lessons will be held regularly. Apart from sailing, several hiking and cycling trips are planned, including, among others, one to Gierłoż, one along the Masurian Canal and one to K.I. Gałczyński’s forest cottage in Pranie. Participants in the trip will be covered by accident insurance. It is expected that these young people will gain self-confidence, get to know the environment around them better and gain concrete skills to help them manage their dysfunctions and weaknesses, thanks to having learned about sailing and taking part in the psychological workshops.

KEY DATES FOR CAMP

End of June, 2010: meeting with trip participants and a presentation of the conditions of the camp.

Jul 12, 2010: departure for Giżycko by rail.

From Jul 12 to 24: sailing on the Great Masurian Lakes, excursions planned for towns: Giżycko, Mikołajki, Pisz, Ruciane-Nida, daily workshops with psychologists and teachers along with sightseeing of the region, including places such as Gierłóż, Giżycko, the Masurian Canal.

Jul 25: Clean-up of the yachts and return journey to Częstochowa.

TYPICAL DAY DURING THE CAMP

8:00 a.m. – wake-up call

9:00 a.m. – preparation of breakfast by designated individuals (those on watch)

10:00 a.m. – camp clean-up, putting the yachts in order, set sail

10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. – sailing on the lakes, instruction on the basics of sailing, one-to-one psychological workshops (weather permitting)

6:00 p.m. – arrival at the campsite, putting the yachts in order, meal preparation

7:00 – 9:00 p.m. – psychological workshops

after 9:00 p.m. – preparation of campfire, sitting around campfire, singing, chatting, etc.

ACCOMMODATION

All accommodation will take place on Orion and Bez-4 yachts lent by the Sailing Section of the University Sports Association at the Jagiellonian University. These kinds of boats sleep 3 to 4 people.

FOOD

Food will be prepared by the participants and staff together. Groups of people (watches) will be designated, who will be responsible for meal preparation, taking care of the campfire, cleaning, etc. on a rotating basis. A second officer (intendent) responsible for purchasing food and handling financial matters will also be appointed.

TRANSPORT

All participants will travel to Masuria on the through train from Częstochowa to Giżycka in the care of the staff. The return trip will follow the same format. In Masuria, apart from yachting, hiking and cycling excursions are planned.

EXPECTED OUTCOMES OF THE CAMP

The young people taking part will learn about sailing and take an interest in it.

They will learn the basics of sailing.

They will see the historical sites of the Masurian Lake District.

They will gain skills which will help them cope with dysfunctions such as dysgraphia, dysorthographia and dyscalculia.

They will have greater self-confidence.