During the holidays, Technical School of Transport No. 4 in Sosnowiec is teeming with life! Students of classes: 3TT and 3KT continue the implementation of the Polish-Dutch project “Tell me…”, which takes place as part of the Erasmus+ program. It is implemented by the SMART Education Foundation and co-financed by the European Union. During the first two days of the holidays, a group of 16 young people participated in workshops aimed, among other things, at deepening the awareness of one’s own and other people’s emotions, feelings and attitudes, as well as shaping the ability to cooperate, developing the ability to cope with difficult emotions and stress. The classes were conducted by specialists from the Creativity Factory, who, in addition to discussions, brainstorming and drama, worked using the case study method, while using elements of choreotherapy and art therapy. It was creative, fun and informative at the same time, for which we would like to thank the workshop leaders – Mrs. Jola Łysakowska and Mr. Tomasz Gluźniewicz.

“If you have doubts about whether a certain behavior is assertive, see if it increases your self-respect at least a little.”

Herbert Fensterheim, American psychologist, co-creator of the theory of assertiveness

Tell me…NO, this was the motto of the next workshops within our project.

Assertiveness is more than the ability to say no effectively. It is primarily the ability to express one’s views, feelings or opinions while maintaining respect for oneself as well as for the freedom and rights of other people. Assertiveness is about communicating in a way that does not exceed the limits of your needs and at the same time does not hurt the other person. Its opposite is aggression and submission.

During the workshops, there was an opportunity to assess one’s own behavior and define the characteristic features of an assertive attitude. We tried to determine whether you can behave assertively in every situation, e.g. at work or at school.

We discussed the laws of assertiveness formulated by Jan Ferguson, author of the book “Perfect Assertiveness”.

We learned the Charter of 10 Human Rights, according to which each of us has the right:

1. ask for what he wants – which doesn’t mean he has to get it;
2. express your opinion, feelings and emotions – assertively, i.e. adequately to the situation;
3. not be discriminated against;
4. make decisions independently and bear their consequences;
5. decide whether he wants to get involved in other people’s problems – he does not have to constantly sacrifice himself for others;
6. make mistakes and learn from them without feeling guilty;
7. get what you pay for – when you buy something or use services;
8. change our decisions – we develop and we don’t always have to have the same opinion;
9. to privacy;
10. be successful – you should not minimize your achievements, just enjoy them.

The second part of the workshop on Tell me… who you are was devoted to trying to find answers to the questions:

How to fight complexes?

How to act in crisis situations?

How to strengthen your self-esteem?

What roles do we play in life?

On September 24, 2022, workshops on interpersonal communication were conducted under the project “Tell me …” – 2021-2-PL01-KA210-YOU-000051578. The classes were held at the Museum of the People’s Republic of Poland in Ruda Śląska. The theme of the activities was “Tell me … Who are you?”. The circumstances in which the young people lived allowed them to return to the past, which was an ideal opportunity to analyze who the man of the People’s Republic of Poland was and who he is today. The guiding question – “Who am I?” – is related to the concept of human identity, it concerns shaping a positive one
self-evaluation and awareness of positive qualities and strengths. The students listened to the lecture and then worked independently on worksheets and looked for answers to the following questions:

• Who am I?
• How do I know who I am?
• Why am I what I am?

The lectures will be continued …

In June, the first national workshop under the “Tell me …” project took place – 2021-2-PL01-KA210-YOU-000051578. The workshop was attended by 15 students of the Technical Secondary School No. 4 Transport in Sosnowiec. At the beginning, the students got acquainted with the workshop program, and then they could move on to the exercises prepared for them. The topic of the lesson was “Tell me about your plans.” The participants eagerly discussed their dreams and goals, they touched upon, among others, issues such as:

• What are plans and dreams? Is it worth dreaming?
• How to turn dreams into plans and how to make them come true?
• Practical application of the SMARTer method to make your dreams come true.
• How to get the best of life and where to find strength and determination for continuous development?
• Decision making (management: planning, organizing, controlling) as a tool necessary to implement plans and dreams;
• Dream map – what is it and what are its functions?

After a fruitful discussion, the students switched to practical exercises, which consisted of:

• choosing a dream / goal attractive for the whole group;
• planning your holiday week;
• creating your own dream map.

During the breaks between the main workshop program, students had the opportunity to take part in exercises developing psychomotor skills: concentration, mindfulness, and divided attention. And all this with, for example, fun, learning to juggle or anti-stress coloring books.
Together with the participants, we are looking forward to the next national workshops!
Do you want to learn more about the workshops? You can! We invite you to watch the video in which the participants share their impressions related to the workshops they have worked on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v50imkQkAoQ