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On August 17, forty children from orphanages left for a therapeutic camp in Okuninki under the care of six experienced staff. They stayed at the Bankowy Guesthouse and due to the coronavirus pandemic the whole stay was strictly sanitary.
The trip complemented our work throughout the school year as we work with our kids to learn about their strengths. In Okuninka we tried to combine this knowledge with learning how to achieve goals.
The substantive program was developed in cooperation with the Marek Kamiński Foundation. It is based on the Life Plan method which Marek Kamiński developed during his travels. We are the first organisation to put the method into practice.
During the workshop, the kids learned the steps of the Life Plan to enable them to conquer the Poles, i.e. to achieve smaller and bigger goals. They started by setting them. For some it is starting a family, for others it is finding a job, learning to ride a horse, or even becoming a rapper.
Subsequent exercises focused on mapping a path to goals and raising awareness of the importance of just following it.
Success or failure awaits at the end of each path, so accepting them was also an important part of our classes. We know that all of this will enable our mentees to get to know themselves better.
During the camp there was also an online meeting with Marek Kaminski. The traveler delighted the kids with his honesty. The challenges and decisions he made became a great inspiration for them.
The conclusion of the first week’s work was a team building of four person boats…. out of cardboard. This seemingly impossible task was an opportunity to go through all the steps of the method in practice. Each team, overcoming adversities, launched their boat and sailed out onto the lake towards the setting sun.
The second week combined sports and creativity.
Every day after breakfast there were “tasks on the go”. Each of the competitions required creativity and the ability to work in a group under time pressure. A lot of improvised scenes were created: some could be based on just five words, others had to be a pantomime, and still others were based on a script, which was a drawing made by another group. There were also technical and fashion challenges, including creating candy costumes out of whatever was on hand.
Whole afternoons were filled with physical activity on the fields and in the water. The kids went to bed tired but happy and with clear heads, ready for new challenges the next day.
The summary of the camp took the form of talking about the journals kept by the participants. Together we discussed what went best during the trip and what we can improve next year. There was time for thanks, requests and gratitude. When the “formal” part was over, a farewell disco in Hawaiian style started.
After returning to Warsaw, the group could not say goodbye. There were tears of emotion and the longing for friends and the atmosphere of the camp had already started to grow. This outburst of emotions was the best proof that the work during the camp has already brought the intended results.
We all have hard work ahead of us throughout the school year, but we are already looking forward to going to camp together again.
You can help our youth today: https://szczesliwejdrogi.org/komu-pomagamy/mlodziez-14-17/
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