Discover your strengths

In the period from 19 to 25 May 2023, we took part in an international project in Bialy Dunajec - "Discover your strengths!". The project was co-financed under the Erasmus+ Programme. The project was attended by 30 people from Poland, Slovakia and Hungary. The honorary patronage over the activities of the international project was taken by the mayor of Sławków - Rafał Adamczyk.

 

The COVID-19 pandemic has turned the world of young people upside down. In a short time, they were forced to completely change their daily functioning. They were forced to live in isolation, and the uncertainty of tomorrow caused them a lot of doubts and emotions that are still hard to deal with today. They have lost self-confidence, faith in their abilities and strengths. Many of them have trouble concentrating. In addition, they are still accompanied by emotions of uncertainty and fear of the coming tomorrow, which cause them great stress.

 

Thanks to the project, the participants had the opportunity to discover their strengths and advantages, learn to deal with negative emotions and stress, and become more self-confident young people who know their own values.

 

The aim of the project was:

  • raising the level of self-confidence or restoring self-confidence;
  • increasing the level of motivation to act;
  • discovering and defining one's strengths, advantages, positive features, or skills;
  • increasing the level of self-confidence and your abilities;
  • expanding the ability to cope with negative emotions caused by stress;
  • raising the level of knowledge about your own body and the signals it sends; expanding competencies related to body language and public speaking;
  • expanding competencies on stress, methods of preventing and coping with stress;
  • expanding competencies on techniques supporting concentration;

During the youth exchange, the participants implemented a schedule rich in various types of activities and workshops.

At the beginning of the youth exchange, young people reminded themselves its goals and organizational issues. The young people conducted games with names and integration activities that allowed them to break the ice, and shyness in communicating in English, or get to know each other better. Participants also took part in activities aimed at integration, building a harmonious and integrated team, as well as a positive atmosphere conducive to effective work. Thanks to them, young people had the opportunity not only to exchange their experiences but also to strengthen cooperation within an international group.

 

During the workshops, devoted to the main topic of the "Discover your strengths!" project, participants, among others:

  • took up the topic of self-confidence and what to do to regain it, what actions can be taken; what new habits to introduce to your functioning; what changes in your behavior to introduce;
  • discussed the awareness of their strengths, personality type, or skills in the context of planning their future;
  • expanded their knowledge about the causes of stress and its impact on the body and psyche, the effects and consequences of stress, as well as methods and techniques of coping with stress;
  • expanded their knowledge on how to counteract and prevent negative emotions and how to deal with such emotions, what actions to take or what techniques and methods to use;
  • raised the subject of concentration, focusing, and remembering, i.e. the reasons why a young person may have problems with concentration, focusing, and remembering; how to prevent and counteract it; and they also got acquainted with techniques and methods that improve concentration, focus and memory;
  • learned the techniques and methods that help to relax and loosen up in difficult situations;
  • they expanded their knowledge of body language - how important body language is during conversations, presentations, job interviews or public appearances; what signals our body sends in different situations;

 

During the youth exchange, participants developed and prepared online workshops with peers from different European countries. During the meeting, they presented the project and talked about their successes so far and about the Erasmus + Programme. Then, they carried out activities based on created scenarios on topics such as methods and techniques for improving concentration; discovering one's strengths, talents, and skills; public speaking and body language; or relaxation methods and anti-stress techniques;

 

The international project was carried out in English using non-formal education methods such as integration games and activities, thematic classes, creative workshops, online meetings, discussions, exchange of experiences, evaluations, reflections, national evenings, etc. The project had an educational dimension and contributed to the development of key competencies of participants. It also allowed me to make many new international friends. For some, it was the first experience of working in an international team.

 

Within the project "Discover your strengths" project (a project co-financed under the Erasmus+ programme), participants created workshop scenarios and a publication. Below, you can check our results: