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Sometimes it's hard to strike a balance between work, family life and rest. It happens that we neglect one of these areas. More and more often, work consumes our entire lives. When this happens, it's easy to burn out. Work, even the one we have been striving for, can become its source. Therefore, it is worth taking care of various activities in our lives, the balance between intellectual work and physical movement, the variability of our activities. What comes useful are different tasks in our professional work, so as not to fall into routine; we need different sources of inspiration, additional vocational training, shaping soft skills. It is also vital to form good relationships in the work environment. Creative work in culture also requires relaxation, contemplation, brainstorming, and a friendly atmosphere so that we do not risk burnout.

Catch the balance – this was the slogan that guided us during our mobility to Vienna and Timisoara as part of the Erasmus + project, in which the Poleski Art Center participates. Before the first meeting with the participants, during the trip, we talked about looking for a balance between personal life, rest, physical activity, taking care of yourself and developing your own passions and work. As I already mentioned the work consumes most of our energy, and we spend most of the day working. Often our thinking is focused on professional matters also at home. So should the time we spend at work contain elements that balance the effort put into it?

Now that our activity is limited by the Covid-19 pandemic, everything has changed for most of us. Of course, everyone has a different situation. Doctors involved in the fight against Covid rarely see their families and are afraid of infecting them. Parents of school-age children must combine work with teaching. Some struggle with unemployment, some with isolation or depression. All of this can be an impulse that will make us turn to what is most important. Perhaps our family relationships are disturbed? Perhaps we spent too much time working? Perhaps we were too focused on professional success and our relationships were subordinated on it. Maybe we were stuck in some rush, not looking back, without a moment of rest and reflection, harnessed in our daily activities. It's time for the art of mindfulness.

In Vienna, we looked for a balance in physical practices such as yoga and shiatsu. In Timisoara, we used theatrical practices and techniques of working with voice that allow us to find ourselves in the environment. The storytelling classes showed us how important it is to comment on what happened throughout the day and that formulating reflections helps us grow – through writing we get to know ourselves and the world. It's time to use these tools! It's time to look deeper and answer the question, what is family for me, what is rest, what is work? Who am I?

Agnieszka Kowalska-Owczarek
Poleski Art Center Lodz Poland

Catch the balance – in search

Creating a new group must be well planned. It is worth to provide the clearest possible message about the classes and their character, choose an interesting graphic defining the activities and competences that we will acquire during the classes. In the first place, the characteristics of the recipient at whom we direct the message are important. We must also take into account the person and style of work of the instructor. The graphics, therefore, should characterize how knowledge will be transferred and what effects the recipient will achieve. We need to know the answer to the question of what the most important goal of the classes will be, e.g. developing creativity in some area, expanding expert knowledge, preparing for an exam, spending free time in an interesting way with people of similar interests, supporting a community group, e.g. young mothers, etc.

At first, the group may not meet our expectations regarding the number of participants. Don't worry about that. The best showcase is a good opinion of the participants, and it is them who will attract others. To maintain interest, the instructor should find his/her own style of communication, something that will be his/her signature. He/she should follow his/her own ways, which have worked well in the group. Follow what seems particularly valuable in the message. The most important in conducting classes are not the quantitative indicators, but the qualitative ones. And if we perfect the latter, the former ones will also rise. In order to maintain interest, it is good to introduce new elements into classes, refer to the current trends, ways of working, development opportunities, past and present contexts in which the classes function. The instructor should take care of his/her own development, training, workshops, deepening knowledge and skills. It is also important to observe one’s participants and to meet their expectations without lowering the level of teaching.

A properly constructed message should reach the environment at which it is directed. That is why it is worth looking for a variety of means of communication that best correspond to the form of communication of the recipient and thus will reach environments potentially interested in the subject of our organization's activities. In some cases, it will be social media, in others a leaflet, a poster, or an advertisement in a newsletter for seniors. A good method is to establish a network with a person who has direct contact with the recipient group, e.g. during classes addressed to seniors with the group’s supervisor.

When conducting classes in a group of people in a difficult life situation, coming from disadvantaged environments, one should not focus on things that are related to their dysfunction or condition, or the reason for their discrimination. For example, in case of people with disabilities, we do not pay excessive attention to their disability while allowing them to carry out tasks according to their capabilities. The person conducting the classes must show empathy, the participant of the classes should feel like a full-fledged partner in the dialogue with the instructor. It happens that people from disadvantaged backgrounds are very sensitive to the assessment of their person, so during the course of conducting classes you need to clearly separate the description of the activities, activities of the participant from himself/herself. It also happens that these people treat themselves as  people who need to be taken care of, have a demanding attitude, rebelling against the situation in which they find themselves. In such a situation, these attitudes should not be supported and strengthened, because they harm the participant.

Agnieszka Kowalska-Owczarek
Poleski Art Center Lodz Poland

How to create a group and maintain interest – catch the balance, reflections

During the Catch the Balance project, we talked a lot about the work ethic of the educator. This prompted me to reflect on my work and define the attitude that in my opinion  the teacher should adopt.

 

1. Professionalism – this is a competence that determines effectiveness. The educator should have knowledge that is a guarantee of quality, continuous improvement of his/her competences. An uneducated educator does not fulfill his/her duties and thus negatively affects the image of the educational process. Continuous improvement is necessary and is motivated by the progress of life or the specialization of professional life.

2. Honesty – is a feature especially required from educators. Often, while working with older people, the educator faces dilemmas whether his/her help does not do harm, or if, by pushing through the educational process, he/she really responds to the needs of the participants.

3. Impartiality – this is a desirable feature, especially for those working with Seniors. A social group is a network of interdependencies. The educator, when positively motivating participants, must at the same time be sensitive to bias and different treatment of individual members of the community. The bias of the educator is unacceptable.

4. Dignity – is a feature that allows you to maintain the right distance from the participants. In Maslow's pyramid, dignity is listed as one of the most important human needs. The educator should ensure that participants are treated subjectively. Regardless of their views, emotional and psychological development, intellect or declared faith, the educator should treat people using his/her resources with due dignity.

 

Education is not just about giving information, but about being in a relationship.

Kinga Zajdel-Karasińska

Poleski Art Center Lodz Poland

The virtues of the educator

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