The Building Strength Programme (Dodać Sił)
The Building Strength programme is run by the Institute of Mother and Child in cooperation with the Ministry of Health and in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
To carry out this task, the Institute of Mother and Child has signed an agreement with the Department of Upbringing and Prevention of the Centre for Education Development (Ośrodek Rozwoju Edukacji).
The programme was developed by a group of Polish and Ukrainian experts from the Institute of Mother and Child, the Centre for Education Development, the School for Parents and Educators Association (Stowarzyszenie Szkoła dla Rodziców i Wychowawców) and the Ukrainian association Wings for the Family.
The main aim of the programme is to improve the well-being of parents and carers and to develop their ability to support their children in the face of adversity and hardship. It is intended for Ukrainian parents of children aged 0 to 18 who have come to Poland as a result of the war in Ukraine.
The programme consists of 10 session plans, delivered over 20 hours of work with groups of around 15 parents:
- Session 1: My front line – finding your strength in the context of experiencing the effects of war and forced migration. Learning about the mechanisms that help us cope effectively with serious difficulties.
- Session 2: A strong parent/carer – building the parent’s mental resilience so that they can best support their child’s mental health
- Session 3: Listening – the ability to listen and respond to what we hear in a way that supports the person speaking to us.
- Session 4: Feelings – recognising feelings and coping with them
- Session 5: Communication – improving communication skills
- Session 6: Goals and rules – setting goals as part of positive thinking, and rules that bring order and structure to an uncertain world.
- Session 7: Cooperation and consequences – encouraging the child to cooperate
- Session 8: Conflicts – the 5-step method of constructive conflict resolution; conflicts between children – how can we help them resolve them?
- Session 9: Praise and roles – strengthening the child’s self-esteem and sense of agency through appreciation, and the impact of the roles we take on relationships
- Session 10: Summary – self-reflection on the sessions, using support networks and reviewing participation in the programme
The meetings are run as workshops, which offer an opportunity not only to learn through experience but also to draw on the “wisdom of the group” and make contacts with other participants. The sessions are funded by the Institute of Mother and Child (IMiD) with UNICEF funds. Participation in the programme is free of charge for parents.
The sessions are held in Ukrainian.
Registration for the first edition of the project is now closed.
