We believe that quality communication and understanding of children are the foundations for building a sustainable future. That is why we organized training for educational workers, future educational workers, and educators of Sunce, titled Communication that Empowers Children.
Communication that empowers children encourages them to express ideas, ask questions and explore the world. Training was conducted over the course of four workshops during February and March. Training objective was to build skills and competencies for higher quality work with children.
The workshops were conducted by experts in children’s communication and therapeutic play
Tea Knežević, co-founder and director of Proventus Center Ltd., conducts play therapy with children, counseling, and psychotherapy with adults, and leads numerous training sessions for professionals. She conducted the workshop Basics of Therapeutic Play – Skills for Understanding the Child and Enriching Relationships, which focused on children’s play methods. Emphasis was placed on play therapy, the importance of play, socio-emotional development and empathy. During the second workshop, The Inner World of Gifted Children, we learned how to recognize gifted children, their characteristics and particularities, as well as the different areas of intelligence.
Irena Orlović, a counseling therapist certified by the German umbrella organization for Neurolinguistic Psychotherapy DVNLPt, author of the award-winning web application Pametnica and the owner and editor of the publishing house Harfa, conducted two workshops. Workshop Communication that empowers children focused on understanding children’s emotions and how the physical architecture of the brain changes depending on how we direct attention and focus. Orlović also presented techniques for encouraging and maintaining stress-free states via emotion control, creativity and imagination. During her other workshop, Storytelling How to Create a Fairy Tale That Empowers Children, participants had the opportunity to create their own story and apply their knowledge in working with children.
Implementing knowledge and skills in sustainability throughout daily practices
After the training, participants applied their newly acquired knowledge and skills through the implementation of short educational sessions for children focused on environmental protection and promoting sustainable development. The education sessions were tailored to their own preferences and the needs of their group of children, as well as the specificities of the environment in which they work.
A great interest from the registered participants and the turnout of 54 attendees, as well as completed tasks involving slightly over 240 children, confirmed the objective achievement. Participant evaluations indicate a significant need for similar workshops to further educate educational workers. They also expressed wish for such workshops to continue in the future.
This training is carried out as part of the new project, Small Steps for a Sustainable Society – A Journey Towards Environmental Awareness of the Ministry of Science and Education.