The reading therapeutic benefits

I have always enjoyed reading. This is one of my biggest passions. While reading a book I  let my imagination fly over the actions that take place inside the story creating my characters and environment. For me reading is a pleasure, but in general it seems to be more than this – it can have therapeutic benefit as well. The name of the therapy through reading is named “Biblio Therapy”. For nine months I attended the classes of the Biblio Therapy lead by a great therapist Monica Dębska who was the person who came with the idea for organizing this therapy in Helenow. 

I am very interested in this activity and I find it very useful for the children from the therapeutic group because during the lesson children develop their voluntary attention, their listening, they comment around the read story. Every time the therapist chooses some tales with a strong morality. So, at the end of every class students achieve new life lessons, very useful for living in society.
The Biblio Therapy takes place once per week and every session lasts for one hour. At the therapy participate six students, but it depends on the situation, sometimes there are more, sometimes less. Attending this therapy there can be noticed a big amount of changes regarding their communications with the therapist and colleagues; after some sessions it’s easier to understand what the students feel and what are their emotions and desires. Children trust more in themselves and don’t feel alone and sad.

At the end of the conversation Monica wished for everyone to let yourselves be lead by the mystery of the fairytales. Life is complicated enough by itself and sometimes we should give freedom to our dreams to lead us to a better life. 


Thank you Phillippe Louis :)!

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Music Therapy at Helenów

Inside my EVS project, I have had the possibility to attend some very interesting Music Therapy classes. At the end of every activity I and the students really feel different: more relaxed, with a better disposition, more optimistic, and full of positive energy taken from the music, also from the wonderful therapist and my colleagues. For more details of how these classes of Music Therapy work at Helenów I asked the therapist Bożena Ignut.

Diana: Tell me please about the Music Therapy classes organized for the group of students from Helenów.
Bożena Ignut: This activity takes place for one hour per week. In the first half of the session we sing together the songs we like the most, we play and dance. Due to the music at the lesson students develop their perception of hearing, touching, and seeing. We arrange ourselves in circles, we take ourselves by the hands and we feel each other’s power and energy. Students are expressing their emotions freely.  In the last part of the lesson students are listening to one song (from the classical music repertory); they are given a subject to think about then they are sharing their thoughts and feelings. At the end of the lesson we are relaxing, breathing and stretching our muscles.  

Diana: Who had the idea of organizing the Music Therapy classes in Helenów?
Bożena Ignut: Our Director (Mme Beata) had the great idea of organizing Music Therapy classes in Helenów. After we had a discussion around this issue I was encouraged to and received the permission to choose the group of students for the therapy classes. My students love all of the activities planned and organized for the therapy. They feel free during the lessons as they try to express their feeling and emotions. 

Diana: How many students participate in the therapy?
Bożena Ignut: In this year there are involved inside this therapy six children. But I am called by many parents who ask me to subscribe their children as well for this therapy; for this to happen I need more hours from the management board.
 
Diana: What are the results of this therapy in Helenów?
Bożena Ignut: Students became more open-minded, they easily expressed their feelings, they shared with the others their emotions and changed theiremotions of sadness to those of happiness. Their trust in themselves increased considerably and they could leave outside their emotions of disability that are very deeply hidden in their souls. Students are more creative and have the possibility to participate inside many music contests where they take top places for their talent and training. 

Diana: What are your wishes for the readers?
Bożena Ignut: That music will help us to share and think about our emotions. Listening to the music we feel more relaxed and fulfilled with energy and mood for living our lives. I wish everyone a good relaxed and happy life!

Diana: Thank you.


Many thanks to Phillippe Louis :)

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Work camp in Tyczyn

In the last two weeks I happened to be involved in so many events and activities, a fact that gave me the possibility to get to know new people, to experience new sensations and adventures, to learn more about the Polish culture and way of living (concerning the rural area) and to escape for some time from my daily routine. 

I and the other three volunteers had participated at a work camp being hosted in a cozy dormitory close to the ZMW office (the NGO who organized this work camp being coordinated by Tomasz Chlebek) in the centre of Tyczyn – a small town situated in the subcarpathian region in the south of Poland. It was amazing how we were welcomed when we arrived; everyone seemed to be happy for our presence there. All the local volunteers were eager to exchange ideas with us and make us feel very comfortable in their little “Kingdom”. Together we discovered the night life in the region; we went skiing and passed our free time in a very interesting way (they didn’t let us get bored even for a second).      

                           
During the work camp we had to visit more institutions in order to analyze their preparation to receive long term volunteers; also to speak about our EVS projects and countries (Moldova, Belgium, Austria and Serbia). So, during the week we stopped for some hours at the primary school in Borek Stary, Kielnarowa, Matysówka, Hermanowa, Tyczyn, at the regional house for disabled people, at the Middle High School in Tyczyn and we had a meeting with some volunteers from Chmielnik. In every one of these schools the hosts were very hospitable, the students were friendly and open to our visit (in some schools we had to give autographs, like the most famous stars:P). At the end of the project we had a meeting with the Mayor of the Tyczyn and he gave us some souvenirs regarding the region we visited.

It was not that easy to wake up every morning around 7.00 to be ready for the departure at 8.00… but this effort was recompensed everyday due to the nice moments lived during the day.

In conclusion, my experience gained at this work camp gave me a lot of positive energy and the forces needed to continue my work back to Warsaw. I would repeat this practice again, again and againJ.

For see more pictures you can visit the site http://workcamptyczyn.flog.pl/archiwum

Many thanks Phillippe for your support.

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