Gabriela and Agnieszka from Lublin – volunteers with “PROJECTOR” – visited the elementary school in Jaśliska, where they led their original workshop, Masters of Assertiveness, focused on helping children express their needs assertively.
Learning through experience
The workshop Masters of Assertiveness: How to Say ‘NO’ Without Losing a Friend focused on real-life peer situations in which students face peer pressure, the need to express their own opinions, and setting boundaries. The workshop format was entirely based on the children’s active participation – group work, discussion, and analysis of examples relevant to them – allowing participants to practice specific behaviors in real-life scenarios. Instead of traditional teaching, the focus was on dialogue. The students’ tremendous engagement led to an open conversation about communication and expressing one’s needs in an assertive yet respectful manner.
Discovering the potential of a local school
It was an opportunity not only to conduct our own workshops but also to get to know the school, talk with students and faculty, and observe the daily life of an institution that prioritizes relationships, development, and fostering a sense of agency among young people.
As School Director Katarzyna Dubis emphasizes: “School is not just a place for imparting knowledge, but a space for shaping character, responsibility, and mutual respect; it is about inspiring students to discover the world.”
The students proudly showed the volunteers around the school, presenting, among other things, the modern “World Discovery Room,” the culinary classroom, the library, the shooting range, and the bike park.
Kamil Wrzos, Director of the “PROJECTOR – Student Volunteers” program says: “These types of meetings allow us to address the real needs of children in small towns. By leading workshops in schools, PROJECTOR volunteers demonstrate that education can be based on dialogue and participant engagement, and that school can become a place for developing social skills and a sense of agency.”
About the program
The goal of the “PROJECTOR – Student Volunteers” program is to support children and young people from small towns in developing social skills, building relationships, and discovering their own potential. Through engaging workshops led by students from across Poland, we create a space where young people can grow through experience, collaboration, and active participation.
As part of the program, educational projects are organized in elementary schools in small towns, addressing topics important to children and youth. Since 2003, over 46,000 educational projects have been carried out across Poland in more than 3,000 schools, involving approximately 17,500 student volunteers and reaching nearly 480,000 schoolers.
