KEY ACHIEVEMENTS

How We Helped

HOW WE HELPED: EDUCATION

Many Ukrainian refugees entering Poland who are under the age of 18 have lost their homes and find themselves in an unfamiliar place surrounded by people they don’t know. Going to school in their new host town and mastering language is key to helping young Ukrainian refugees to make their way in a new environment. In the longer term, it also allows those who decide to stay in Poland to pursue further education and improve their chances in the labour market.

With DEC funds, more than 1,500 teachers from across Poland were trained in teaching Polish as a foreign language through a series of four expert webinars. The course provided information on cultural differences in approaches to formal education and basic language skills such as phonetics and grammar. Most of those taking part were teachers of Polish as a native language, early school education teachers or teachers of foreign languages, all of whom had already started working with Ukrainian students, or were just about to. The aim was to because of its responsiveness, easy accessibility and high level of expertise.

The project also adapted existing short films about young people and social and emotional learning, adding subtitles in Ukrainian, and providing accompanying worksheets that were also translated into Ukrainian. Materials on communicating with parents on developing social-emotional competencies in their children were also produced, including sample letters to parents in Ukrainian.

Wieslawa, 56, has been teaching for 25 years and works in a large school in Mazovia. She enrolled on the course because she was worried about her lack of experience in this field and concerned about her students’ mental health. It has given her more confidence, she says, and has taught her how to deal with the trauma experienced by children from Ukraine.

Headteacher Urszula, 60, from Warmian-Masurian, says

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© Andreea Campeanu/DEC