Workshop 2 - Values, community needs

Questions of the second meeting:

What gives us a sense of security and freedom?

And what is a barrier to planning for the future in uncertain times? 

During the second meeting, the purpose of the activity and the deliberation that followed was to discuss the values of security and freedom in the context of the stay of the situation of people participating in Polish aid centers. 

In the first part of the meeting, as part of the activity, the participants were asked to imagine receiving a letter from a person who comes from Ukraine to Poland. The group was divided into two parts, one receiving a letter from a mother with two young children, and the other from a retired woman with no loved ones in Poland, who requires regular medical care for this. As part of the activity, the participants were asked to put themselves in the role of someone closely related to the family of the incoming person. 

The content of the letter:

Dear / Dear ...

I am coming to Przemysl/Warsaw. Before arriving, I would like to know what to do to start a life in Poland, get stability and relative independence.

However, I have no savings. I would like to ask you for tips on what I should do right after I arrive, where to go, who to ask and what to ask for. 

In particular, where can I live, if only temporarily? 

And what is the situation with the health service?

Knowing my general situation, please advise what I can count on in other matters as well.

After reading the letter, each participant was given a table to which she described her advice to the incomer. She was supposed to refer to her experience, especially relating to the role of institutions or NGOs in the process of coming to Poland from Ukraine and entering the Polish system. 

Then, working in subgroups, the participants discussed and collected their individual advice. In this way, a resource was created that addressed individual and group experiences and their perspectives on the possibility of support from organizations or institutions. 

In the second part of the meeting, the subgroups were to discuss the threats to their safety or freedom that could be encountered after crossing the Polish border. For this purpose, the participants were given cards that visualized various threats. They could refer to them during their subgroup work. While discussing possible threats, at the same time there was a discussion of possible ways to deal with the given threats and the resources needed to do so. Finally, the subgroups collected their conclusions about the threats and tips on how to deal with them in a common table. 

In the last part of the workshop, people selected by the subgroups presented their conclusions from both parts to the whole group, so the arrival advice and possible threats that visitors may encounter and ways to cope with them. The summary of the subgroups' work followed the accepted convention and was presented in letter form.