The second training week within the project took place on 15-20 of October in Warsaw and was dedicated to the Participatory Video method which is used by the project leader Cotopaxi Film Workshop Association. We've started this week traditionally with a common dinner - it's always a pleasure to meet the old friends and to make the new ones! Sunday night was finished with a little walk around the city center.
The participants met together the next day on the study visit at Dom Ukraiński managed by Nasz Wybór Foundation (Our Choice Foundation) in order to know more about the main group of migrants in Poland – Ukrainians. The main part of the study visit consisted of meeting with the chairman of the board who presented in a clear way a general situation, difficulties which migrants are facing, told the history of founding Ukraiński Dom (Ukrainian House) and answered the participants questions. The last part of the study visit was dedicated to brainstorming. The participants were exchanging and telling about the migration situation in their native countries comparing with the one in Poland. We continued with study visits on 18 of October – we've met with two main target groups of Cotopaxi Film Workshop Association's project: mentally challenged people and seniors. Meetings were very useful to understand how Participatory Video method works from "the other side" – the side of participants and what they think about it and what they've gained with its help.
This week was full of workshops which gave us not only a lot of fun, but it also made us to think about empathy and attitude to migrants in Poland. Definitely worth mentioning is one of the exercises we did together – the goal was to interview passers-by in order to know their thoughts about migrants in Poland. Except that it was very difficult to talk to strangers, we had problems with equipment too: how to get the better frame, place the tripod, adjust the sound? That was not so easy as it seems, but we all managed it!
The training week was finished in such atmosphere that has only the Praga district with the farewell dinner and excursion around it.