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Report from the conference & basic course MATRA COP Project for social workers – Poznan 28th June 2000 By: Marian Zukowski
MATRA COP Project has been introduced in Poznan in May 2000. Poznan’s members of MATRA COP are: 1. mgr Marian Zukowski - local coordinator 2. dr. Miroslawa Modzelewska - educational organiser & developer 3. mgr Zofia Androszowska – social work teacher 4. mgr Renata Puszczewicz – project developer & social worker 5. mgr Ewa Grocka – financial assistant
The main object of MATRA COP project is to educate social workers and future social workers so that they are able to use methods of local community organisation. Before the conference several meetings have been organised. We gain new local partners over the activities of MATRA COP project. The result of those meetings was that Dr. Andrzej Grzybowski, vice president town of Poznan, took patronate over the MATRA COP project. The following persons will become realisators of MATRA COP aims: 1. mgr Maria Remiezowicz - director of Welfercare Department of Voievodeship Office in Poznan 2. mgr Malgorzata Zaluska - vice director of Health Department of Town Office in Poznan 3. mgr Wlodzimierz Kalek - director Miejskiego Osrodka Pomocy Rodzinie Poznan (MOPR) 4. mgr Krzystyna Szot - director Torun School of Social Work (SPPSS).
Our partners made possible the organisation of the conference for social workers. For the brochure: see here. The preliminary settlements assumed that the minimal number of 80 social workers taking part in the conference would guarantee the realisation of MATRA COP Project.
Gdansk MATRA COP team: 1. mgr Danuta Czapla-Kierbel, social worker in MOPS Gdansk, foreman of MOPS in Gdansk-Orunia, takes care of 3 MATRA ’S projects related to local community organisation, 2. dr. Piotr Czekanowski, Gdansk University, teacher at Gdansk School of Social Work, takes care of tasks related to preparation of local community organisation, 3. mgr Przemyslaw Oniszczuk, teacher at Gdansk School of Social Work, was responsible for the merits of the conference.
Poznan’s MATRA team: - chose the editor of invitations and substantial materials that had been received from Gdansk: a. Organizowanie spolecznosci lokalnej. Podstawowe informacje b. Organizowanie spolecznosci lokalnej. Kurs I stopnia dla pracownikow socjalnych opracowany i realizowany w ramach polsko-holenderskiego projektu MATRA COP - chose the place of the conference (Hotel Poznan), - sent the invitations to appropriate persons and organisations, - give 80 invitations for social workers to the director Wlodzimierz Kalek (MOPR), - organised technical side of the conference (video cameras, cameras, films), - invited mass media for the press conference that preceded the basic course,
The Course-conference – I basic course-conference for social workers took place on the 28th of June in Hotel Poznan. Approximately 100 social workers and 20 important guests (presidents, starosts, starosts of districts etc.) took part in the conference. The conference was carried out by Gdansk MATRA COP team that for over a year has been developing the project aims of local community organisation.
The participants of the conference were presented the merits and experience in: - theoretical introduction to the local community method, - the way of realisation of categorial project that concerns elderly people, - video presentation concerning the Netherlands experiences of local community organisation.
During the course the participants and guests discussed new tasks of social workers resulting from the method: - will it be possible to create the profession local community organisation in Poland, - how to estimate the effects of local community organisation method, - how to find time for local community organisation method of social work.
The Report concerns the merits of the Course-conference. The aim of the Course-conference (which merits were prepared by Gdansk MATRA COP team) was:
a/ to acquaint Poznan’s group with the idea of local community organisation and with the main aims and activities of MATRA COP Project, b/ the presentation of local community organisation process and the detailed description of one of the 9 stages of work in local community - collecting data, introduction into the basic problems of organising and carrying on meetings, c/ encouragement to cooperation with MATRA COP by announcing the Competition for social projects.
Because of the diversity of aims “a” and “b” it was decided that the first part of the course will be more general. Presented ideas were to show to the public the specificity of local community organisation, the characteristics of local community organisator’s profession and the presentation of MATRA COP experience in Gdansk districts (Wrzeszcz, Orunia).
The second part of the conference was a basic course of local community organisation for social workers. The social workers were acquitaned with the work methods with local communities based on 9 – stage model (from Henderson P. and Thomas D. N. “Skills in Neighbourhood Work” Routledge, London and New York 1980), with the methods and aims of collecting data and with the problem of organising meetings. Those particular subjects were chosen because of the fact that the importance of preliminary data and of meetings organisation are very often underestimated.
1. The press conference in which participated: - two local TV stations (TELESKOP, WTK) - press: Glos Wielkopolski, Gazeta Poznanska, Express Poznanski, Gazeta Wyborcza - radio MERKURY.
2. Basic Course-conference - “Local community organisation”.
9:00 - beginning of the Course-conference
I PART - Conference
9:10-9:35 Introduction - Przemyslaw Oniszczuk, presentation of MATRA COP Project /needs of local community organisation in Poland and brief information about local community organisation in other countries/, 9:35-10:10 Lecture - Dr. Piotr Czekanowski: “The differences between local community organisation and other social work methods”.
Coffee brake
10:25-11:55 - the part concerning the professional characteristics of local community worker: - presentation of information’s that can be found in the literature - Dr. P. Czekanowski, - video film presenting work of local community workers in the Netherlands - P. Oniszczuk, - community work in Polish conditions, experience and practice - D. Czapla-Kierbel.
Lunch
II PART – Basic Course
12:30-13:35 - description of local community organisation process - introduction - Dr. Piotr Czekanowski, - description of 9 stages of local community organisation process - P. Oniszczuk, - stages of local community organisation process and practical realisation by MATRA COP in Gdansk - D. Czapla-Kierbel.
13:40-16:00 - collecting data and introduction into problems of organising and carrying out meetings: - “Why should we collecting data?”, “what kind of data about local community should be found?” - P. Oniszczuk, - “How to collect data”, “dangers to avoid”, introduction into problems of organising and carrying out meetings - Dr. P. Czekanowski.
At the end of the conference we announced the opening of the competition for community work projects and explained the rules of the competition.
Remarks During the 1st part of the conference the work in groups (characteristics of local community worker) was made impossible because of the big number of participants. Despite that we managed to receive some interesting opinions related to the subject. The video film gave some impressions about the work of community worker, organisator. What’s more, it turned out that the experience in cooperation with local politics may differ in different regions.
The basic course also had a character of the lecture. But at the end the participants started a very interesting discussion. The questions of social workers concerned mainly the practical side of work on projects and the Netherlands conditions of community work.
Some questions concerned also the further aspects of the conference (collecting data) that’s why in the 2nd part of the conference some subjects weren’t treated as planned. Therefore the participants received the materials of I Basic course and the brochure from regional conference in Gdansk, November 1999: 1. Organizowanie spolecznosci lokalnej. Podstawowe informacje 2. Czym jest organizowanie społeczności lokalnej. Podstawowe informacje 3. Organizowanie spolecznosci lokalnej. Kurs I stopnia dla pracownikow socjalnych opracowany i realizowany w ramach polsko-holenderskiego projektu MATRA COP.
Poznan, 15 July 2000 |