Dare to be wise

DARE TO BE WISE!

From May till November 2013 NVF was working on Dare to be Wise! project. It was part of the Polish History Museum programme entitled The Patriotism of Tomorrow. We organized activities in youth clubs in Wołomin, Rembertów and Halinów (situated on the outskirts of Warsaw). Owing to our multimedia presentations and the experience of our teachers it was possible to expand the children’s knowledge of culture and history. Barriers caused by the age differences of participants were removed thanks to the art and theatre workshops. They enabled a direct contact with the viewers thus leading to acceptance and a feeling of safety.

Subjects:

1. The world of opera – “The Haunted Manor” is not so haunted after all

2. Polish national symbols through the ages (anthem, emblem, flag, etc)

3. Polish history according to Jan Matejko

4. What do the souvenirs from January Uprising tell us?

5. Fairytales, fables and legends of Mazovia

Art workshops stimulated the viewers’ concentration and forced them to use the newly acquired knowledge. The children were impressed by the actors’ presentations. They were delighted by having a theatre and actors so close to them. The project has shown how important extra-curricular activities are, especially in a dysfunctional milieu. Everybody regretted that Dare to Be Wise ended and we were submerged in a deluge of questions concerning its future.