scalable aid
Our Programs
From our foundation’s inception, the goal has been to provide help not only from our hearts but also with our heads, in a way that would maximize the benefits of the resources we receive and the efforts we make on behalf of children. This is why we deploy scalable solutions based on new and emerging methods in education. Our aim is to act in a way that helps elicit systemic change.
Because the well-being of children is so dependent on the adults who care for them, we often turn to the “train the trainer” methodology in our work. Thus, we are able to reach thousands of children by affecting the way their regular teachers and caretakers are able to support them on an ongoing basis.
We also work directly with our beneficiaries by implementing educational and social initiatives for disadvantaged child and youth groups. Currently we are preparing to launch an integrative program for Ukrainian children in Poland who have not been integrated into the Polish school system — a very large group of hard-to-reach kids in need.
Mental Health and Psychosocial Support
The goal of psychosocial support is to reduce the negative psychological and social consequences of difficult and traumatizing experiences, such as those in response to war and the forced relocation to a foreign country. In the case of refugee children the risk of post-traumatic stress is especially high because of the aggravating influence of the powerlessness children experience with regard to loss and extreme change affecting the family.
We have developed a training program that trains teachers and caretakers in techniques for supporting children in accepting their current reality and in nurturing their sense of belonging and their sense of agency. Our program additionally gives participants solutions to the challenges they themselves experience as they work with Ukrainian school children affected by war trauma.
The curriculum also covers inter-cultural communication and techniques for cultivating inclusivity to counteract discrimination.
Learning Passport
The Learning Passport is an e-learning platform created by Microsoft Community for UNICEF. It aims to provide education and training opportunities to children and young people in crisis-affected and displaced communities, helping them to access quality education and build the skills they need for a brighter future.
In Poland, the Learning Passport is being used as a training platform for teachers to develop their skills and help them better manage stress, cross-cultural communication, and how to work with children affected by war trauma. The platform offers a range of courses that are designed to support the professional development of teachers, including modules on child protection, psychosocial support, and inclusive education.
Through the Learning Passport, teachers can access high-quality resources and training that can help them to better support their students, particularly those who are facing difficult circumstances. By building their skills and knowledge, teachers can play a critical role in ensuring that children and young people receive the support they need to thrive, both in the classroom and beyond.
In Poland we launch the platform with 3 courses created by experts from SOK Foundation:
Course 1: “How to handle stress and burn-out as an educator”
Course 2: “Cross-cultural communication and inclusive education”
Course 3: “Trauma, PTSD, and how to foster resilience in a classroom”
JPJO Polish as a Second Language Instruction Course
Children from Ukraine are suffering not only because of war trauma, but also because of the isolation that results from lack of fluency in the Polish language. Teaching Polish to foreigners is not the same as teaching native speakers and Poland does not have much experience in this field.
Teachers in Poland desperately need help rising to this challenge, but public institutions have not been able to respond quickly to this sudden need. This is why our organization decided to fast-track an essential support system for teachers. Our training program combines modern glottodidactic methodology with stress reduction and emotional regulation techniques.
Thanks to remote learning access, our program is available to everyone, regardless of location. Pre-recorded lectures are viewable at any time while the workshop sessions and consultations are scheduled to allow real-time interactions between instructors and participants. Everyone taking the course receives workbooks and study materials for developing instructional skills in teaching Polish as a second language. Our program targets foreign language teachers, teachers of Polish, and other professionals in the education and culture sectors, such as after school care workers and librarians.
Akelius
Akelius in Poland – a project supporting foreign language teaching (Polish as a foreign language and English). The program is implemented in cooperation with UNICEF.
Akelius is a program existing in countries where UNICEF operates, Akelius Foundation is responsible for the creation of the application (content and technology).
SOK Foundation’s task was to organize a pilot of the Akelius program, including coordination of the entire project: preparation and conduct of training for teachers implementing the program in Polish and English lessons, constant supervision of the classes and evaluation of the pilot activities.
We started the activities with a pilot at the Unbreakable Ukraine (UU) school in Warsaw. UNICEF equipped the UU school with tablets, which were used by children and teachers implementing the Akelius project.
The aim of the activities is to strengthen the effectiveness of blended-learning in language classes, using the Akelius program, as well as to increase knowledge and competence in the use of ICT (information and communication technology) among teachers from Ukraine and Poland.
WHO – Support in Stressful Situations
Support in Stressful Situations is a 5-day training for teachers using tools developed by the World Health Organization.
It addresses the topic of stress and how to deal with it, take care of strengthening one’s own mental resilience and building resources to help others.
The training is perfect for beginners, for whom this is the first contact with the topic of coping with stress.
The program consists of online workshops (5 x 2h), work with a guidebook developed by Russ Harris and mp3 recordings.
The guidebook was developed based on evidence and extensive practical experience. It provides information and practical ways to help people cope with difficulties.
Our Reach
Voivodeships
Educators
Trainers
Children and Teenagers
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Fundacja Samodzielność od Kuchni
ul. Rejtana 15 lok. B
02–516 Warszawa
KRS 0000718683
NIP 521 381 37 06
Donate in EURO
PL10 1090 1043 0000 0001 5579 0722
BIC: WBKPPLPP