This year’s topic was drugs. Students from both Primary School No. 5 named after Aleksander Janowski and Municipal Middle School No. 4 took part in the lessons.
The workshops began with sessions led by Mateusz Mikołajewicz and Kamil Walczewski, residents of Bolesławiec and members of the Society who are professionally connected with Jelenia Góra and Wrocław.
The young people answered questions about what drugs are and how they affect human health. The workshop participants responded accurately: “Drugs lead to addiction,” “Drugs lead to lower self-esteem,” or simply, “Drugs are evil!”
The students’ observations about the term “addiction” were equally accurate. MZS No. 1 students consistently said that it is a state in which we are enslaved by a certain substance. They also pointed out that addictions do not have to be connected only with drugs; they may also include addiction to computer games, which are a scourge of our times.
“The students exchanged views on the availability of drugs in Bolesławiec and the surrounding area,” says Mateusz Mikołajewicz, president of the Wrocław branch of the PTTP. “They also mentioned situations in which they had contact with addicted people. I must admit that it was wonderful to conduct workshops with such excellent and intelligent young people.”
The social aspect of drug use was also presented during the sessions. It was pointed out that addicted people are individuals within a certain social group—they have families, friends and acquaintances who become codependent, meaning that they remain in a toxic relationship with drug addicts, which also causes many psychological illnesses.
The workshop for the middle-school group was also led by educator Dawid Karol Kołodziej, who also conducted last year’s sessions. It can be observed that students and teachers respond positively to the idea behind the workshops conducted by the PTTP. “Cooperation with the teaching community enables us to intervene early in matters involving dangers that affect students,” emphasizes D.K. Kołodziej, president of the PTTP Main Board. “The workshops we conduct are not another boring lesson. They are a space where young people can learn about threats and also speak about their own experiences related to the issue being discussed. We hope to conduct more such important campaigns soon!”
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