Workshops will take place Saturday at 11.00, 15.00 and 16.30.
See the workshop schedule here.
Practical Ideas on Building Resilience – Laci Demeter
This interactive workshop session is designed to collectively explore and share best practices in school communities on how to prevent burnout and how to build supportive communities that can help its members – teachers and students – to develop resilience and to deal with adversities successfully.
Decoding Minds: The Mental Health Challenges Facing Our Youth – Agnieszka Piekarska
Mental health is of great importance nowadays. Pandemic, lockdown, wars and other threats of the modern world do not spare young people. We will discuss what mental health is and how to understand the younger generation in the context of the anxieties they face every day.
How to Work with Traumatized Children in Education – Theresa Thiel
Theresa Thiel- Experienced German educator specializing in trauma.
Trauma pedagogy, also known as the pedagogy of the safe place, transfers the findings of modern psychotraumatology and trauma therapy to pedagogical and counseling work with traumatized people and their environment. In this workshop, we will look at how trauma symptoms manifest themselves in children and why they reach their limits in everyday daycare and school life. In a practical exchange, we will look at why children have difficulties with boundaries, rules and emotions and how we can help without overstepping our own boundaries. The aim of this workshop is to gain an overview of symptoms and to develop practical solutions together.
How is Good Character Taught – Jan Habl
In this workshop we will discuss practical applications for teaching character to students in the classroom. Comenius taught that school should be a “workshop of humanity” where one learns to be a person of good character. If they acquire knowledge and skill, that is good, but character is essential! Why character? How is it taught or formed? Together, we will look at how to apply the principles of forming such a character.
Things That Dim Our Light in Teaching and How to Shine Brighter
Markus Wagner– teacher of Maths & English, trained in biblical counseling (Ellel Ministries Mod A&B).
Tetiana Tevtul – EurECA board member, director’s assistant at Hope Private Gymnasium, Chernivtsi, Ukraine
In the busy world of teaching, where demands are high and life moves quickly, it’s easy to come home, switch off, and enjoy the little time we have for people and things outside of our role as educators. Before we know it, it’s time to prepare for the next day. While we may evaluate our professional performance, what about the emotional and spiritual impact on us, which ultimately affects our students? We are called to be the light of the world, letting Jesus shine through us. Yet, it’s easy for things to dim that light, often without us realizing it. This workshop offers a safe space and time to sit at the feet of Jesus, allowing His Spirit to minister to us. Through this, we can shine brighter and strengthen our spiritual resilience. A team of experienced individuals is available to pray with you.
Prayer Spaces in Schools
Tim Abbott – GB Team Leader for Prayer Spaces in Schools with 15+ years experience running prayer spaces and training the church in how to work with schools.
In this workshop you will learn about what prayer spaces are, how and why they work, their impact on students and how they can be resourced and delivered. The workshop will showcase practical examples of prayer spaces from the UK and other European nations as well as exploring the spiritual impact and educational rationale. Eliška Krmelová (who represents Hope4Kids and piloted the program in Czech schools) will share her experiences and advice on implementing these spaces in highly secular public schools. We will look in detail at some typical prayer space resources created for use in schools and which are freely available. Finally, we will allow time for you to discuss how prayer spaces might be incorporated into your education setting.
Integration vs Pseudo-integration of Faith in Teaching
Tetiana Chumakova – director of Ukraine’s International Alliance for the Development of Christian Education
Tetiana Tevtul – EurECA board member, director’s assistant at Hope Private Gymnasium, Chernivtsi, Ukraine
Do you ever feel that your efforts to integrate Christian principles, values, or other aspects of your faith into the academic subjects you teach seem artificial? Do your “integration moments” feel like misconnections? If so, know that you’re not alone!
In this small group session, we will analyze your attempts at integration, offer advice, and provide some practical exercises. Our goal is to help you keep your lessons focused on the academic subjects while guiding your students toward the moral and spiritual aspects of reality and life before God. All of this can be achieved without turning it into a Bible study or disregarding the norms of good pedagogy for your subject.
Additionally, we will share information about Ukraine’s International Alliance for the Development of Christian Education and our training course “Teaching Christianly 4+,” which focuses on the integration of faith.
Resilience: A Beautiful Offering to the Lord
Graham Coyle – Graham taught for over 30 years before focussing on working with Christian teachers across Europe, which he does in a number of contexts, including as the Chairman of EurECA. He is widowed, with two married daughters and three grandchildren.
The biblical story is filled with incredible examples of God’s servants learning resilience through their trials, though they are also examples of humanity’s frailty. They were often defeated, disappointed, disillusioned. We’ll look at three men and women, learn from them, and discover together how we can experience similar depths of fruitfulness as them.
Building Resilient Partnerships: Bridging the Gap Between Parents and Teachers for Student Success
Agnieszka Crozier- Director of Proem Christian School in Tomaszow, Poland
Bethany Brown- EurECA administrator, former English teacher, mother of 3 school aged children.
We have all witnessed the growing animosity between parents and teachers today, but have we considered that these moments may present valuable opportunities for Christian witness? This workshop is for educators looking to strengthen relationships with their students’ parents. During this session, we’ll identify the common conflicts teachers face, practice perspective-taking, and explore strategies for de-escalating defensive parents. Together, we will brainstorm ideas for resolving issues and put these strategies into action with role-play. Drawing inspiration from biblical teachings on God’s grace in imperfections (our own and those around us), we will also prayerfully consider the people in our lives whom He has called us to build better relationships with. We hope you will leave this workshop with a renewed sense of empathy and commitment to building a shared bond with parents.