Meet Wojciech Szumiło, a 20-year-old social activist from Poland. Currently pursuing law studies at the University of Szczecin and engaged with the GrowSPACE Foundation, Wojciech aspires to advocate for human rights as a future prosecutor or attorney.
Collaborating with the British Council through the GrowSPACE Foundation introduced Wojciech to the enlightening Stronger Together workshop for young activists.
‘I really enjoyed the training and workshops. British Council ensured very good and skilled experts, who taught me how to organise my projects so that they meet the real needs of the target group. They also showed me how to deal with delays and moments of doubt concerning an arising project’, Wojciech reflects.
Inspired by the workshop, Wojciech spearheaded a project centred on addressing mental health challenges.
‘Unfortunately, in Europe and also Poland, we are fighting a huge epidemic of mental health issues. In Poland, the availability of psychologists is minimal, and people can’t afford to visit a doctor privately. For the whole country, there are merely several hundreds of psychiatrists for children and youth. My project aimed to equip young people with the basic knowledge of dealing with their own emotions and show them what to consider when it comes to choosing a psychologist or a therapist. The participants also received small leaflets containing exercises for the event of a panic attack. The project's main purpose was to gather five postulates of what young people expect from the city government, their schools and adults regarding their mental health.’
The British Council backed Wojciech's project with financial support and provided valuable assistance every step of the way. ‘There was also substantive support, as, during the project, I knew that I could constantly count for help. I knew that I would get an answer to every question asked. This was really mentally uplifting.’