SiP GROUP WORK

Poland

Following participation in the residential seminar in May 2001 by Kajetan Dubiel, the Director of Prison Wardens from the Department of Corrective Services in Poland, a closer working relationship developed between the Brahma Kumaris and the Polish Prison Service.

In November 2004, Doug Stephenson and Mal Gillan from the Spirituality in Prison Working Group were invited to run a two day training course in the south of Poland. The participants were prison managers and psychologists from around the country, as well as representatives from a Ukrainian NGO. The Polish Prison Service is a military system and so there is a clear distinction between the guards and those who manage the lives of the prisoners.

The programme, entitled ‘New Leadership,’ was intended to give the participants both a taste of the type of seminar/workshop that is regularly presented in the UK to prison and probation staff as well as to provide personal insights into a new way of working.

The programme was divided equally between the two days such that the first day was spent ‘creating a vision’ and the second day developing ways to ‘sustain the self.’ The first day explored both ‘Decency and Dignity’ and ‘Cultivating Respect and Appreciation’ giving particular focus to the understanding of our attitudes, the vision we hold for the future, and the power of language. The second day was spent exploring key aspects of stress and methods to alleviate that through the accessing of personal powers, creating inner stability by balancing these powers, and the preparation for returning to work while maintaining the insights shared.

The training was well received although not without its challenges. The majority of participants only spoke Polish and so all materials had to be prepared in advance to minimise ‘on-the-spot’ translation

Click here to view feedback from the seminar.

Facilitators experiences are shown in the attached report:

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Trinidad and Tobago

In May 2005, Doug Stephenson of the Spirituality in Prison Working Group was invited to the Caribbean to run a series of training programmes and lectures for a financial organisation. While in Trinidad he was presented with the opportunity to run a half day seminar/workshop for officers and staff of one of the islands five prisons.

The Brahma Kumaris, who have been working in prisons in Trinidad for the last decade, have established strong connections with the Service. As many of the prison personnel are being challenged with issues of personal safety, long hours of duty, overcrowding etc. then staff levels of stress are beginning to reflect this. Knowing that Doug ran a course in stress management, the Brahma Kumaris arranged for the seminar to take place within the main prison.

About 30 officers and staff attended, including some of the managers. The session addressed a number of different coping strategies around the expression, ‘Where my attention goes, energy flows and life grows.’

Some of the key learning points are provided in a report on the seminar:

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