The program about emotions for the ninth graders was surprisingly calm, informative and interactive. Everyone was eager to reflect on topics that they probably wouldn’t have chosen on their own. Viktoria managed to create a safe space in which everyone could work with their own emotions.
Which pleasant and unpleasant emotions you know? Let’s go! Which team can come up with more examples?
I was honestly expecting great noise, loud laughter and giggling during the program called “On the Wave of Emotions”, which was led by Viktoria Zemanova in the class of ninth graders.
To my surprise, all 11 boys and 4 girls were utterly disciplined! The boys would certainly not have voluntarily chosen emotions as a topic for personal sharing. I was all the more intrigued how enthusiastically they participated. Their answers and ideas were thoughtful and completely authentic.
Viktoria made the program in a way that naturally created pleasant and safe atmosphere for sharing. Emotions are neither easy to understand nor to explain, which made me appreciate all the more how ingeniously Viktoria chose questions, leading the boys and girls to cooperate.
“You are called to the blackboard unexpectedly.” “You had a fight with a friend and she wants to publish your awkward photos.” How to behave in such tense situations?
The first simply “exercise on emotions”, where the teenagers had to match themselves to a suitable picture on a “mood” scale, was just a warm-up. A kind of “ice-breaker”, hence aptly named “The Ice-breaker”. It indeed helped for the start. The more activities, the higher level of cooperation and it was obvious that pupils were enjoying the game and the topic.
When Viktoria started talking about fear – a common source of our emotions, everyone was evidently interested. She explained what fear is, its different manifestations and reactions to it. For better understanding, she enhanced everything with a group activity.
It can surprise you but even in the program about emotions the pertinent biblical verse can be used. And the teenagers also acknowledged that it was absolutely true. The quote says: “For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do.”
Viktoria has really honed examples which resonate with today’s times and youth and their experiences. The girls and boys then reacted all the more and added various personal examples.
One could see how much the teenagers liked the practical breath exercise. The activity called “What I do / do not have in my own hands?” helped them to realize that we often stress ourselves and worry about things and events we can’t influence. It takes away unnecessary fears.
I personally liked the statement that the world is black-and-white and emotions add colors to it, which means that emotions are not bad.
Thanks to this program, these ninth graders could become more aware of their emotions, how to work with them and how to set boundaries. I believe that these skills will help them to better cope with their emotions in everyday life.
Hana Nedvedicka, the Executive Director of INCZ
