Social Skills – CESIE

Visual images and body mimicry

During this session we organized an informal discussion with the participants. Every participant shared what they do to calm down when difficult situations arise and the trainer shared strategies to cope with stress and difficult situation. The participant and trainer also reflect on the importance to accept that daily stress is unavoidable and the best way to overcome it is to apply different coping strategies.

The methodology used in this module is based on the use of visual images to express and indicate one’s emotions, perceptions and points of view.

In a context where most of the women involved do not have a good command of the language of the country of arrival it has been beneficial to use images that express different feelings and emotions. Each participant from a series of handouts where different emotions were depicted  could choose the emotions that best represent themselves in different moments of their life and they could also draw or identify from further handouts that have been given to them which coping strategies best fit their needs.

The trainer also suggests to play charades to express different emotions. Sharing a feeling or explaining a concept accompanied by body mimicry and reproducing movements created greater involvement and also help the participants to better understand the content of the lesson.

Feedback from participant(s) or trainer:

I really enjoy this activity because I have the opportunity to learn in an interactive way. It was funny to play charades and I also learn how to express different emotions in Italian.

The most important thing I learned during the workshop is to apply coping strategies when I feel stressed. Some strategies are simple to apply (es: go for a walk or spend time with a friend) but during this lesson I reflect on the importance of these simple activities to relieve stress