In many moments of life, a person does not need grand words or complicated actions.
What is needed most is the presence of another human being.
The Gdańsk School of Accompanying is an educational initiative of the "Ostatnia Warta" Foundation, created out of the need to pass on knowledge, experience, and a mature way of being with another person.
It is a space for formation, reflection, and practical preparation for people who want to help responsibly, wisely, and with full respect for human dignity—both through conversation and presence, and through joint activities.
Gdańsk School of Accompanying – an official event celebrating the International Year of Volunteers for Sustainable Development (IVY 2026)
We are honored to announce that our original training cycle has received the patronage of the Director of the National Institute of Freedom - Centre for the Development of Civil Society (NIW-CRSO) as part of the IVY 2026 celebrations. Through this initiative, over 40 hours of classes with educators and psychologists, we diligently prepare a group of volunteers to accompany people at the end of life (as "end-of-life doulas"). This distinction confirms that the project directly aligns with the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals, promoting solidarity and professional social support.
In a world that increasingly runs away from difficult topics, we want to create a space that restores the meaning of:
The Gdańsk School of Accompanying was conceived as a place where a person can not only gain knowledge but also mature into being with another person in a responsible and calm manner.
We teach that helping does not always mean taking action. Sometimes the greatest support is a calm, conscious presence by someone's side.
But we also teach that presence can be expressed through simple, shared activities that restore meaning, rhythm, and a sense of agency.
Within the Gdańsk School of Accompanying, we want to develop a program that includes, among other things:
An important element of the program is occupational therapy workshops, understood not only as a form of activation but as a space for meeting, building relationships, and restoring a person's sense of agency.
We teach that action can also be a form of presence.
Not every presence is expressed through conversation.
Sometimes a person needs shared activity more than words. Something that restores the rhythm of the day, gives a sense of meaning, and allows them to forget what is difficult for a moment.
That is why, as part of the Gdańsk School of Accompanying, we are also developing an approach based on occupational therapy workshops.
We understand them as a space for:
These can be simple, calm, and very human activities—those that help regain a rhythm, agency, and the feeling of still being part of the world.
Because sometimes the most important thing isn't what we say.
The most important thing is that we are together—in action, in silence, in simply being.
We teach that presence can also be expressed through action.
Because sometimes being together starts with the simplest things.
The "Ostatnia Warta" Foundation is preparing a program of training sessions, courses, and workshops that will allow participants to gain knowledge and practical competencies in accompanying the sick, the lonely, the elderly, and those at the end of life.
We want participants not only to acquire knowledge but also to develop maturity, gentleness, and a readiness for responsible presence with another person.
Course participants will be able to obtain:
Confirming the acquisition of competencies in non-medical support for the sick, the dying, and their families.
In the future, the program of the Gdańsk School of Accompanying will also be developed to include more practical forms—including workshops, formation meetings, and activities based on occupational therapy and activation through presence.
Important: The entire income from the sale of our courses and training exclusively funds the statutory goals of the "Ostatnia Warta" Foundation. By choosing education with us, you are actively helping our Patients!
The program of the Gdańsk School of Accompanying is aimed at people who:
It is also a space for all those who feel that today's world needs more people capable of a calm, mature, and faithful presence.
We believe that society today needs people who can be present with another human being not only with words but also with calm, wise action.
The Gdańsk School of Accompanying is an invitation to this path—a path of presence, attentiveness, and responsible closeness.
If you feel that the presence of another human being matters, we invite you to stand watch together.
If you want to grow in the area of accompanying the sick, lonely, elderly, and those at the end of life, sign up to receive information about the first training sessions, courses, and workshops.
Because presence can also be learned.
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