Student programmes
“Dialogue in the Dark” offers programmes specifically designed for groups of children. The contents are carefully prepared to respond to the needs of different ages, audiences ranging from elementary to senior high school students.
The focus is on students developing the following basic skills:
- Empathy and compassion – students learn about daily lives of blind and visually impaired people and their practices of interaction.
- Non-visual communication – students enhance their speaking and listening skills.
- Self-confidence – students overcome fears.
- Self-awareness – students better assess themselves and their capabilities.
During a highly interactive session, students will be introduced to various tools that help visually impaired people live a fulfilling life and will learn to rely more on their auditory skills, touching and smelling. They will capture the significance of interpersonal communication and teamwork, whose role is pivotal in unaccustomed environment. Having overcome initial discomfort and unexpected obstacles, our young visitors will leave us more confident in both themselves and their peers.
Anxiety, fears, doubts and hesitation, bullying, discrimination, indifference and virtual reality immersion… If endless talks concerning these issues bring no results,
take another perspective to look at the world and your true self.
Participant comments
It is so much fun perceiving, smelling things differently! As if I was taken to another world. Thank you for showing me the way blind people live!
Anikė, 25/07/17
Because the ability to see is taken for granted, we do not appreciate the light that surrounds us. When God created the Earth, there was darkness first, only then light was born. How could you know light without darkness? <…> “Dialogue in the Dark” made me rediscover the joy of experiencing light and realise its inseparability from darkness.
Greta (Kalvarijos Gymnasium), 25/07/17
The best thing that happened to me in the dark. Now I will close my eyes more often.
L. J.
It’s been beyond perfect!!!
Ema & the 6a (Vilnius Žirmūnai Gymnasium)
I really liked that the whole session was led by the girls with such comforting voices. Everything was really nice. I realised so clearly that people having visual impairments are just the same as us.
Rusnė (Vilnius Žemynos Progymnasium)
Thank you, it was truly dark but so good. I enjoyed the music!
Vakarė Marija S.
I will recommend to everyone! Really liked it! Thank you!
E. Mikolaitytė, 26/06/18
A fantastic trip to some special world that we saw with other eyes! ♡
Liepa & Andrėja
So much fun to see this world differently!
Saulė
It’s been a wonderful experience to enter the world of darkness and perceive it!
Morta
I started looking at the world in a totally different way!
Vakaris
Oh boy… A lot has changed in life.
Dominykas
Thank you, I will remember this experience for a long time.
Roberta (Vilnius Private Gymnasium)
So amazing that we will come back. For sure! We have lost our visible boundaries 😊
Third graders from Vilnius Waldorf school with their teacher & mothers
Thank you for a wonderfully spent time 😊 ♡ We’ve had so much fun.
Vilnius Žemynos Progymnasium
Darkness was a big fear of mine, but after visiting you I feel considerably calmer. Darkness can be truly joyful.
Smiltė, 11/05/19
I’m no longer afraid of darkness. A fantastic birthday! 😊
25/05/19
It was so entertaining and interesting to put myself in the blind’s shoes. Ten out of ten!
Laimonas
So fun, I’d like to come back here. ♡
Andrė
I was so afraid of the dark but after this visit I feel considerably more confident. Darkness can be a happy place 😊
Smiltė, 11/05/19
No doubts, a very good choice to celebrate the birthday here, it’s been great.
So much fun, I liked it, though there could’ve been more light – I didn’t see anything.
Aurėja
The 7th grade from VPG thanks you for the entertaining, interesting and exciting experience. We will definitely be back!!!
Thank you for a wonderful time. We’ve had so much fun 😊♡
Lukas Parchomenko, Markas Sakalauskas, Gabija, Rugilė, Edvinas, Paulius, Atėnė, Agnė, Justė, Urtė, Laurynas, Erikas, Austėja, Roberta, Elzė, Ignas, Edvardas, Augustas, Gustas, & their teacher Jurgita (7a from VŽP)
I loved it. Coming back to the light everything felt so bright that I even wanted to stay in darkness!♡
18/12/19
Tenth graders and their teachers from Ferdynand Ruszczyc Gymnasium say many thanks for the unexpected experiences, for the fun time and impressions that will never be forgotten.
19/01/20