Imagine a university without deans, professors, bursars, and faculties... imagine a university located in the beautiful countryside, surrounded by a landscape of forests, meadows, and lakes...it's a feat of imagination, isn't it?
The GOCC University is a place dedicated to training volunteers who decided to join the ranks of Peace Patrol. You will learn how to successfully build a team, solve difficult tasks, and work out if you are fit to become a leader. You will learn how to administer first aid, and how to behave in a crisis. The courses are intense, and apart from learning a lot about CPR and event management and safety of a mass event you are bound to learn a lot about yourself and you will surely get to experience new things and make some friends for life.
If you are after a great team-building retreat for your company, Szadowo Młyn might just be the ticket!
- Why do we need to have such a training centre?
First aid training and education is listed as one of the statutory aims of the foundation, and courses held in Szadowo Młyn are one of the ways we achieve this goal. We have also struck up a collaboration programme with AHA and with the Centre for Emergency Medicine in Pittsburgh. As a result of our collaboration we were able to introduce CPR Heartsaver/ AED and First Aid courses into our curriculum. That's why we needed a designated location, where we could invite both young and old to take part in training.
- What is the story behind the GOCC University?
The idea of establishing a venue for the members of the Peace Patrol to meet dates back to year 2000. Woodstock Festival Poland was to be held in Lębork, and the fact that the festival plans did not come to fruition became an incentive for the foundation to organise a volunteer meeting in Nestorówka. It was a big social success - with 200 people in attendance and musical acts performing on stage - and an educational triumph - because impromptu first aid lectures and presentations from our friends from GOPR and PCK enjoyed as much interest as concerts. We were quick to act and soon after, in November 2000 we held a formal training course in Mielno-Unieście. The participants received Peace Patrol and Polish Red Cross certification.
Thus, we began a series of meetings, which took us to different locations across the country. We decided to meet with the members of the Peace Patrol. Our friends from Bielsko-Biała branch of Polish Red Cross took over first aid training and we decided to add some survival and outdoor activities into the mix, establishing a successful formula of programme: medical first response course combined with team building exercises. Soon enough, we knew that we need a venue to hold courses on regular basis...the rest is now history!
We asked our friends in Poland for help and Mayor of Kwidzyn, a town in northern Poland, invited us to find a calm port in Szadowo Młyn. The landscape surrounding the old water mill is that of pure beauty - perfect for survival training and remote enough to limit any distractions (even mobile coverage is scarce there!) and ensure that the participants are focused on the tasks at hand.
Since its inauguration, Szadowo Młyn has hosted over 7000 guests and is still welcoming new members of the Peace Patrol family.
