Last Friday, December 8, 2023, the AWF Katowice hosted the inauguration of the international, innovative Erasmus+ project BeMW – Be More Wise. We welcomed representatives of the Universities of the Third Age from Silesia, specifically from Łazy, Cieszyn, Bytom, Siewierz, Skoczów, and Bielsko-Biała. Additionally, among the attendees were Prof. Miroslava Pridalova (from Palacký University Olomouc), Ms. Iwona Szreter-Kulisz (Department of Education and Sports, City Hall of Katowice), distinguished Prof. Jan Ślężyński, Prof. Ilona Pokora, Prof. Anna Polak, Prof. Wiesław Garbaciak, Dr. Zbigniew Pawelak, Dr. Dariusz Pośpiech and International Relations Center Director, Msc Piotr Rodak. The grand opening of the project on behalf of the Rector of AWF Katowice was conducted by Vice-Rector for Education and Students, prof. Rajmund Tomik.

The lecture part began with an inaugural lecture presented by dr hab. Izabela Zając-Gawlak, prof. AWF Katowice - the project's precursor. She talked about the beginnings and scientific research as the basis for the work. The next speaker was a doctor of medical sciences PhD Anna Szczegielniak, specializing in psychiatry. The topic of the lecture was "What moves us? How motor, cognitive and emotional functions are linked in our brain?"

After the lecture part, there were movement workshops where participants learned a series of preparatory exercises for juggling, and smiles were evident on their faces. The purpose of these exercises is not only to improve coordination and memory but also the mood of seniors.

One of the final outcomes of the Be More Wise project will be a manual describing juggling exercises (in both print and digital versions), as well as instructional videos. All of this will become an excellent resource for those wishing to test the effectiveness of our project.