The handover of the seals to the Warsaw Family Assistance Center took place on July 7. From the Embassy of Japan, Akira Tajima, consul, and Seiji Masuda, second secretary, were present. From MUW: Prof. Paweł Włodarski, Vice Rector for International Relations, Development and Promotion, and Dorota Włodarczyk, MD, PhD, head of the Health Psychology Study Center. The ceremony was also attended by: Tatsuo Shibata of the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) and representatives of international organizations cooperating with the Warsaw Family Assistance Center (IOM and UNHCR). The guests were welcomed by Izabela Zabielska, Deputy Director of the Warsaw Family Assistance Center, and Dr. Magdalena Łazarewicz of the Health Psychology Study Center MUW.
After the official part, Warsaw Family Assistance Center staff took part in a workshop on robot use, led by Dr. Łazarewicz. MUW specialists will also advise the center in its ongoing work with PARO robots and conduct research on the effectiveness of implemented interventions.
Prof. Paweł Włodarski: - Every university should serve three functions: to educate, to conduct research, and to influence the social environment. I hope that by providing expertise on how to use PARO most effectively, our university will support those who will use PARO's help.
MUW and the PARO seals
Our experience with the seals goes back to the end of May 2022. At that time, two seals came into the care of the University Counselling Services MUW and the Health Psychology Study Center MUW. They were donated by the Embassy of Japan as part of its assistance to Ukraine. A strategy for using PARO to work with refugees was also developed by a team coordinated by Dr. Magdalena Łazarewicz, in cooperation with Prof. Takanori Shibata, the founder of PARO. The seals have already helped in kindergartens and elementary schools, as well as in therapy and integration centers for people from Ukraine, among others.
- Our work to date with PARO shows that the robot improves emotional state and reduces anxiety and tension, both in children and adults - says Dr. Magdalena Łazarewicz. - The seals also perform functions that improve interactions, facilitate social communication, and build trust in the environment. They accelerate integration and facilitate relationship building - Dr. Łazarewicz adds.
Read more about MUW's activities with PARO seals:
Two PARO robots come to WUM. They will be used for psychological work with refugees from Ukraine
What a PARO seal can do. Meeting with a Japanese scientist at MUW
