Nearly 130 young leaders working for the benefit of the Polish diaspora in fifteen countries all around the world took part in the 4th edition of the project called ‘The School for Leaders for the Polish Community Abroad’, which was organised by the School for Leaders.
In 2012, the project featured seven events that have taken place in Poland, Brazil, Republic of Ireland, Russia and the UK. The purpose of the training programme was to promote the development of leadership skills among the young generation of activists connected with Polish diaspora. Additionally, the goal was both to provide encouragement for more effective actions, and to provide the opportunity to enhance cooperation between organisations operating in Poland and for leaders of other areas.
The programme for each of the events was adjusted to cater to the characteristics and needs of the Polish diaspora in each region. The agenda consisted not only of intensive workshops focused on improving public speaking skills, forming partnerships with local organisations or team management issues, but also of study visits and lectures designed to shed some light on the economic and cultural situation in contemporary Poland. Moreover, there were numerous meetings with representatives of local authorities, Polish diplomatic establishments, organisations promoting Poland outside the country (e.g. The Adam Mickiewicz Institute), and Polish institutions that handle matters of cooperation with Poles living abroad – such as a meeting with Janusz Cisek, the vice-minister of Foreign Affairs, and with the Emigration Affairs and Contacts with Poles Abroad Committee.
Participants consisted of groups of people actively engaging both to enhance the image of Poland and to benefit the Polish diaspora in any given territory. The participants included people dealing with charity, politics, culture promotion (contemporary and of a more traditional kind), and the preservation of national heritage. There were also representatives from student organisations, the media and business corporations. Three of the organised events were parts of the Alumni of the School for Leaders for the Polish Community Abroad Programme (created in 2010), the purpose of which was to reinforce the results obtained during the training, further education of Alumni and information exchange among leaders from various parts of the world.
284 representatives of Polish diaspora from 5 continents
School for Leaders for the Polish Community Abroad Programme has been repeatedly carried out by School for Leader Associations since 2009. So far 284 young and dynamic representatives of Polish communities have taken part in the project. They came from 30 countries on 5 continents (South America, North America, Australia, Asia and Europe). The major goals of the project are as follows: to boost participants’ leadership competence, to consolidate their bonds with Poland, to provide tools and incentives for further actions, and civic education the ultimate aim of which is to encourage conscious efforts for the benefit of Polish environments and local undertaking in the countries in which expats currently reside. Having graduated from the School for Leaders, the participants are invited to take part in Alumni of the School for Leaders for the Polish Community Abroad Programme.
School for Leaders
The School for Leaders was established in the summer of 1994 at the incentive of Oxford Professor, Zbigniew Pełczyński. In February 1997, due to our project becoming independent, the School for Leaders Association was created. The association was on a national scale. Our goal is to support the growth of civil society through assisting and educating leaders whose field of expertise revolves around non-governmental organisations, local authorities, political parties and the public sphere in general. Our projects are meant for people from different political and social fractions. Eighteen years of conducting the project has meant that many of our alumni becoming members of European Parliament, or that they preside over divergent organisations and social initiatives all over the world. More detailed information is available on the webpage: School For Leaders for the Polish Community Abroad.
In 2012 the School for Leaders for the Polish Community Abroad project and the Alumni of the School for Leaders for the Polish Community Abroad Programme was financed by ministry of Foreign Affairs. Ever since the two projects were created, both the Department for Cooperation with the Polish Community Abroad (since the 30th July the Department of Cooperation with the Polish Community Abroad and the Poles who live abroad) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Polish diplomatic posts support it both in substantive and financial terms.
For more details regarding the project contact:
Magdalena Mazur
Paweł Cieślak
pawel.cieslak@szkola-liderow.pl
The project is funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland.
Photo © Alumni meeting in Białobrzegi- School for Leaders