The purpose of the program is to equalize education opportunities of children and youth from villages and small towns. Under this program, groups of volunteer university students carry out projects that expand knowledge, skills, and personal interests of children and teenagers. The projects are carried out in free time during the school year and during summer and winter holidays.
They focus on a specific field of science, subject, or a selected scope of activity; these can be visual art classes, artistic classes, sport activities, IT classes, theater or language classes. The program encourages pupils to develop their skills by promoting positive role models and shaping university students’ sense of social responsibility and solidarity while providing them with an attractive way to discover and follow their passions.
Since 2003 more than 42,000 educational projects have been organized across Poland in about 3,100 schools with over 15,000 volunteer students, involving more than 445,000 pupils.
The program gained support from two former Prime Ministers: Professor Jerzy Buzek and Professor Marek Belka who, during the 2007 summer holidays, took on the role of volunteers and taught classes for school pupils in several rural communes. In 2012, in cooperation with the Chancellery of President Bronisław Komorowski, the Modern Patriotism project was carried out as part of the program where Chancellery Ministers and Advisors visited schools in small localities. The project was designed to stimulate discussion about patriotism, shaping citizen attitudes in young people, introducing them to national symbols and local traditions, as well as promoting respect and tolerance.
Since 2011 the projects carried out by volunteer students have been regularly monitored and evaluated. This is meant to both assess the direct results of the entire program and observe its long-term influence. The biggest benefits mentioned by student-volunteers include opportunities to acquire practical experience, develop communication skills, meet people, and an opportunity for their social activity to be seen and appreciated by their alma maters. The most important benefits of taking part in the “PROJECTOR” are emphasized by schools which mention: expanding the educational offer, increasing school attractiveness, and positive reception of the program by parents.
In the times of the COVID-19 pandemic the online format dominated program activities. As part of the “Make the Cut to Online Knowledge” campaign, “PROJECTOR” volunteers prepared inspiring multimedia educational materials that were later on used by learners, teachers, and parents. The initiative gained a lot of traction on social media; it reached nearly 450,000 viewers. Another initiative consisted in student-volunteers sharing their take-aways on the practical aspects of studying in 12 webinars which gathered an audience of more than 2,600 pupils preparing for their secondary school leaving exam across Poland.
In 2022, the program launched actions to support Ukrainian refugees. Almost 100 student-volunteers engaged in 590 projects for more than 3,000 Ukrainian children at 93 educational facilities (2,600 hours of instruction).
Between 2005 and 2010, the program was carried out by the Polish Association of Pedagogues and Animators “Klanza.” Until 2017 the program was managed by the Foundation for the Development of Voluntary Service.
The Foundation has disbursed $8,293,164, including $221,515 for the current edition.
