On March 21-23, the Lane Kirkland Program scholarships holders met in Kraków on a third reunion organized for the participants of the Program 2017/18 round. Such periodic meetings of Kirklanders studying in five academic centers in Poland allow them to broaden their knowledge, strengthen their contacts and learn about Polish culture.
The meeting in Kraków started in the Aula of Collegium Maius, where the scholarship holders were welcomed by Prof. Armen Edigarian, UJ Vice-Rector for Educational Affairs. Next, Prof. Mirosław Stec, the Head of UJ Local Government Law Department, gave a lecture on the constitutional and local government reform.
On the next day the Kirklanders visited Radio Kraków – their visit gave them an opportunity to learn about the work at a regional broadcaster and the operation of public media. During that visit some of the Kirklanders – Ivane Kopadze from Georgia, Yauhen Furs from Belarus, Elina Moroz from Ukraine – and Agata Wierzbowska-Miazga, President of the Leaders of Change Foundation, were interviewed on the Lane Kirkland Program by Mariusz Bartkowicz, a Radio Kraków journalist.
The scholarship holders participated also in a number of meetings with representatives of the Marshal Office of Małpopolskie Province, and NGOs – Dawid Puszko, the Vice-director of the Management Board Office, informed them on the structure and scope of responsibilities of the Marshal Office; Małgorzata Dulak, the Manager of the Team for NGOs, spoke about the principles of cooperation of the Marshal Office with NGO sector, and Katarzyna Konewecka-Hołuj of Beautiful Angels Association told them about fundraising methods and the most important projects carried out by the Association.
On the last day the scholarship holders visited the International Cultural Center, and then the Old Town.
The congress in Kraków was the next-to-last meeting in the present round; the last one will take place in Lublin on May 13-15.
