“Our actions (…) wouldn’t have such a value but for you – people who offer their energy, new ideas and priceless contribution of their time every day,” Kamil Wrzos, the Director of “PROJECTOR” program said during the final gala of the 19th round of the “PROJECTOR” program that took place in Nałęczów on September 21-22, 2024.
The slogan of the event was Relationship Space. Educational Enterprise Foundation President Dr. Zofia Sapijaszka pointed to the significance of building relationships, saying that: “People are social beings, they build relationships to belong to a community. It is in our genes. Relationships are the tissue of community if they are of permanent nature and if they are based on values. Building such relations is a process which takes time, needs engagement and willingness to improve ourselves and cultivate the ties we have with the others.”
The results of the 19th round of the “PROJECTOR” program are impressive: 692 volunteers who have conducted 3675 hours of classes for 7995 children, 1489 educational projects at 245 schools all over Poland.
All those whose passion, engagement and constant drive to develop have contributed to that success were honored during the Final Gala. The following nine most engaged people were selected from the group of “PROJECTOR” volunteers: Adrian Klonowski, Dominika Słowińska, Marcelina Zielińska, Ilona Pińczak, Wiktoria Drzygaluk, Kacper Świerczek, Oliwia Dubowik, Marcin Aleksiejuk and Agnieszka Pawłowska.
Their motivations to carry out social activity for the benefit of children in villages and small towns are as varied as inspiring. Some of them wanted to share their knowledge with younger generations, others wanted to change the world to be a better place to live, and still others appreciated the power of joint acting.
“When I am thinking about my “why”, I have a quotation in my mind that says: “Do whatever you want as long as you know why,” Marcelina Zielińska explained. “That ‘why’ question enhances my “I want” and drives me to act. ‘PROJECTOR’ offers values that facilitate finding answer to my ‘why’ question, which make my ‘want’ natural and effortless.”
In turn Agnieszka Pawłowska noted that social actions can unite people. “I can see that in my students – when they work together to solve a problem, they also overcome the difficulties in communication and cooperation. And that is what I find extremely beautiful.”
Mentioned were also the following people involved in racking miles on bike under the odLOTTOwa jazda project of Halina Konopacka LOTTO Foundation: Izabela Jaskólska, Marcin Michalik and Wiktoria and Kamila Leoniak. In summer the “PROJECTOR” community participated in an unusual bike adventure entering that national contest. Although they didn’t manage to win, they rode almost 62,000 km. Their result is impressive – it is equal to almost one and half Earth circumferences.
The guest of the event were: PAFF and UW School of Education Director Jolanta Sujecka-Zając, “Equal Opportunities” Program Director Paweł Walecki, and Polish-American Freedom Foundation Program Officer Mirosław Czyżewski.
The host of the meeting was Milena Trela, for mant years a volunteer and now an ambassador and a member of the “PROJECTOR” Program Team.
