The joy of learning and teaching English, the multicultural and international nature of its activities, and its full commitment to the development of local communities – these are the hallmarks of the Polish Association of Teachers of “English Teaching” (OSA ET).
The association was established in 2015 based on the experience of Polish-American Freedom Foundation’s “English Teaching” program, which has been implemented by the Nidzica Development Foundation NIDA for 25 years. A group of teacher leaders – “English Teaching” Ambassadors – who implemented innovative projects, supported other novice teachers, participated in weekend training sessions and English Teaching Market meetings emerged from among the participants of this program. It was on their initiative that the Polish Association of Teachers of “English Teaching” (OSA ET) was established, which currently brings together over 100 English teachers from all over Poland.
“Over 1,300 participants of language camps for children and young people, over 70 volunteers from all over the world with whom we have worked and continue to work, nearly 50 scholarships awarded to first-year students, and over 80 schools visited by our native speakers – these are just some of the results of ten years of active work by the members of our association,” says Danuta Kamińska, president of OSA ET. “It is impossible to count all the initiatives and events in which we have participated as members of the association – but they all revolve around one overarching goal: we teach and learn English in a natural, often unconventional way – away from the school routine, textbooks, and grading,” she adds.
The OSA ET association continues and develops the “Native speaker in our school” initiative, implemented in cooperation with the “English Teaching” program. “Over the course of four years, we have managed to organize more than 80 visits by native speakers to rural schools throughout Poland,” emphasizes Dorota Starz, vice president of the association. “During these unique encounters with the living English language, hundreds of children from small rural schools had the opportunity – often for the first time in their lives – to talk to an English-speaking guest. It’s a great way to overcome the fear of speaking, and at the same time a chance to build confidence in oneself and one’s abilities. Such visits are always an amazing experience – both for the students and for the volunteers we work with.”
During its ten years of activity, the OSA ET association has also entered into a number of partnerships and agreements, which have resulted in, among other things, cooperation with the KPMG Foundation, thanks to which 30 people from low-income families in the Warmian-Masurian Province took part in language camps, and the Kościuszko Foundation, thanks to which OSA ET organizes language camps as part of the Teaching English in Poland (TEIP) initiative. The association also actively supports children and young people from war-torn Ukraine – for three years, it has welcome a group of 40 students from Zastawna, Ukraine, to its camps each year.
“The tenth anniversary of OSA ET was an excellent opportunity to summarize the association’s achievements to date and outline plans for the future,” sums up Justyna Kowalczyk, representing the Nidzica Development Foundation NIDA. The immediate plans include not only the continuation of language camps in Poland, but also abroad, and among them an intensive winter camp in London.
“By promoting the learning of English, ‘English Teaching’ stimulates and develops various social initiatives, and their effects often go beyond the original goal. We are proud that we were able to celebrate this wonderful anniversary together,” says Agnieszka Mazur, Program Director of the Polish-American Freedom Foundation.
