The Wrocław Center for Social Development, in cooperation with the Saxony Office in Wrocław, the Regional Representation of the European Commission based in Wrocław and the University of Wrocław, cordially invites you to participate in the 6th Intercultural Education Fair entitled “Twists of Action in Education. Changes and Adaptations to the New Social and Cultural Situation“. Change and adaptation will be the main topic of this year’s edition of the Fair,organized on 23-25 September 2020 in Wrocław, Poland.
In addition to lectures and discussion panels that will be broadcast online from the Center for Jewish Culture and Education in the White Stork synagogue, we have planned, together with our partners, many accompanying events, which will be possible to take part in: workshops, seminars, Brave Cinema film screenings and meetings related to intercultural issues. To join the online broadcast go to our Fb event or Facebook profile Wielokultury Wrocław.
The main topic of this year’s edition of the Fair will be change and adaptation. Change is a natural feature of the world around us, and adaptation to the new reality is its inseparable element. It seems that the pandemic crisis caused the pace of change to accelerate even more – also in the area of intercultural education. The pandemic situation forced educators to react quickly – which, on the one hand, resulted in interesting solutions, and on the other hand, these reactions were not always accompanied by a deeper understanding of the problems. Therefore, it is important to be able to stop and think about what happened and consider possible scenarios for the future.
We would like the Fair to become a place – a stop, where we will reflect on what has happened to us in recent months and what may happen in the near future. We want to treat the crisis creatively: as a breakthrough that may become a source of new knowledge, experience and change for the better. We hope that we will learn the methods proven during the crisis in order to be able to face the future better and more efficiently. We will consider the change in a broad context: adaptation, adaptability of concepts, methods and attitudes to the present reality.
We care about talking, so we have planned many debates. We will take up the topic of intercultural education in a crisis situation, building intercultural relations that would go beyond the usual roles and divisions in favor of partnership and cooperation. We will ask about the role of education in building and maintaining the identity of national and ethnic minorities in Poland. We will look at minorities that, in the light of the adopted definitions, have not been considered minorities so far: migrants, multicultural families, as well as groups culturally diversified by gender, religion or age. We will raise an important topic of cooperation in the field of intercultural education in European cities and the possibility of children’s participation in politics – not the “big” one, but the local one, changing the immediate surroundings of everyday life. We will look at the experiences of universities in integrating foreign students and employees and we will try to deconstruct the myths about the new Ukrainian migration in our cities. There will also be many film and artistic surprises among the talks.
On the occasion of the Fair, it will also be possible to take part in accompanying events – workshops, seminars, film screenings and meetings related to intercultural issues.
The program and detailed information about registration and participation can be found on the website www.wielokultury.wroclaw.pl and the Facebook profile of Wielokultury Wrocław.
Participation in the Intercultural Education Fair and all accompanying events is free of charge. However, previous sign-ups are obligatory.
Registration for the Fair (panels and accompanying events): form
Registration for the workshop: e-mail addresses provided in the program
Program pdf: fair_program_2020_eng
PROGRAM | September 21 (Monday)
19.30-22.00 Brave Cinema screening: “Anthropocene”: The Human Epoch” and introduction before the film
Topics: environment, human domination over the Earth
Place: Wrocław, Lower Silesian Film Center, ul. Piłsudskiego 64a
“Anthropocene”
dir. Jennifer Baichwal / Edward Burtynsky / Nicholas de Pencier
distribution: Against Gravity
time: 87 ‘
language of introduction: Polish
language of film projection: various
subtitles: Polish and English
Introduction to the film: Aneta Osuch and Arkadiusz Wierzba (Fundacja Ekorozwoju) and Adam Kruk
Synopsis: From the concrete shores of China, which today covers as much as 60% of the Asian mainland coast, to the largest ground-based machinery ever built in Germany. From psychedelic potassium mines in the Russian Urals to metal containers in the city of Norilsk. From the devastated Great Barrier Reef in Australia to the surreal lithium ponds in the Atacama Desert. Filmed for four years with the use of the latest techniques and high-quality equipment, the film documents the forms and manifestations of human domination over the Earth.
We have entered an era in which human activity shapes our planet more than any natural force thus far. The Anthropocene became a reality since the 1950s and ousted the Holocene. The use of the term “human being” in the name is symbolic and has an important informational value – it makes people aware of the dangers and inspires reflection and further research. Are we able to kill nature? Is the Anthropocene the end of the human species? Or maybe the beginning of a new, not necessarily human at all?
Admission with a face coverings
PROGRAM | September 22 (Tuesday)
19.30-22.00 Screening of the Brave Cinema film “The Queen of Silence” and a conversation with the invited guest
Topics: Roma culture, children’s rights
Place: Wrocław, Lower Silesian Film Center, ul. Piłsudskiego 64a
“Queen of Ssilence”
dir. Agnieszka Zwiefka
distribution: Chilli Productions / HBO Polska
time: 80 ‘
language of film projection: Polish and Romani
subtitles: Polish
language of the meeting after the film: Polish
Description of the film: the film tells the story of a 10-year-old deaf-mute Denisa – a girl from an illegal Roma encampment – but also the story of the place itself threatened with eviction. Like the rest of the children from the encampment, Denisa has never been to school, cannot write or read, and lives in extremely difficult conditions, without running water, without constant access to electricity. The girl watches Bollywood choreographies all day and tries to recreate them. Since Denisa never learned to speak, dancing is her only language.
After the film: an interview with the director of the film – Agnieszka Zwiefka
Host of the meeting: Adam Kruk
Admission with a mask
PROGRAM | September 23 (Wednesday)
Place: The White Stork Synagogue, ul. Włodkowica 5a (main room)
8.30 Official opening of the 6th Intercultural Education Fair
9.00 Introductory lectures
Dorota Ogrodzka – Vice-president of the Association of Theater Pedagogues
Dr hab. Michał Bilewicz, Uniwersytet Warszawski
9:45 Break
10:00 Panel 1: Under the Pandemic’s Magnifying Glass: What We Learned about Ourselves and Intercultural Education in a Crisis Situation?
The pandemic has affected us all – as a group and individually. We want to start our journey to understand how it has influenced changes in education from an individual perspective. During this panel, we will examine, among others what has the time of the pandemic changed in us? How has it influenced our moods and habits? We will also check what surprised us, what was helpful? What emotions are worth working individually or together to feel the strength and willingness to act? We will look at this situation from different perspectives – teacher, educator, parent and child. We will use good practices and tools – local, intercity and international. We will try to name this experience, draw conclusions and look at the possibilities that this change opens in us.
Moderator: Sławomir Prusakowski (psychologist, SWPS University of Humanities and Social Sciences, Wrocław)
Panelists:
Jolanta Graczyk-Ogdem (Chairwoman of the Committee for the Protection of Children’s Rights in Poznań)
Anna Lechowska (President of the Association for Children and Youth SZANSA in Głogów)
Kamila Kamińska-Sztark (President of the Critical Education Association, Rector’s Plenipotentiary for social responsibility, University of Wroclaw)
11.30 Break
12.00 Panel 2: More than Roles – Building an Intercultural Relationships at School
No one should be alone in school, family or group. We function in networks of various relationships. This network can provide us with a sense of security, especially in situations of change, anxiety and uncertainty.
During this panel, we will look at the need to build a relationship with the child in the education process. We will ask if and how building relationships affects effective work with the child, what are the stages and where to start. We will look at the perspectives of the relationship between a student, teacher and parent. We will examine the impact of such relationships on building trust.
We will learn about working methods based on building relationships taken from non-formal education, we will try to embed them in everyday school practice and in the new experience of working on-line. Panel participants will learn about specific tools of work on building an understanding and relieving tensions in the intercultural environment.
Moderator: Joanna Wajda (Fundacja Dom Pokoju, Wrocław)
Panelists:
Dorota Ogrodzka (Association of Theater Pedagogues, Warszawa)
Dr Hania Fedorowicz (President of the European Institute for Community Conflict Resolution, Salzburg)
Magdalena Szymańska (Go’n’Act Foundation, Wrocław)
13.30 Break
14.00 Panel 3: From Minority to Multiplicity
The notion of minorities, which is customarily identified with ethnicity and nationality, is clearly changing and expanding today. “Minority” becomes a word that more and more often refers to groups that are culturally diversified also by gender, religion or age. In this context, the division “minority” – “majority” loses its importance – each of us is different, being part of a diverse whole.
In this panel, we will talk about the dynamics and changes in the approach to minorities in the city – including schools. We will look at the changing definitions of minorities in education over the past three decades. We will ask about specific groups that, in the light of the adopted definitions, have not been considered minorities so far (migrants, repatriates, Poles returning from abroad, multicultural families).
We will also compare the different experiences of people living in a culturally diverse environment every day. How do we express and communicate our diversity in the public space? What should we emphasize in social dialogue: should we emphasize our otherness or should we look for what is common and universal? If so, what could this universality be? Finally, we will ask about radical and moderate attitudes: how to speak to make a dialogue possible? What is the difference between being firm and radical? How do you talk about it at school? What methods will be the most effective in the fight for minority rights in reaching the so-called most?
Moderator: Dr. Albert Miściorak (Wrocław Center for Social Development / Intercultural Dialogue Team)
Panelists: Dr Izabela Czerniejewska (Migrant Info Point, Poznań)
Dr Katarzyna Jaśko (Department of Social Psychology, Jagiellonian University in Cracow)
Bartłomiej Ciążyński (Social Advisor to the Mayor of Wrocław for Tolerance and Counteracting Xenophobia)
15.30 Break
15.45 Panel 4: A Short History of a Long Road: Interviews with Representatives of National and Ethnic Minorities – as part of the 15th anniversary of the Act on National and Ethnic Minorities and Regional Language
Education is one of the most important areas for preserving the identity of national and ethnic minorities in Poland. The current system of minority education organization creates theoretically wide opportunities for teaching minority and regional languages as well as other activities aimed at preserving the identity of pupils belonging to minorities, but they are not always used in practice. Minority groups in Poland teaching minority subjects have developed many ways that allow them to achieve their educational goals, and at the same time have for years indicated problems with access to teaching subjects serving to preserve the identity of national and ethnic minorities.
During the panel, we will try to summarise the current state of affairs in minority and multicultural education and show good educational practices as well as personal reflection that can facilitate the integration of children from various multicultural and multilingual backgrounds in schools.
The debate will be accompanied by an on-line presentation summarising 15 years of minority education in Poland.
Thanks to the presence of a special guest from Saxony, we will also learn about the experiences of our neighbors, which will allow us to exchange good practices and compare different paths of development of minority education.
Moderator: Mariola Abkowicz (Union of Polish Karaims)
Panelists:
Małgorzata Milewska (Ministry for Internal Affairs and Administration, specialist in Roma education)
Grzegorz Kuprianowicz (Chairman of the Joint Commission of the Government and National and Ethnic Minorities, Ukrainian minority)
Rafał Bartek (former Chairman of the Joint Commission of the Government and National and Ethnic Minorities, German minority)
Piotr Kwapisiewicz (Jewish Association Czulent, Jewish minority)
Special guest from Saxony: dr. Beata Brězanowa / Dr. Beate Brězan (head of the “WITAJ” Language Center in Bautzen, the Lusatian Association “Domowina”, the Lusatian minority in Germany)
17.15 End
19.30-22.00 Brave Cinema screening: “The Taste of Pho” and a conversation with the invited guest (Polish)
(topics: minorities in Poland, migrations)
Place: Wrocław, Lower Silesian Film Center, ul. Piłsudskiego 64a
“The taste of pho”
dir. Mariko Bobrik
distribution: Five Flavors
time: 84 ‘
language of film projection: Polish
subtitles: Polish and English
language of the meeting after the film: Polish
Description of the film: A film about the Vietnamese community in Poland. Ten-year-old Maja hides from her classmates the traditional lunch that her father prepares every morning – a Vietnamese cook, an outstanding pho soup specialist, trying to find his own way in the speeding Warsaw reality. When his longtime boss returns to his native country, the protagonist will have to face the requirements of the new restaurant owner: mastering new culinary skills is a much smaller challenge than raising an increasingly adult and extremely observant daughter on his own.
Meeting with the lead actor – Thang Long Do
Host of the meeting: Adam Kruk
Admission with a face covering
PROGRAM | September 24 (Thursday)
Place: The White Stork Synagogue, ul. Włodkowica 5a (main room)
In front of the Synagogue: Café Hoffnung (Hope) from Saxony
9.00 Welcome
9.15 Panel 5: Virtual Bridges – Multiculturalism and Communication with the Use of New Technologies at School
In the last two decades, we have experienced technological changes that have entailed a whole galaxy of new forms of communication with (and under the influence of which) language evolves faster and faster. As never before, remote communication in real time, using image and sound, enters not only our personal or, occasionally, professional life. It becomes the main work space, replacing classrooms and spaces known from the current school. Multitasking brings many emotions and shows in a new light the pedagogical, ethical and psychological problems known from analog reality, which is why we will talk about ways of dealing with them in remote work and with the use of new solutions. Will it be possible to develop better standards of group work and greater sensitivity to discrimination and hate speech despite the limitations? Panellists with experience in intercultural education will exchange experiences related to specific tools and methods of work.
Moderator: Dr. Margaret Amaka Ohia-Nowak (University of Warsaw)
Panelists: Bogumiła Mandat (director of Secondary School No. 15 in Wrocław)
Aneta Osuch (EkoRozwoj Foundation)
Aleksandra Thannhäuser (Primary School No. 90 in Wrocław)
10.45 Break
11.15 Panel 6: Wrocław on the Intercultural Routes of Europe
European countries with a high number of migrants have for many years developed strategies and tools for supporting the integration and education of newcomers. In the panel we will look at the experiences of different parts of Europe in integrating migrants into social life. On the one hand, we will talk about the education of foreign-language children and youth, which consisted of systemic activities, but also methods of non-formal education. On the other hand, we will consider how the civic education of adults in Europe, who also undergo the educational process in the new country, learn about unknown cultural norms and codes. Finally, we will ask if our city is following the previously trodden path or has it developed its own local solutions?
Moderator: Eirini Aivaliotou (Research Assistant, University of Wroclaw)
Panelists: Anna Stahl-Czechowska (agitPolska e.V., EAF Berlin. Diversity in Leadership)
Prof. Dr. Rinus Penninx (University of Amsterdam)
12.45 Break
13.15 Panel 7: Debate with children and youth from the Brave Kids project “I’m Changing the World. How Children and Young People Can Change the World Every Day?
Janusz Korczak said that one should say “not to children, but with children” and that children think differently than adults, because “a child cannot think “as an adult”, but can consider serious adult issues as a child; lack of knowledge and experience forces them to think differently”. We will experience this during the intergenerational dialogue of young participants of the Brave Kids project with adults. It will be a multi-threaded conversation about contemporary challenges and possibilities to change the world for the better – not only in big politics, but also in your immediate surroundings – in your school, class, backyard or family. Adults and children will try to name the current challenges and changes in their own languages. In addition, they will share their dreams about possible scenarios for the future …
Brave Kids is an artistic and educational project carried out in Wrocław since 2009 by the Pieśń Kozła Theater Culture Association. The main assumption of artistic work based on the principle of “children teach children” is to discover not only your talents, but also your cultural identity. The effect of the annual editions are colorful and multicultural performances.
Moderator: Katarzyna Stoparczyk
Participants: Children and youth from the Brave Kids project
Katja Meier (Saxon Minister of Justice and Democracy, Europe and Gender Equality, Dresden)
Andrzej Stefański (Chief Social Coordinator in the Ombudsman for Human Rights Warsaw)
Jacek Wasik (Director of the Regional Representation of the European Commission in Wrocław)
Jarosław Delewski (Director of the Department of Education, The Municipality of Wroclaw)
14.45 Break
15.15 Panel 8: The Women Ambassadors of Ukrainian Culture in Poland in a Conversation about the Cultural, Educational and Social Challenges in Their Communities
The actions for the benefit of Ukrainian communities in Poland are very often led by women. They observe how migrants manage to find themselves out in new situations, examine how they live in the local environment, and diagnose migration phenomena at the national level.
We will talk with the leaders of the Ukrainian community about the phenomenon of Ukrainian migration from different perspectives: the “old” and “new” migration (we will consider, among others, whether the migrants who came to Poland in 2013-2014 have different goals than the newcomers in 2018- 2020), adaptation and integration (how do new residents of Ukrainian origin find themselves in Wrocław, Kraków, Przemyśl, Warsaw? How do their children cope in schools and kindergartens? How are their parents dealing with it?). We will also talk about the myths about adaptation in Poland and we will try to deconstruct them together.
In the second part of the discussion, we will ask if, as leaders / activists in their cities, they have to “break down the door”, or is the local government a support for them? Who helps them and with what effectiveness (institutions, programs, NGOs)? What actions are they taking to counteract intolerance? Finally, we will ask about the challenges and problems related to activities for the benefit of the Ukrainian community.
Moderator: Olga Chrebor – Plenipotentiary of the Mayor of Wrocław for Inhabitants of Ukrainian Origin
Aleksandra Zapolska (Zustricz Foundation, Cracow)
Katarzyna Komar-Macyńska (Ukrainian House in Przemyśl, Union of Ukrainians in Poland, Przemyśl)
Myrosława Keryk (Ukrainian House in Warsaw, Nasz Wybir Foundation, Warsaw)
Yelyzaveta Nahorna (CUKR, Ukraine Foundation, Wrocław)
16.45 Technical break
16.50-18.00 Final Brave Kids show for Wrocław (online) and Brave Kids happening in the Synagogues courtyard – an intercultural artistic show of Wrocław children and youth participating in this year’s 11th edition of Brave Kids 2020
17.15 End of events in the Synagogue
Accompanying events
16.30 Theatrical performance “Cicho” (Regional Representation of the European Commission based in Wrocław and the Układ Formalny Theater)
Place: Wrocławski Teatr Współczesny, ul. Rzeźnicza 12
19.30-22.00 Screening of the Brave Cinema “Eldorado” and an interview with invited guests (English) (topics: migrations, the situation of refugees in Europe)
Place: Wrocław, DCF, ul. Piłsudskiego 64a
“Eldorado”
dir. Markus Imhoff
distribution: Against Gravity
time: 90 ‘
screening language of the film: German
subtitles: Polish and English
language of the meeting after the movie: English
About the film: a documentary about migrations during WWII and today. When Markus Imhoof (“More Than Honey”), a film director born in 1941, was a young boy living in Switzerland, his parents took home a young Italian refugee named Giovanna. But global politics separated the two children. Memories of these events prompted him to refer to the current refugee policy in Europe. A film questioning the current system of organized refugee assistance, which reduces them to the role of victims and crushes them into a vicious circle of economic interests. This is what the EU Eldorado looks like.
Meeting with guests: Patrycja Matusz (Vice-Rector of the University of Wrocław, Ph.D., prof. Prof. UWr) and Jacek Olejnik, psychologist and former diplomat at the Polish Embassy in Israel, expert of the Tikkunology Foundation
Host of the meeting: Adam Kruk
Admission with a face coverings
PROGRAM | September 25 (Friday)
Place: The White Stork Synagogue, ul. Włodkowica 5a (main room)
9.00 Welcome
9.15 Panel 9: Diversity Management: Foreigners at Polish Universities
Polish universities are very much involved in activities aimed at attracting students and lecturers from around the world. Internationalization is one of the main tasks faced by Polish universities. It is worth considering what strategies universities are building to attract foreigners? How do they help foreign students, PhD students and lecturers find their place in Polish reality?
The panel will be an opportunity to ask important questions about the challenges related to diversity management in the Polish academy. We will try to understand better what is the role of universities in using the potential of foreign students and employees and its impact on the decision about their professional life and settlement in Poland.
Moderator: dr hab. prof, Patrycja Matusz (Vice-Rector of the University of Wroclaw, Dr hab. prof. UWr)
Panelists: dr hab. Konrad Pędziwiatr (University of Economics, Cracow)
dr Marta Pachocka (Warsaw School of Economics)
Barbara Skalacka-Harrold (University of Wrocław)
10.45 Break
11.15 Summary of the Intercultural Education Fair
12.15 Break
12.30 Artistic performance by Bente Kahan
13.00 End
Accompanying events