Fundacja im. ks. Siemaszki (Father Siemaszko Foundation)

Fundacja im. ks. Siemaszki (Father Siemaszko Foundation) was established in Cracow on Długa Street in 1991. The centre was opened for young people with economic, family-based and educational problems. It was a place for them to spend time together and develop their skills, talents and interests. They were offered pedagogical care, help with their homework and catching up on missed subjects. They were also given warm meals. That was also the place where they encountered the first voluntary programme carried out by the Foundation. The project has been developed since 1996 in cooperation with the German organisation Aktion Suehnezeichen Friedensdienste (Action Reconciliation Service for Peace). The German volunteers started coming to Poland and, in turn, the Polish volunteers were taking part in the projects carried out in Germany and Great Britain. From the very beginning, we tried to complement the basic school education with the knowledge about Europe, its diversity and cultural richness. We encouraged young people to learn foreign languages. As a result of the organisational changes, the headquarters of the Foundation were moved to the Educational Centre "Radosna Nowina 2000" located in Piekary nearby Kraków. The core part of the Centre is the secondary school – intended especially for talented but unwealthy young people looking for support in continuing their education. Apart from that, the Foundation organises extracurricular courses for children and the youth living in surrounding towns and villages who, for various reasons, don’t have an opportunity to attend any additional language, sport or art courses in Kraków. The Centre gives them a chance to participate in English, Russian and German courses run by foreign volunteers. They can attend pottery, art, dance and chess classes and take part in various sport activities. What is more, our graduates run additional lessons for the pupils who have difficulties with studying. The school graduates who come from unwealty families have an opportunity to live in a boarding house in Kraków while attending the university. Due to that, they continue their education not worrying about the financial-housing aspects. Each year, the Father Siemaszko Foundation organises international youth exchange programs – both within the country and abroad. We have long-term partnerships developed over the years that allow us to carry out the international workshops on a variety of topics: history, society and art. This is the way for young people to get to know Europe better and learn how to function in the European Union, respect the other cultures and religions and cooperate with their peers from other countries. In addition, they have a possibility to learn foreign languages and gain many practical skills. The Foundation organises the international voluntary service programmes – not only within EVS. Every year we host 3 volunteers: one from Germany, one from Ukraine and one more from another of the programme-bound country. All of them are involved in the classes and activities for children and the youth. According to the volunteers’ individual choices or within our long-term cooperation with various organisations, the volunteers go other European countries. Our main purpose is to pay special attention to the young people who had a more difficult start in life and give them a chance. Our actions are directed primarily to the youth who grew up in rural areas, with family-based, economic or educational problems. We want these young people to have an opportunity for personal development and a chance for an easier way into adulthood: when they need to decide about their education or look for a job in the country and abroad. Apart from that, our actions combine formal and informal education as they are mutually inclusive and go hand in hand.