Last
Friday, Saturday and Monday each HIA group focused on different human rights
issues had an opportunity to work with Polish NGOs. We took part in activities close
to our interests and close to the interests of the communities involved. Every
single group had a unique experience, which is a direct proof that there is not
one way of being a human rights activist - our actions are diverse and activism
is not of one particular colour, rather a rainbow of ideas, experiences,
practices and approaches. Here's how our fellows describe these days:
FUNDACJA DLA WOLNOŚCI
Our group (Eleni Zervos, Sarah Molina, Vaclav Masek; Ana-Maria Szilagyi,
Marilyn Alvarado, Kuba Belina-Brzozowski) is currently working with the
Fundacja dla Wolności (“For Freedom Foundation” in English), Polish NGO that
seeks to promote integration and inclusion through athletic activities, namely
football. They hold a 20-team tournament in Warsaw called the Etno Liga,
where teams comprised of migrants and refugees play in a co-ed environment
around the city. Additionally, they partner up with the Center for Foreigners
of Warsaw, a state-run refuge for incoming migrants and asylum-seekers.
The Center for Foreigners,
officially regarded as a detention center for migrants/refugees, has a capacity
for 150 residents. The Center for Foreigners only houses women and children
under the age of 18, and the nationalities represented were predominantly
Chechen, Dagestani, and Ukrainian. Thanks to the 2 meetings with Magdalena
Zaborowska, the group learned that there are two types of detention centers,
"closed" and "open" ones. The main differences rely on the
freedom of mobility of residents, or lack thereof. The Center for Foreigners
falls in the category of "open" detention centers. Here, the tenants
are allowed outside the center’s premises and are able to visit near urban
enclaves, with the only condition of returning before a set curfew.
We were fortunate to visit
the facilities of the Center on the Saturday, when the tenants hold their
annual Open House event. There was a small art installation, with pieces
produced by the children residents; there was an area designated for sports,
namely football, volleyball, jump rope, and badminton; another for arts and crafts;
one for face-painting; next to it, a photo area with props and costumes; a
graffiti wall; and some other spots for general information and water.
The most amazing part of
the day was lunchtime: the women in the House prepared a Caucasian meal for all
the residents, volunteers, and visitors; around 80 people. On the menu were
some pierogis, lots of bread-based food, a variety of salads, and regional
sweet pastries. Following lunch, residents performed for the attendees; there
were dance ensembles, singing duets, and theater.
GMINA ŻYDOWSKA
The group focusing on
Polish Jews had a privilege of working with Gmina Żydowska, the Jewish
Community of Warsaw. However, before we began to help out at the organization,
Vlad Ivchenko, Miłosz Lindner and myself (Aleksandra Lekowska) spent the first
day doing a field research around Warsaw. We visited the Jewish cemetery on
Okopowa Street, the Monument of Jews and Poles Common Martyrdom, as well as the
Jewish Community Centre (JCC). Finally, we concluded the day with a real treat,
namely participating in the Sabbat prayer and dinner at the progressive
synagogue Ec Chaim where we discussed the contemporary issues of the community
with some of its members.
The service day was
another brilliant opportunity to learn about the Polish-Jewish dialogue from
the experts such as Anna Zielińska, a specialist on anti-Semitism. Gmina
Żydowska kindly made use feel welcome with a tour around the Nożyk Synagogue
and lunch at the community kosher canteen. Our community service concerned
primarily reorganizing rabbi’s extensive library according to subject and
language (Polish, English, Hebrew, German and more). Another task was to
transcribe an interview about the contemporary situation of Jews in the United
States.
During the day, we also
had a chance to talk about the polarization of the Polish society with
Konstanty Gebert, a scholar, an associate fellow at the European Council for
Foreign Relations, and a Polish Jew himself.
MAMY GŁOS
As members of the group
dedicated to women’s empowerment, we had the chance to meet the inspiring
members of the young NGO MamyGlos. We met them in a lovely café called
Panstwomiasto, which is an open space for innovative Polish minds in Warsaw.
We learned that MamyGlos
dedicates their work to empowering Polish teenage girls. The two board members,
Ola Jarocka and Sylwia Wodzińska, showed us their impressive achievements
throughout the last months, including the creation of social justice stickers,
sponsorship of girl power academy, and publication of a newly-designed coloring
book. After gathering insight to their groundbreaking work, it was clear to us
that our social campaign should primarily support young Polish women.
Ultimately, we decided to
focus on body positivity, a growing phenomenon surrounding acceptance of one’s
body and body diversity in general. We believe the more young women who
actively embrace their bodies will be better able to resist the pressure for
the “perfect body” perpetuated by mainstream media and gender socialization. As
such, we will be cooperating with MamyGlos to create a series of videos
designed to begin a challenge to young women to speak about their body
perception and body experience.
Also by working with
MamyGlos, we brainstormed various ideas as to how we could work together over
the next few days. Some ideas include formulating new concepts for MamyGlos
products, creating multiple videos for them to use for our social campaign, and
using their Facebook page to propel our own social campaign. We look forward to
working with the female leaders of this initiative to make a positive change in
Polish society.
KUCHNIA KONFLIKTU
by Erik Edman,
Agnieszka Chmiel and Jack Brisson
The sun was
shining on the peaceful riverside that what was, on most of our previous
visits, a buzzing party hub. Perhaps it was the lulling warmth, or the
mysterious directions we had received (“you will find us close to the metro
stop”) but we had to take a long, meandering walk up and down the Vistula
before giving up and calling our host, and HIA Senior Fellow, Paulina Milewska. She
graciously agreed to rescue us and lead us to the container that contained so
much of her hard work: Kuchnia konfliktu, a restaurant/social enterprise hiring
refugees and migrants. There, wearing our sunglasses and sipping orange juice
by the river, we discussed the conception and meteoric rise of her project, and
the excitement and stress that came with it. We have now been tasked with
interviewing two of the people working for Kuchnia konfliktu: Nastazjia from
Ukraine and Hamza from Algeria, and created leaflets based on their stories.
Paulina’s work and dedication, as well as Nastazjia and Hamza’s inspiring
stories, serve as great motivation for our own projects.
NIE-PEŁNOPRAWNA
by Kalina Dobrowolska, Alicja Dańkowska and Vedika Luthra
Our group had a privilege
of taking part in two meetings with Katarzyna Bierzanowska, the author of the
website nie-pelnoprawna.pl. Kasia
Bierzanowska is a translator, social activist and an anti-discriminatory
trainer. Before the first meeting, we were given a task of finding a place that
would be accessible for a person with a disability, particularly being equipped
with a proper restroom. It had taken us a while of wandering around the
Zbawiciela Square, before we found the right place. She told us that only
around 10% of pubs in Warsaw are accessible for people with disabilities - it’s
hard to imagine how bad the situation is outside the capital in Poland. During
the meeting we had a chance to take a closer view on our understanding of such
terms like: a person with disability, barriers and an accessibility. Kasia
Bierzanowska explained us the difference between a medical perspective on
disabilities and a social one. The former is treating a person with a
disability as a patient that is seen through their limitations, expected to
work hard in order to adapt to their environment. The latter definition
underlines the potential all people with disabilities have, also pointing out
that disability wouldn’t exist at all if an environment itself would not be
disabled. During our second meeting we had a rare chance of having a first-hand
experience of hardships people with disabilities can encounter when doing such
simple tasks as buying a yoghurt or checking the price of a product in a
grocery store. We went to the shopping mall and half of us would use a
wheelchair, while the other half would be wearing a blindfold, while walking
with a white cane for visually
impaired people. It was an
extraordinary experience for us, allowing us to see the world from a very
different perspective, where rather inconspicuous tasks can grow to a size of
serious obstacles to overcome - the notion possible to realize only after
stepping into others’ shoes.
MAMY GŁOS & EQUALITY FOUNDATION VOLUNTEERING
Our
group consisting of Erika Gallagher, Yaromyr Udod and Agnieszka Przytarska focusing
on LGBTQI+ & Sex Education had an opportunity to work with two
organizations during the community work days: Mamy Głos and Equality Foundation
Volunteering.
Mamy
Głos is an organization that aims to empower young girls to be future leaders.
The workshop that was prepared for our group, led mainly by Ola Jarocka, 19
year old girl, was a real proof of the amazing influence that the NGO has on young
women involved with it. We were really impressed with the work that Mamy Głos
has already done - during 18 months of being active the group of young female
leaders organized multiple workshops, meetings with „Superwomen”, discussion
clubs, created a colouring book with 30 portraits of female artists,
scientists, leaders, activists and a set of inspiring stickers. The approach
that the organization has chosen to bring a change is a positive one, the young
female leaders want to lift each other up without bringing anyone down. Meeting
women like Ola Jarocka and Sylwia Wodzińska can inspire not only teenagers, but
also people who have been working on social issues for a while. From Mamy Głos
we all can draw power, strength and will to be more active.
Volunteers
of Equality Foundation is a group of young people supporting Equality
Foundation in annual organization of Equality Parade and the accompanying
events. They are the people responsible for safety, observance of regulations
and distribution of materials during the Equality Parade and preparation of the
events preceding it. Our group met with the volunteers a week after the
Equality Parade. The idea for engaging the group into things the organization
does apart from coordinating the Pride events, was to go around the city of
Warsaw and look for famous statues in order to take a photo with a rainbow
flag. According to Polish law climbing the monuments could be perceived as a
delinquency. And while civil disobedience can be justified, our group had to
face the decision whether the action was the right approach to deal with the
problems that the LGBTQI+ community faces in Poland. Yes, lighting a candle
instead cursing the darkness is, according to us, the right attitude, however
we could not agree on burning bridges by climbing the statue of Jesus Christ
and hanging the flag on the monument. In the country that is strongly
influenced by the Church acts like that build more unnecessary walls.
Reflection: As human rights activists we often have to
check if our approach is eligible and efficient. It is vital to be able to
recognize that the change in the attitude is needed and alter slightly in order
to achieve the desired effect.
EQUALITY FOUNDATION VOLUNTEERING & KAMPANIA PRZECIWKO HOMOFOBII
by Gosia Kot, Bryan Stromer and Sarah Bhatti
Our
group working on youth LGBTQI issues had a chance to meet with Equality
Volunteering and Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH) and discuss their work and
situation of LGBTQ population in Poland.
On Friday we met with Equality Volunteering, which is
a group of young people who have organized the Equality Parade 2017 – the march
to promote freedom, equality and tolerance in
Warsaw. What surprised us was the age of volunteers and president of the
organization – all of the members are below 25 years old. During the meeting
Equality Volunteering members talked about the need to change a discourse on
LGBTQ people from a victimizing one to a more affirmative message. They also
explained us the non-hierarchical structure of the group and described the
whole process of Parade’s organization. We helped the group to prepare packages
with gifts for persons who donated money for organization of the Parade. On
Sunday and Monday we had an occasion to discuss our idea for the project with
Campaign Against Homophobia (KPH) workers. They also shared the insight on the
youth groups who would be potentially willing to join and promote our campaign
as well as suggested us potential risks to consider while conducting a social
media campaign. What shocked us particularly during the discussion with KPH,
was information on the alarming frequency of attacks on LGBTQ organizations in
Poland and high rates of hate speech against gay persons and lesbians.
Both meetings were very enriching for
us as they helped us to spot the gap which our campaign has a potential to
fill. This gap is lack of empowering message that could help teenagers to
embrace their diversities and uniqueness and act as a counter-speech to the
widespread hate speech.
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