Poznańska 16
Murowana Goślina
Poland
- International/Cultural relations
Our mission is the development of co-operation beyond borders, especially on the citzens' level. The main objective of the committee’s activity is to initiate and support the co-operation between the people from other regions of our country as well as from abroad – different countries. That includes both towns with which we are officially twinned and places that we do not have official bonds with. Our society develops the contacts mainly on the lowest level. We follow a belief that despite the importance of official treaties ant co-operation on the level of local governments, it is the people who make connection real. It is our task to develop contacts between societies, organizations, culture and leisure centers, and other similar units as well as between individual inhabitants.
Our organization was registered in spring 2003. Since that moment we have realized numerous projects, such as the Twinned Towns Tournaments, professional trainings for young people, Polish language courses for foreigners, Polish folk dance courses, performances of art groups, chess, shooting and football tournaments, the participation of our runners in sport events organized by our partners, exchange visits of families, an exhibition of children’s works of art from all twinned towns called “What Makes Us Sad? What Amuses Us?”,
a festival ‘In The Rhythm of The Heart’, inspired by the traditions and legends of the Midsummer Night celebrations, which were presented by the schoolchildren from the twinned towns in a form of a play. The Partnership Committee has also organized the Murowana Goslina stall at Europafest in Hannover.
Some of our projects are realized with the help of the Town Hall; among others, they have also the economic growth in focus. For example, we have created an Internet business database, we have arranged the participation of the business people of Wielkopolska in B2FAIR Matchmaking Event in Hannover, and meetings and training for governmental organizations in our gmina. We have participated in the meeting in Brussels, called “Making Contacts”, organized by the Committee of the Regions.
We cooperate also with the Hipolit Cegielski Middle School in Murowana Goślina and the Jewish Community of Poznań. Last time we made two Israeli-Polish projects: “Stones of memory roost” and “Three lives – common memory”. The most important aims of projects was a growth of tolerance and understanding of young people from Poland and Israel. Thanks to different methods and forms of cooperation we were discovering our common roots in the present by showing that the past is not only a stone in the form of cemetery but it is also a kind of precious stone which may be used to create a wonderful mosaic of two cultures and religions. An Oxford debate, frottage (a method of copying gravestone inscriptions), mosaic, drama, pantomime, poetry explication – all of it broke the stones of prejudice and stereotypes for the reason of origin or religion practiced.
Our last project was titled "Multicultural VIPs around the table destroy various stereotypes". The most important aim of that project was the development of tolerance and mutual understanding between young people from Poland and Israel through meetings and common, art workshops. In this process of creative learning the most important thing was the context of contemporary Polish history, which included such moments from the past of our country, as The Second World War: death Jews and Poles, the period of PRL: the Poznań June 1956, Gdańsk 1970 and 1980, the Round Table 1989. We wanted to present a specific dialogue with the past, memory, diversity and multiculturalism of our country. Each country was represented by
a group of ten, young people aged 20-35 years old. We made our activity in the following cities: Poznan, Murowana Goślina, Toruń, Gdańsk, Sztutowo, Bialystok, Orla, Tykocin Knyszyn, Supraśl, Kruszyniany, Sejny, Teremiski and Warszawa. All the places were very interesting not only because of their modernity, but first of all, because of their history.