"The Polish identity outside the Republic of Poland: Family, School, Church" is the motto of the 8th World Congress of Polish Teachers "East - West – joined through Poland" which began on 13 June in Toruń.
The opening of the congress was attended by, among others representatives of the Senate and the Ministry of National Education. The Institute of National Remembrance was represented by the IPN President, Dr Jarosław Szarek, Adam Hlebowicz, Director of the National Education Office of the Institute of National Remembrance, and Przemysław Wójtowicz from the IPN Branch Office in Bydgoszcz.
The congress is a continuation of and reference to the tradition of annual meetings of teachers from the Polish community which have been taking place in Ostróda since 2010. Every year, Polish teachers working outside our country gather in Poland to share knowledge and experiences, meet with representatives of the Senate, the Ministry of National Education and other parliamentary and non-parliamentary institutions dealing with issues related to the Polish community abroad. These meetings enable their participants to receive answers to individual questions, to make suggestions, and to report the needs of the teaching community and finally, to develop a concept for future pedagogical activity.
The participants of this year's meeting will have the opportunity to learn about important aspects related to maintaing the Polish spirit within the family, school and Church. During the congress, the ‘Teacher of the Year’ distinction will also be awarded.
The organizers of the congress are the "Wspólnota Polska" Association, the SWP Teacher Training Center and the City of Torun. The 8th World Congress of Polish Teachers Abroad has received the Honorary Patronage of the Spouse of the President of the Republic of Poland - Agata Kornhauser-Duda. The meeting of Polish Teachers Abroad is co-financed by the Senate of the Republic of Poland and the Ministry of National Education.
The IPN’s Polish Community Program
Since 2006, as part of the Polish Community program, the Institute of National Remembrance has been cooperating with Polish educational institutions. We regularly conduct lectures, workshops and lessons for teachers and students, organize presentations of historical exhibitions, and encourage Polish communities to participate in the educational projects of the IPN. We have also created a network of "History Points", which are systematically visited by our employees. As part of this project, we have reached several hundred teachers and several thousand children and young people living abroad. All of the above initiatives are aimed at supporting Poles outside the country in preserving their national heritage and identity as well as at disseminating knowledge about the history of Poland.
"Polonia meetings with modern history"
The conference "Polonia meetings with modern history" is an annual summary of activities of the Polish Community Program.Establishing the Institute of National Remembrance – Chief Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation, the legislator set out the task of the "dissemination of the results of the work of the IPN as well as the research of other institutions, organizations and people on issues which are the subject of its activity, in Poland and abroad".
The Polish Community Program is aimed primarily at Polish teachers working outside the country as well as culture and language animators.
As part of the Polish Community Program the employees of the National Education Office of the Institute of National Remembrance establish contacts with Polish educational institutions and conduct various types of educational events for teachers, students and the Polish community. IPN’s “History Points” are also places where the Polish community abroad can familiarize itself with Poland’s modern history. So far, our History Points have been opened, among others, in Vilnius, Lwów, Grodno, Brussels, Zaolzie, New York and Chicago.
History Points
Our “History Points “ are one of the elements of the Polish Community Program created thanks to teachers and institutions which cooperate with the Institute of National Remembrance. During the meetings as part of the IPN’s History Points , our employees organize presentations of exhibitions, book promotions and classes for teachers and students. Currently, there are History Points in: Vilnius, Grodno, Lwów, Zaolzie, Lutsk and Zhytomyr in Ukraine, Brussels, London, New York and Chicago.
As part of the Polish Community Program, the IPN’s National Educational Office (BEN) is conducting a wide educational campaign among Polish schools and institutions around the world. Classes conducted by the best educators, scientists and archivists bring the history of Poland into the 20th century and present the role of the Institute of National Remembrance.