Beyond Borders Academy – New Opportunities for Young Leaders from Eastern Europe
The first Beyond Borders Academy (BBA) study visit has been concluded. Young leaders from Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus met in Gorajec in southeastern Poland to get to know each other and participate in personal development workshops.
Beyond Borders Academy is a new initiative of the Kosciuszko Foundation in partnership with the Borderland Foundation, the Folkowisko Foundation, and the School for Leaders Foundation. Its goal is to prepare an active community of young people from Poland, Ukraine, and Belarus to build relations and form new opportunities for cooperation in Central and Eastern Europe, despite the difficult situation in their countries.
“We need to train a network of future NGO’s leaders in Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, and possibly elsewhere in Europe to meet the challenges of the future world, such as environmental and social problems, wars, and crises. We want to build social capital and give impetus for community action in the region. says Marek Skulimowski, KF President and Executive Director.
The reunion under the theme Leadership and Cooperation took place June 4–10, 2023, in Gorajec. The workshop covered areas such as building dialogue across borders and managing cultural diversity, team management, effective communication, relationship building, and social influence. The young leaders worked with four coaches and two tutors to develop their leadership skills. A vital part of the reunion was the presentation by Marcin Piotrowski from the Folkowisko Foundation, who introduced the participants to the borderland region’s history.
The southeastern Poland region of Podkarpacie is at the meeting point of different cultures, including Polish, Ukrainian, and Jewish, which have been interpenetrating for centuries. To get acquainted with the multicultural richness of the region, the BBA participants visited the local Eastern Orthodox church. They also took a trip to the nearby forests, where they encountered traces of old towns and cemeteries.
The young leaders left the workshop with reflections, new experiences, and relationships. Their next meeting is planned for September and will be hosted by the Borderland Foundation in Krasnogruda, a village in northeastern Poland, close to the border with Lithuania.
Photos by Robert Kryla
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