Fundacja im. Stefana Batorego

Memoria

The goal of the program is to encourage young people from Central and Eastern Europe to undertake joint activities to preserve the European cultural heritage. The program, initiated by the German Remembrance, Responsibility, Future Foundation, is planned for 2007-2009.
We support international summer volunteer camps where young people from Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine learn various aspects of culture of borderland regions and obtain knowledge, experience and practical skills in preserving cultural assets. We offer grants to NGOs that have experience in protecting and promoting European cultural achievements and base their activity on cooperation with young people aged 18-28. In addition to grants, we provide organizations with opportunities to participate in seminars that serve to exchange experience, expand knowledge and improve working methods of the grantees.
The first grant competition was launched in 2007. We received 44 applications, out of which a Polish-German committee of experts selected 12 projects. 214 volunteers from Poland, Germany, Austria, Belarus, Lithuania, Kaliningrad District and Ukraine took part in camps that were held mainly in Poland, but also in Ukraine and the Kaliningrad District. Young volunteers worked on cleaning up or renovating cemeteries, shrines of various denominations, or other local historical monuments. They also took part in workshops and lectures on multiculturalism of a given region and organized meetings and events during which they presented the results of their work to the local communities. Occasionally, young people living or vacationing in the summer camp area joined the activities. As a result of the efforts of volunteers, tens of locations that testify to the multicultural heritage of Central Europe where inventoried, recorded, cleaned up or renovated.
The volunteer camp organizers took part in two seminars. The first one (June 4-5) served to present the experiences of Polish and German organizations in implementing similar activities and discuss issues related to cultural heritage. During the seminar, Janusz Smaza, director of the Stone Sculpture Conservation and Renovation Faculty of the Academy of Fine Arts, presented issues of renovating stone carvings and architectural features and Monika Koszyńska from the Encounters Association for Education and Culture lectured on multiculturalism. The second seminar (October 22-23), attended also by young volunteers from Poland and Ukraine, was devoted to the presentation of the results and experiences from the summer camps funded in this edition of the program. Darius Polok from Berlin's MitOst Association facilitated the meeting helping us to sum up the results and plan future activities.

In 2007, the program was financed by funds from the Remembrance, Responsibility and Future Foundation (PLN 698,908.74) and the Open Society Institute.

Grants PLN 640,719.84
Seminars and international committee meetings PLN 58,188.90
Program implementation PLN 69,203.96
Total program costs PLN 768,112.70

Grants 2007


European Dialogue Lviv	Bridges of the Past – a camp with the participation of volunteers from Lithuania, Ukraine, Poland and Germany: restoration and cleaning of three graveyards, a church and botanic garden in Kremenec (Ukraine).	EUR 16,000
Charity Foundation Caritas Sambir-Drohobych Diocese Drohobych	Tracing forgotten stories – a camp with the participation of volunteers from Ukraine, Poland, Austria and Germany: cleaning a graveyard in Drohobych (Ukraine).	EUR 6,577
Prism Center for Social Activity Suwałki	On Multicultural Paths – a camp with the participation of volunteers from Lithuania and Poland: preparation of inventory and cleaning all graveyards in Suwałki Landscape Park area.	PLN 63,169.10
UNESCO Pro-Environmental Club-Workshop for Biodiversity Piaski	The Arian Track – a camp with the participation of volunteers from Lithuania, Ukraine and Poland: cleaning monuments left behind by protestants in Piaski Luterskie, and setting educational track following Arian traces.	PLN 69,095.74
Borussia Foundation Olsztyn	From Past towards Future – a camp with the participation of volunteers from Russia, Poland and Germany, restoration, cleaning and minor conservation of monuments in Kaliningrad District.	PLN 65,669.90
Foundation for European Education Wałbrzych	The Old Sambor – a camp with the participation of volunteers from Ukraine, Poland and Germany: minor conservation of local monuments and recording stories from the first half of the 20th century told by local people.	PLN 75,300
Foundation for the Spiritual Culture of the Borderland Lublin	Korczmin: Open Border – a camp with the participation of volunteers from Ukraine, Poland and Germany: conservation of a wooden hut adjoined to the Orthodox church, cleaning two graveyards and field research (interviews).	PLN 46,096.37
Borderland Foundation Sejny	Krasnogruda Track – a camp with the participation of volunteers from Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland and Germany: examination of old basements in Krasnogruda court, setting up sculpture installations in a historic park and collecting information concerning regional multicultural customs (reportages and photos).	PLN 58,753.76
Carpathian Minorities Heritage Association Zagórz	Multicultural Tyrawa Wołoska – a camp with the participation of volunteers from Ukraine and Poland: restoration and cleaning of a Jewish graveyard and Greek Catholic graveyards.	PLN 53,876.33
Magurycz Association Uście Gorlickie	Galicja, Galizien, Hałyczyna. Forgotten Graveyards in the Middle of Multi-ethnic Europe – a camp with the participation of volunteers from Ukraine and Poland: restoration of selected objects and necropolises in Beskid Niski region, developing documentation and inventory.	PLN 59,378.14
Anawoj Association of International and Intercultural Exchange Michałowo	Tracking Jewish Culture – a camp with the participation of volunteers from Lithuania, Poland and Germany: restoration of a Jewish graveyard in the vicinity of Michałowo, developing documentation and information boards.	PLN 39,649.87
Society for Nature and Man Lublin	Borderline Graveyards: Preservation of historic Jewish and Orthodox necropolises – a camp with the participation of volunteers from Ukraine and Poland: cleaning and restoration of two graveyards in Włodawa borough and Jewish cemetery in Lublin.	PLN 24,728.23