EPALE - Electronic Platform for Adult Learning in Europe

Short bio

My name is Joanna and I have been working in the culture sector for many years. I graduated in cultural studies, so you can say that in my work I am using the knowledge and acquaintances gained during my studies. Since graduation, I have worked on various cultural and social events, as a producer, manager and curator. I live and work in Poznań, although I am also active nationwide and internationally.

My story

While I was still a student, I founded my own company called Babiląd and started organizing Babie Targi (Ladies’ Fair), that is, exchanges of clothes that often overflow in our closets to eventually end up in the trash. I was horrified by the excess garbage we produce. And this is how the idea of the fair was born. It was not only about ecology, but also the social and educational dimensions of such activities. We have managed to create a space to meet, exchange clothes and talk about various topics. The idea has caught on. We have been organizing such fairs in Poznań and throughout Poland for 15 years now. People – and not only women - are eager to air out their closets.

In 2012 I was offered a job as a spokeswoman for the Animator International Animated Film Festival, with which I have been associated for 10 years. During this time, I played many different roles. Among other things, I was the director of the festival for a year, and for the next few years I was the curator and producer of one of the accompanying events. In the meantime, I worked for other festivals, such as Malta. Starting last year, I have worked for the International Young Audience Film Festival Ale Kino!, where I coordinate promotional activities, and for the Zamek Cultural Centre, where I co-coordinate the Kino Otwarte (Open Cinema) project focussing on creating an accessible film culture, so that in one time and space, on a regular basis, and not just once in a blue moon, cinephiles, regardless of their level of fitness or disability, can meet during film screenings.

Among my experiences that I would like to share, there is one lesson in particular that is important to me. It all started probably in 2016, when I went to volunteer at a camp for refugees in Greece. I was working there for about two months. When I returned to Poznań, together with people from a great many different institutions and NGOs that I had met earlier on my professional path, we decided that in the face of a major humanitarian crisis we would organise a campaign called From Poznań with Love.

As part of it, we collected money to buy food and basic supplies for refugees staying in the Greek camp. The action was very successful, also due to the fact that a lot of different institutions from Poznań got involved. This coincided with the development of various similar activities in Poznań. From the beginning, it was important to us that, in addition to the collection itself, we tell the stories of those locked in the camps and educate about human rights.

The initiative has grown and transformed into Poznańska Garażówka (Poznań Garage Sale), with many people and organisations involved and constantly working together. In my opinion, it is very important to tell the stories of people with refugee experience, to engage the public and sensitise them to help others. This requires constant educational work. Now it may not be such a vague topic in Poland as it was in 2016 or 2017, when we were talking about quite distant countries like Greece, Syria and Lebanon. Now we face this challenge in Poland, and of course different attitudes have been displayed, but there is progress, I think, relative to the previous decade.