The Intercultural University of the Third Age is a project established in Świdnica as part of the New Relationships program. We meet every Friday at the Świdnica Center for Supporting Non-Governmental Initiatives from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the INTERCULTURAL CAFE.
The café was a place where, over coffee and sweet treats, we got to know each other, cooperated and planned the next stages of the project.
And there was a lot of it:
- artistic, movement & educational workshops,
- walks – those around Świdnica and trips outside the city,
- participation in concerts and cultural events,
- creative activities in which we engaged refugees from Ukraine, migrants from other countries, students of the Świdnica UTW and local institutions and non-governmental organizations.
During our regular workshops, we also managed to create a subjective map of Świdnica! The map is available for download here: DOWNLOAD MAP (4.46 MB, PDF)
Ola Panak, who led and supervised the entire process, talked about the first mining workshop that began our work:
„"We began the process of creating a map of Świdnica with a 'mind map' and opening the door to the imagination of the project participants. As children, we often used imaginary treasure maps. I invited seniors to play freely with associations and discover memories of the city—how they felt it, saw it, heard it, what paths they took, and how they spent their time here. This allowed us to move beyond the stereotypical view of a map as a collection of the most popular places in the city and began creating OUR map.".
After that, it was all beautiful! Drawings, collages, poems were created… There were tears of emotion and happiness. On May 31st, the opening of the exhibition, presenting a subjective map of Świdnica, took place. It was a true celebration! It was a wonderful, creative process full of warmth, getting to know each other and our beautiful city, emotion, reflection, and laughter. And so was the opening. Yes, it was our celebration! Full of familiar faces, warm words, hands eager to help, and touching emotions…
There was also an artistic element and delicious refreshments, and we were thrilled to have a place on the Świdnica map where we feel at ease, both interculturally and intergenerationally. A place where a friendly person always waits with a warm cup of coffee and a kind word. A place where it's safe. A place where we can express ourselves creatively and culturally, and where we have plenty of ideas for spending time together.
We are delighted that we could count on such a wonderful partner in this project as the Świdnica University of the Third Age. These individuals, with their enthusiasm, cheerfulness, and numerous ideas, are a powerful motivator.
Since the beginning of the escalation of the war in Ukraine, we have seen our role in animating the process of accepting those who have taken refuge here temporarily or permanently. We have not engaged in ad hoc aid activities, focusing instead on providing a second "wave" of assistance, encompassing long-term education, integration, and social inclusion. We feel we have accomplished a great deal, but we also feel we could have done much more with substantive and expert support. We are convinced that participating in the Program has strengthened our team and allowed us to work more consciously and purposefully on behalf of refugees in our community.
We sincerely thank the Association of Creative Initiatives "ę" for believing that we could be pioneers of such initiatives in our city. A huge thank you also to all our partners who made this project so interesting and diverse.
The program is implemented by Society of Creative Initiatives "ę"„. The program is financed by HelpAge International from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. The program partner is Polish Migration Forum.
