Study Tours to Poland

Study Tours to Poland
provides an opportunity for students from Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine and the Russian Federation to get an insight into the life and activities of Polish students, academic communities and civic organisations as well as to participate in lectures, seminars and cultural events.

STP for students is one of the first cyclical educational Polish programmes addressed to students from Eastern Europe. The program involves inviting selected students, aged 18-21, from Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine and the Russian Federation (from Bryansk, Kaliningrad, Novgorod and Leningrad Oblasts and Saint Petersburg) to participate in study tours to Poland.

Students can apply individually under a competition to participate in the programme. The tours comprise 11-person groups and are held twice a year – in spring and autumn. Every year over 200 students visit Poland under the programme.

The purpose of the programme is to provide an incentive for the students to actively participate in public life and become aware citizens. Particular emphasis is put on getting acquainted with the non-governmental sector and its place in society.

Students’ visits are conducted under the slogan “Meet Poland” and include:

• Meetings with public life leaders in Poland;
• Visiting public offices and institutions;
• Meetings with representatives of the academic community – department heads, academic tutors and students; becoming acquainted with education organisation, forms of students’ social activity and cultural life of colleges and universities;
• Visits to the offices of newspapers and magazines as well as radio and television broadcasters, meetings with journalists;
• Learning how the Polish economy functions under free market conditions;
• Presenting the results of the Polish transformation after 1989;
• Presentation of non-governmental organisations, their place in society, dialogue with authorities and activities for local communities.
• Getting to know Polish culture and history.

Presentations, workshops, lectures and debates are carried out as part of the tours. Contact with other participants of the group, pro-active and interesting people, is an important source of inspiration. A key aspect of the programme is the integration of young people from Eastern Europe and the possibility of getting to know not only Poland, but also the neighbouring countries. Representatives from Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine and the Russian Federation are included in each of the groups.

Study tours are prepared by STP operators – experienced non-governmental Polish organisations, selected via a competition. So far students have been guests in such cities as: Białystok, Gdańsk, Gdynia, Gliwice, Cracow, Lublin, Łódź, Nowy Sącz, Olsztyn, Poznań, Pułtusk, Warsaw, Wrocław, Szczecin, Świętochłowice.