Building Bridges: HRP & The Kosciuszko Foundation's Invitation to TEIP 2024

As you may know, since 2022, Human Restoration Project has partnered with Poland-based Holistic Think Tank to develop and implement a vision for a global, community-focused, interdisciplinary curriculum rooted in a shared humanizing mission. That partnership has opened up so many opportunities for us to connect with educators from around the world virtually and on both US and Polish soil.  Which is why we are incredibly excited to announce our partnership with The Kosciuszko Foundation (KF) and their Teaching English in Poland (TEIP) program! 

The Kosciuszko Foundation is a nearly 100-year old Polish-American organization “dedicated to promoting educational and cultural exchanges between the United States and Poland and to increasing American understanding of Polish culture and history.” Beyond the humanizing value of cultural exchange, Polish leaders also recognize the importance that building confidence in English speaking skills has on the future opportunities available for their kids. Since 1991, TEIP has hosted over 150 camps across Poland, hosting thousands of American volunteers and serving over 15,000 Polish students. 

The aim of the TEIP program is to connect enthusiastic, passionate, and talented educators with students from disadvantaged backgrounds in Poland. Student participants in TEIP primarily come from rural communities and may never otherwise have an opportunity to interact in-person with a native-English language speaker. TEIP also serves Ukrainian students now living as refugees in Poland. Following the Russian invasion and ongoing war in Ukraine in 2022, there remain nearly 1 million Ukrainian refugees in Poland, of which around 150,000 are school-aged children. Polish educators and the Polish education system have rallied to provide support for these students and their families and to accommodate linguistic and cultural differences. 

The program needs American volunteers to participate in residential and day camps planned across Poland for this summer 2024, and that’s where you come in! 

• You can learn more about KF and the TEIP program, read testimonials, watch videos, registration, and more on their website.

• We have also uploaded some incredible overview materials that address the importance of the program, the experiences of students and American volunteers, and working with refugee children. These can be accessed in this shared Google Drive folder.
• If you would like to learn more directly from us, HRP will be hosting two, half-hour informational/Q&A sessions:

                            Saturday, February 3rd @ 4pm ET

                            Monday, February 5th @ 8pm ET

                        Register using this Google Form to get the Zoom link. Sessions will also be recorded and shared!

*This program lasts ~2 weeks and all expenses are paid outside of flight travel costs. Lodging and day-to-day expenses are paid for, outside of free time on weekends, etc.

We are incredibly excited to extend our participation in this program to you. Please share this post and related information widely!

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