This year's "Ways of Freedom" took place on 18 July in an unusual, although typical of the current pandemic situation, online format. The project was implemented with the support of the Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation by the International Youth Meeting Centre in Oświęcim and the Krzyżowa Foundation. About 25 people from Poland and Germany took part in the several-hour-long online meeting - participants of previous editions of the project, but also other teachers, volunteers, people working for Polish-German organisations.
We talked about today's German-Polish relations, including in the regional context and trans-border cooperation; about the school in Poland and Germany during the pandemic and about mental health and reactions to the restrictions imposed by the Polish and German governments in connection with the coronavirus pandemic. In each of the three thematic blocks, we have managed to attract two speakers for the inaugural speeches. Each of the blocks also offered an opportunity for conversation and discussion, which the participants enjoyed.
We are pleased that we have managed to make this meeting a reality and we know from those who took part in it that for some people it was the first chance to come into contact with our institutions. The participants saw the limitations of the online format, but also the opportunities - there were even ideas to organise similar meetings more often, focusing on a particular topic, to create an online platform for Polish-German exchange. Thank you for these ideas and observations, but as organisers, like the participants, we look forward to the next meetings, hopefully also in person, in Krzyżowa and Oświęcim.
