The activities of The Volunteer Centre In Zamość and the Federal Organization For Information And Consultancy For The Victims Of National Socialism in Cologne

Project I

The project “Restoring to the local community through care. Polish-German Partnership for the Improvement of Life for the People of the Zamojszczyzna Region Afflicted by the Third Reich” is financed by the Foundation “Remembrance, Responsibility and Future” in Berlin and carried out as a part of the programme “Aiding the readiness to help – international partnerships for helping the senior citizens in East-Central Europe and Israel.”

Stages

  1. 2008
    Establishing cooperation with the Federal Organization For Information And Consultancy For The Victims Of National Socialism (BUNDESVERBAND INFORMATION & BERATUNG FÜR NS-VERFOLGTE e.V.) in Cologne and signing the corporate agreement for aiding the senior citizens afflicted by the Third Reich.
    Events:
  2. 2009 - 2012
    Aims of the second stage:
    • Creating a database of the project’s beneficiaries,
    • Recognising the needs of the beneficiaries and providing aid for those who are unable to cope with the hardships of everyday life (volunteers help in such areas as household chores, shopping, assisting the veterans during walks, running errands in healthcare centres, welfare centres and local offices),
    • Creating both short- and long-term framework for aiding the senior citizens,
    • Psychological support (discussions, organisation of “Lessons in living history” and “The Café of Meetings” and “The Café of Stories”),
    • Recording and documenting testimonies,
    • Providing social and legal care for senior citizens,
    • Promoting active living among the senior citizens through their knowledge and skills,
    • Establishing a counselling centre for legal advice, integration and meetings,
    • Creating physical and psychological motivational programmes for the beneficiaries (rehabilitation, excursions, outings to the swimming pool, salt cavern, theatre, concerts etc.),
    • Integrating war combatants with young people through support (voluntary projects for schools) as well as through sharing knowledge and experience,
    • Specialist courses for the volunteers,
    • Organising integration meetings,
    • Establishing social support through regular media coverage,
    • Promoting the project in the Municipal Office, the Education Department as well as amongst headteachers, history teachers, pupils and students,
    • Publication of the project’s events in Polish and German.

During both stages of the project, the Volunteer Centre in Zamość (VCZ) was supported by the During both stages of the project, the Volunteer Centre in Zamość (VCZ) was supported by the Foundation Polish-German “Reconciliation” .

The project involved transferring the German model of aiding the victims of National Socialism to Poland as well as implementing the VCZ’s programme on improving the welfare of the war victims. Other equally important aims included promoting active living amongst the senior citizens, raising their awareness of legal rights and facilitating access to professional knowledge. The group meetings promoted understanding and exchange of experience across generations. Certain activities were also aimed at the volunteers who received training on the topics of senior health and disability as well as on the issue of communication with senior citizens. Some of these courses were taught by experienced coaches and volunteers from Cologne. This humanitarian project aimed at promoting tolerance, shared responsibility for the past, and respect for historical truth amongst young Poles and Germans. Carried out in cooperation with German partners between 2008 and 2012, the project became the foundation for further cooperation regarding the exchange of experience, volunteer work and effective performance.

Project II

„Still needed. A Partnership for Supporting the Victims of the Third Reich from Zamojszczyzna and Cologne” is the name of a similar project that focuses on the issues of humanitarian aid, education and integration.

Aims for 2012-2015

  • Creating a database of the project’s beneficiaries
  • Recognising the needs of the beneficiaries and providing aid for those who are unable to cope with the hardships of everyday life (volunteers help in such areas as household chores, shopping, assisting the veterans during walks, running errands in healthcare centres, welfare centres and local offices)
  • Creating both short- and long-term framework for aiding the senior citizens
  • Psychological support (discussions, organisation of “Lessons in living history” and “The Café of Meetings” and “The Café of Stories”)
  • Recording and documenting testimonies
  • Providing social and legal care for senior citizens
  • Creating physical and psychological motivational programmes for the beneficiaries (rehabilitation, excursions, outings to the swimming pool, salt cavern, theatre, concerts etc.)
  • Integrating war combatants with young people through support (voluntary projects for schools) as well as through sharing knowledge and experience
  • Specialist courses for the volunteers
  • Organising integration meetings
  • Establishing social support through regular media coverage
  • Promoting the project in the Municipal Office, the Education Department as well as amongst headteachers, history teachers, pupils and students
  • Publication of the project’s events in Polish and German

The project’s main goals focus on improving the living conditions of the victims of National Socialism, promoting understanding across generations and facilitating integration of combatants. Other objectives include commemorating the war victims, promoting active living among the senior citizens, improving the quality of their lives through personal development and participation in cultural events.

The project is a continuation of activities that were put into practice from 2009 to 2012.

These activities include:

  • Volunteer assistance (household chores, shopping, running errands in healthcare centres, welfare centres and local offices),
  • The Café of Stories: integrating young people with senior members of our community,
  • Recording and documenting testimonies,
  • Computer workshops for the senior citizens organized by volunteers,
  • Organizing excursions,
  • Legal advice at the counselling centre at Kolegiacka 16,
  • Organizing various meetings, including New Year’s Eve and Easter dinners,
  • Organising outings to the cinema, concerts, theatre, exhibitions etc.,
  • Promoting the project in local media and online: www.wolontariatzamosc.pl

The new project also entails new activities that should prove highly beneficial for the participants.

These are:

  • Daytime Community Centre: open Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The visitors are welcome to spend time with the volunteers and other senior citizens as well as participate in regular therapy classes such as music, book and culture therapy,
  • Personal development workshops and memory training,
  • Lectures on safety, rehabilitation, dieting for seniors and late-life diseases. Every year we will host four lectures with doctors, physiotherapists, dieticians, police officers and other professionals,
  • Individual meetings with trained pupils and students who will document the testimonies.

The project is a joint venture, therefore it also includes activities promoting Polish-German understanding. In 2013 we will hold workshops where the representatives of the Volunteer Centre in Zamość and the Federal Organisation in Cologne will exchange experience.

Project Coordinators:
Krystyna Rybińska-Smyk (VCZ)
Jost Rebentisch (FAC)