Joyce Reilly, Marcia Talmage Schneider, Efrat Efron, Tatyana Tsyrulina Spady and Mariola Strahlberg attended a very special congress/conference at the Polin Museum in Warsaw from September 13th – 16th.
Here is what Marcia wanted to share with you about it:
Mostly it was amazing! I was blown away at the number of persons who attended the 8th International Korczak Association Conference and The 3rd International Congress of Children’s Rights and the numerous and varied lectures. Everybody was interested in Janusz Korczak! There was a simultaneous translation of English and Polish for all the lectures and individual translations at the workshops. The event was held in the Polin Museum of Warsaw. This new museum is commemorating the thousand-year history of Jews in Poland. There were about 500 people who attended-coming from many corners of the world among them from Poland, Canada, United States, Israel, Ukraine, Kazan, Switzerland, Australia to name just a few. There are now 17 countries in the International Korczak Association, the newest being Tunisia which was represented by two delegates and voted into the organization on September 16th. Most of the people at the conference are involved in education/pedagogy, Korczak’s methodology and children’s rights. There were two ombudsmen (one from Polish Parliament and the other from Canada) who represent Children’s Rights-something which Korczak wrote about and held very high in 1920’s… The Polish Government spent a good deal of money on this conference as they hold Korczak to be one of their national ‘heroes’. We were wined and dined and treated to a plethora of lectures and workshops given during the four days: Children’s Rights; Philosophy, Pedagogy and practice; History and Remembrance; and The Rights of the Child; a future perspective. Our own Mariola Strahlberg, Efrat Efron and Tatyana Tsyrulina gave talks during the workshops and their talks were well received. What a thrill to meet in person those ”Facebook” friends who are part of the Korczak Internet group, sons, and daughters of orphans from Orphans Home and Our Home. The guided tour in the footsteps of Korczak around Warsaw and the visit to Polin Museum added to the already rich experience. It was very special to interact on a personal basis with so many people who love Korczak, his ideas and ways with children! Indeed many who truly believe in Korczak’s words: ‘You cannot leave the world as it is.”
If you would like to find out more about the conference, please don’t hesitate to contact us at info@korczakusa.com.
We look forward to seeing you at our conference in Seattle in August 2018 – more info coming soon.
