Przemysław Patryk Iwanek, graduate of political science and sociology, school teacher

Working for HIA PL for 6 years, I gained substantial skills and practical knowledge. Often it happened at a fast pace as HIA PL was developing very dynamically at that time, implementing innovative projects, e.g. the first convention of e-activists counteracting hate speech, social startups of ideas, or the International HIA Conference in the newly opened Polin Museum. During this professional and personal adventure, I diversified the scope of my duties and took on tasks with more and more responsibilities. I never thought that I would be able to create budget documents and co-manage innovative projects on a national and international scale, working with partners from Europe and the USA. I won’t sugarcoat, those were not easy and uncomplicated challenges, but with hard work we managed to achieve amazing results. 

My drive to work and the greatest satisfaction were the people, amazing individuals who changed and continue to change this world for the better. I am proud that I could contribute to this endeavor.

Magda Bodzan, graduate of European Studies and Cultural Anthropology, PhD student

Thanks to Humanity in Action Poland I had the opportunity to co-create the first online edition of the XV Academy of Human Rights aka the 2020 HIA Warsaw Fellowship.

I was impressed by the team, which undertook the difficult task of moving their flagship program to a virtual space. Despite the challenges and limitations of Zoom, we were able to create something special. This wouldn’t have been possible without the mutual support, commitment and the belief that our work fosters important debates and creative ideas for action.

For me personally, working on the Academy of Human Rights was also a chance for development, not only through participation in meetings with recognized experts in their respective fields, but above all through the contact with over a hundred committed young people from different parts of the world. I am glad that through my work I contributed to the development of a program whose mission and values are close to my heart.

Karolina Biedroń, actress, artist and anti-discrimination

 

I came to work at Humanity in Action as a recent graduate of the Human Rights Academy. Co-founding a program that has given me so much was a huge honor and challenge. However, no challenge is scary when you have a close-knit, supportive team. The level of cooperation at Humanity in Action impressed me greatly, as did the professionalism and attentiveness to each other of the people who co-found the organization.

What can I say – if the whole world functioned like the HiA Poland team, we would live in a much friendlier place.