HiA activists in the audience
On the 4th of June, Warsaw’s Fundacja Edukacyjna Jana Karskiego (FEJK) hosted a group of young activists affiliated with Humanity in Action (HiA). The meeting was entitled "Jan Karski: The Fighter for Freedom" was designed to introduce participants to the role of the individual in turning points of history and was one of the workshops from the HiA series entitled "Poland in Theory and Practice: from Resistance to Solidarity, from the Civic Transformation Society."
The meeting kicked off with FEJK Executive Director Wojciech Białożyt’s presentation about Jan Karski, as well as the mission and achievements of our Foundation, including the successful procurement of the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He was followed by Eugeniusz Smolar, one of the founders of the HiA in Poland and programming director for 2014 Jan Karski Centennial, who spoke about International community reactions to repeating cases of genocide and its responsibility for protection of civilians during armed conflict (responsibility to protect).
By evoking numerous examples of conflicts and complex international relations, Mr. Smolar spoke about the contemporary dimension of Karski’s legacy. The audience actively participated by asking questions and raising multiple issues on the topic.
At the end of June, FEJK will lead a Karski-themed workshop during the Fourth Annual International Conference (June 27-30, 2013) organized by Humanity in Action in Warsaw. FEJK is becoming involved in multiple educational initiatives aiming to raise the public recognition of Jan Karski and instill values he embodied – leadership, courage and integrity – in people, in particular among youth.
Photos below show the HiA activists in the audience, FEJK executive director Wojciech Bialozyt making the presentation, and FEJK programming director Eugeniusz Smolar leading a discussion. (Photos courtesy of Wojciech Bialozyt)
