POLAND IN THE ROCKIES | Print |
Poland In the Rockies, July 20-31, 2006

The goals of the program are:

 1.      Create a forum where Polish-Canadian and Polish-American youth can expand their knowledge about their heritage and gain an understanding of contemporary issues;

2.      Bring Polonia youth from across the continent together and counteract tendencies amongst our youth to sever ties with organized Polonia once they become adults;

3.      Promote the benefits of integrating aspects of one’s Polish heritage into one’s North American life (i.e., in business, community service etc…);

4.      Help find and develop Polonia leaders of the future;

5.      Help find and develop North American leaders of the future who will not be indifferent to issues bearing on Poland;

The predominant goal of the program is to raise the “Polish consciousness” of youth of Polish descent and display to them the value of embracing their Polish roots including playing an active role in their Polonia communities.

 As much as possible, we will take advantage of our mountain setting both in the program, e.g., campfire as opposed to “classroom” discussions, and in leisure activities, e.g., hikes in the Rockies as opposed to wine and cheese receptions.

The program is open to anyone between the ages of 20-27. The language of instruction will be English although the use of Polish, or learning Polish, is encouraged.

http://www.polandintherockies.com/

Speakers confirmed to date include:

Radek Sikorski is a Fellow of the American Enterprise Institute and Executive Director of the New Atlantic Initiative. Educated at Oxford, Mr. Sikorski has served as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs (1998-2001) and as Deputy Minister of Defense of the Government of Poland (1992). A political refugee from 1981-1989, Mr. Sikorski wrote for a number of major newspapers and was a war correspondent in Afghanistan and Angola.  Mr. Sikorski, who has written extensively on Poland’s relations with Europe, its position in the international community and the transatlantic relationship with the United States, will discuss these issues at Poland in the Rockies.

Anne  Applebaum, Washington Post columnist and Pulitzer prizewinning author of GULAG, was educated at Yale, Oxford and the London School of Economics. A columnist for The Evening Standard and later a journalist for The Economist, Ms Applebaum has written extensively on communism and the democratic transformation of Central Europe. She will discuss Polish/Soviet relations as well as the Soviet Union’s relations with other former Soviet Bloc countries.

Andrew Nagorski, Senior Editor at Newsweek International, is responsible for expanding Newsweek’s network of foreign editions, the most recent being Newsweek Polska. Fluent in English, Polish, Russian, German and French, Mr. Nagorski has held the position of Bureau Chief in Berlin, Moscow and Warsaw and served as correspondent in many parts of the world. From this broad perspective, Mr. Nagorski will discuss both Polish history and contemporary issues.

Sikorski, Applebaum and Nagorski will also conduct a panel discussion on politics and media.

Professor Tamara Trojanowska, Department of Slavic Literatures and Languages, --  is returning by popular demand and will present an overview of Polish literary and cultural history that is as interesting for those familiar with the subject as for tho9se just being introduced to it.

Professor Bill Johnston, Director of Polish Studies at the University of Indiana, author of many articles on language and translator of works by Gustav Herling, Krzystof Kamil Baczynski Stefan Zeromski and Boleslaw Prus, will join Professor Trojanowska in a discussion of Polish literature and also talk about the challenges of transmitting culture and identity through translation.

Further announcements will follow within the next couple of weeks. Keep an eye on this website for the names of our historians, film directors presenting their documentaries, our special guest from Poland, and other events that will complete PitR 2006.

Applications have already started coming in. PitR reserves one day for students presentations. Please let us know about your research and thesis topics. 2004 presentations were excellent: one a discussion of “memory” in a Polish novel; another on transmission of culture from mother to daughter among Polish exiles in Britain; another on Polish/Jewish relations; and finally a paper by a law student on the status of women in Poland and Russia.

 
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