Lubusz-Vilnius Sports Events

From the 20th to 30th of November, Lubusz – Vilnus Sports Events project was carried out. Middle school children from Trzciel, Brójce and Świebodzin from Lubusz province took part in the project, under the care of Anna Stefaniak from the Association for Education „Pomost” in Świebodzin and Krzysztof Augustyniak, the president of the Olympian club in Brójce and the chairman of the School Sports Association in Trzciel, along with their peers from the Sports School of Vilnius district municipality from Mościszki and Niemenczyn.

For the first time they got in touch a few years ago during the Youth Rally of Organizers of Sports Life in Sztutowo, in which the sportsmen from Trzciel and Niemieczyn participated. Polish side got funds from the European Fund, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and from local resources. On the 20^th of November a group of twenty young people came to Niemeczyn. On the next day, they started their trip from visiting the Department of Consulate of the Republic of Poland, where they met with the representatives of consular authorities in Lithuania. The guests learnt many interesting details about the everyday work and possible challenges that the diplomatic post can encounter. The next event on the programme was a visit in Mościszki. There, the youth joined in the Polish Language Day. The children from primary school gave a performance which was prepared by Polish language teacher Danuta Czerniawska. During the quiz about Polish literature, the young people had an opportunity to bring together. After dinner, the trip was presented with LEADER-11 Project which was funded from the European Funds and carried out by the Sports School in Mościszki. Afterwards, everyone went outdoors to try their hands in riding on grass skis. It was not easy, however the fit youngsters managed a task.

Back in Niemeczyn, the guests organised a field hockey game for pupils from the Konstanty Parczewski Middle School. At the end, the pupils and the guests played a friendly match. The guests played technically good and rough, bewildering the audience by attacking very effectively and scoring many goals. The local youngsters fought bravely, however, it was the Polish guests who celebrated their victory.

On the third day, the group visited the Konstanty Parczewski Middle School. They saw the classrooms, the library and the museum. Jelena Garliauskienė talked about the history of Niemeczyn and the local school. Then, the introduction to the school was made and the guests met with the school administration and with Niemeczyn’s starost Mieczysław Borusewicz. As an another step in the integration, the guests were invited to take part in a cooking class. The pupils were learning how to prepare regional dishes like kibins and cepelinai which were then served at dinner table.

A lesson in calligraphy – writing with a quill – was held promptly at 2 pm in the Władysław Syrokomla Museum in Borejkowszczyzna. Pupils will remember this short lesson for a very long time, because nowadays the adolescents use mainly computers to write, less frequently fountain pens, not to mention quill pens. Józef Szostakowski, the Professor from the Vilnius University, presented the life of Władysław Syrkomla and talked about the history of Borejkowszczyzna. The trip was a food for soul, whereas a green tea boiled in a samovar and a delicious cake were a food for body. In the evening, in the Niemeczyn Cultural Centre both groups – the quests and the local youths – played table tennis.

On Friday, the guests started their trip around the Vilnius from visiting the Lithuanian National Olympic Committee. Vida Vencienė, the Olympic champion from Calgara, talked about the activities of Lithuanian Olympic Committee. Then, the Polish delegation met with the president of LNOC (LTOK) Daina Gudzinavičiutė, the Olympic champion from Seoul. A souvenir photo was taken.

After that, the guests visited the editorial office of the Vilnius Daily. There, the deputy of the editor-in-chief Aleksander Borowik told the history of the newspaper and how a copy of the Daily is made. They visited the Daily Museum and saw the process of issuing the newspaper. Then, they went to the Rasos Cemetery, lighted candles by the Józef Piłsudzki tombstone, and then proceeded to the Old Town. From the Gate of Dawn they went to the Holy Ghost Orthodox church. Then, they went to the Vilnius Town Hall from where they went through the winding and narrow paths of former Jewish quarter straight to the Vilnius University. They passed the Presidential Palace and visited the Cathedral of Vilnius. After a short prayer to the Saint Casimir, young people went to the Gothic corner of Vilnius, and then they quickly went to the bus eager to have dinner.

After dinner, it was time for some fun – another friendly match between two groups. This time the local youths were victorious. In the evening, the party was organised. On Saturday, the guests visited Trakai and the Olympians Alley in Vilnius, then they had a training session in unihokey, and then they visited Ozas – the shopping and entertainment centre. That day, the delegation of twelve people from Mościszki and Niemeczyn, under the care of Marian Kaczankowski, left to Trzciel. On Sunday, they visited bunkers while in Świebodzin they saw the second biggest statue of Jesus Christ in the world. The delegation went to the Sports and Leisure Centre in Drzonków, which have perfect conditions to train modern penthlaton. There, Laura Asadauskaitė the Olympic champion in penthlaton had trained for almost three months. In sporting facilities, the guests played tennis, practiced firing from rifles and pneumatic pellet pistols. A gymnasium and swimming pool were available. On the 27^th of November, there was a meeting with the mayor of Trzciel, Mrs. Maria Jolanta Górna-Bobrowska. Then, they went to a school, where there was a promotion of grass skis and a class in athletics (running).

On the next day, the Vilnius delegation visited the Middle Schools Ensemble in Brójce, where they presented their Sports School and its activities, and talked about pupils’ achievements. Then, all the people moved to a new sports hall: the guests played volleyball, table tennis and badminton. They took part in Polish language lesson and met with the school management. The delegation gained some useful information about the ways and methods of teaching in Polish schools; they answered the questions eagerly.

The integration was further maintained by sports activities, for instance, riding on grass skis and running. On the next day, the delegation visited the Marshal’s Office where they met with the Lubusz province Marshal Stanisław Tomczyszyn and with representatives from all Office’s departments. The guests watched a presentation about Lubusz province, and then talked about Vilnius district and Niemenczyn. After that, the quiz about European Union was held. At the end of the meeting, the Marshal wished everybody New Year’s greetings in advance, and gave souvenirs connected with the province.

Next, the guests visited the Museum of the Lubusz Region where they listened to the history of Zielona Góra. In the second place, they visited the Museum of Wine (the only one in the country) where a guide told them about the history of winemaking in Poland. At the end the guests visited the Museum of Tortures.

In the evening, there was a meeting with the organizers of the project. They summed up the results of the project and talked over the trips of both groups. They discussed future prospects of continuing the cultural and sports projects using UE funds and local resources.

In the first half of December, a team of several people from Lubusz powiat, under the care of Mrs Małgorzata Jażdżewska (deputy director of the Department of European Social Fund by Marshal’s Office in Lubusz province), will come to Vilnius to discuss possibilities of cooperation in realisation of bilateral local European projects. On their way back home, the Vilnius delegation received computer hardware from the “Semper Polonia” Foundation in Warsaw, which will be used in the Konstanty Parczewski Middle School in Niemenczyn and in the Sports School of Vilnius district municipality. 

Marian Kaczanowski

the principal of the

Sports School of Municipality Vilnius District

Source: http://kurierwilenski.lt/2012/12/05/lubusko-wilenska-spartakiada/

Tłumaczenie Patrycja Olszówka w ramach praktyk w Europejskiej Fundacji Praw Człowieka, www.efhr.eu. Translated by Patrycja Olszówka the framework of a traineeship programme of the European Foundation of Human Rights, www.efhr.eu.