10 out of 12 of the Fulbright Program Ambassadors in Poland met in Warsaw on October 21-22 to kick off their two-year term.
The role of Ambassadors is to promote Fulbright Program locally, in their respective cities. During the 2023-2025 term, Ambassadors will operate in 12 academic centers in Poland: Białystok, Częstochowa, Gdańsk, Katowice, Kielce, Kraków, Łódź, Lublin, Poznań, Rzeszów, Warsaw, and Wrocław.
In these locations, they will organize and lead informational meetings and presentations about the Fulbright Program, support candidates in the application process, and arrange meetings for Fulbright alumni. They will also advocate for the value of a Fulbright grant as an attainable opportunity for those studying and advancing their careers at diverse Polish institutions, both large and small.
The weekend meeting was intended to prepare them for these tasks. Two-day agenda was packed with presentations on our current grant offer (BioLAB, Specialist, Slavic Award) and helped the Ambassadors plan their own local activities for the upcoming semester.
We presented the role and principles of cooperation for Ambassadors, creating a space for sharing experiences. Three participants are continuing their ambassadorial activities from the previous term, so they shared their experiences and the obstacles they encountered.
In group work, there was also time for reflection on how to disseminate knowledge about Fulbright at Polish higher education institutions. Many interesting ideas emerged during the exercise, with concrete plans for events taking shape.
The meeting program also included a storytelling workshop led by an expert in the field, Zuzanna Mazurek. Thanks to this workshop, participants will be able to incorporate their personal experiences into outreach presentations.
We wish our new Ambassadors a successful term, and we want to express our heartfelt thanks once again to the wonderful Ambassadors of the 2021-23 edition for their dedication, creativity, and invaluable support!
