Starting in the 2024/2025 academic year, SAN is implementing the Pomagajka SAN program, which aims to develop empathy and kindness among the younger generation towards people at risk of exclusion: seniors, people experiencing homelessness, lonely people, people with disabilities, refugees, immigrants, and others. The project includes many activities that show how to help others wisely. Eighth-grade primary school and secondary school students have the opportunity to take part in a competition for a project presenting ways of acting with empathy.

More information about the program can be found at:

LINK

“If we don't learn to love animals, we will never love people or ourselves.” – Marina Hulia.  SAN students from the dormitory, together with volunteers from Łódź, children from the Brześć Station, and young refugees from Ukraine, visited the Medor shelter in Zgierz near Łódź to take stray, abandoned, and lonely dogs for a walk. The sight of these happy dogs enjoying their freedom and having fun during the walk was extremely touching. To make their time more enjoyable, the volunteers brought delicious treats, which added to their fantastic fun. After the walk, the students visited the Museum of Cinematography and the Palm House, and also enjoyed delicious ice cream. This day was full of mutual help, wise support for one another, and, of course, enormous kindness.

The dormitory underwent a metamorphosis—it was renovated and rejuvenated. Now it is decorated with a charming mural on the wall, and the interior has been enriched with a modern gym and a functional kitchen. However, only gloomy concrete planters still stood in front of the entrance.  “We decided to change that! A group of committed students, together with security guard Zbyszek, bought lots of flowers. We met at the dormitory to plant these charming, sunny plants, which are meant to remind us of the cozy and joyful atmosphere of SAN,” says Marina Hulia, SAN Intercultural Coordinator.  The flowers found their place in the parking lot and along the main entrance to the dormitory. Now, both students and their parents will be warmly welcomed by bright yellow and orange flowers. This modest contribution makes the dormitory an even more friendly and inspiring place for everyone who lives here and develops in the spirit of learning and community. 

An unforgettable event at the Institute of Reportage “Wrzenie Świata” (The World in Turmoil)! Marina Hulia, SAN Intercultural Coordinator, took us on a journey through Belarus and Poland, sharing fascinating stories she had experienced.  This unique event was attended by numerous SAN students, who had the opportunity to meet with Danuta Przywara, president of the Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights. Ms. Danuta presented all students with a copy of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland. 

“This will be a great help to me in preparing for my history exams,” said student Svieta with a smile.
During this extraordinary evening, students also had the opportunity to meet journalist Ania Sańczuk, who works with the prestigious Vogue magazine, as well as other distinguished journalists and representatives of non-governmental organizations. It was a real feast for the mind, full of emotion, warmth, and freedom. 

A wonderful evening, full of smiles and hugs, joy and delicious food – this is how Marina Hulia remembers going to see the film “Wszyscy wszystko zjedli” (“Everyone Ate Everything”) with SAN students and the performances in the Old Town. During the meeting, shots were also filmed for a new production entitled “Learning Polish.” The film, in which our students also participate, will premiere this fall.

On Sunday, the competition was decided, which was also a celebration of diversity and colors, dances and songs, friendship and love. Six wonderful girls recited poems, demonstrated their talents, and answered questions about the history of Poland and their university. The jury chose Diana as Miss Akademika. She played the role of Wierka Serdiuchka, a popular Ukrainian comedian. In her daring performance, she sang, danced, and entertained. She won, but every guest in the audience had their own favorite, because the girls were all great. Each one was different, each one smart and talented. Congratulations to Diana and all the candidates! 

In two days, a white, pale wall was transformed into a story bursting with color. Students, in cooperation with Children from Brest Station and the Your Passion Foundation, created a mural that enlivened the interior of the dormitory hall and gave it a unique character.

Marina Hulia and SAN students watched a beautiful performance by the Test Dance Theater entitled “Circulus.” Music, dance, art—it touches the heart and stirs the deepest emotions, Marina summed up. However, the invitation was not accidental. Soon, the directors of “Circulus” – Dariusz Sikorski and Iza Borkowska – will become the directors of our students' play “Nana.” It will be a documentary performance about maternal love and a child's love for their mother, about life and passing, about us. The play will be produced as part of the “open stage” project, which is co-financed by the budget of the Capital City of Warsaw “Q działaniu” and implemented in cooperation with the Dorożkarnia Cultural Center.

A day full of meaning, joy and helping! These words perfectly sum up the visit of our Students, Marina Hulia and the Children from Brest Station to the Little Chef kitchen. They came together to prepare delicious dishes for senior citizens, but also to spend time together talking, singing and dancing. On this special day, they were accompanied by journalist and war correspondent Bianka Zalewska and the journalistic team of Dzień Dobry TVN.

Joyful, together, united. Catholics, Orthodox, Muslims and atheists sat together at the Easter table. Talking about Easter and the traditions associated with it in different countries, they built bonds together, transcending religious divisions. The Easter meeting in the dormitory was full of smiles, conversation and dancing. Also present was the Director of the Ombudsman's Office, Andrzej Stefański, who once again attended the Easter meeting at the Dormitory. - This is already a tradition. We have our own Minister. - laughed the Students. After the shared meal, Chechen women and children taught the Students their national dance, while Bergiej, a Management student, took beautiful photos.

The magic of Easter spread its aura over the Warsaw dormitory, where a pre-Christmas 'Istne cuda' competition for the most beautifully painted egg - Easter egg - took place. The students showed a great deal of talent and creativity. Daria coloured eggs with onion skins, while Masha chose to paint funny animals The winners of the competition were Ola and Valentyn, who handmade a bunch of live flowers and Easter eggs. The students' works set a nice festive mood and decorated the cosy interiors of the dormitory

Continuing to help those in need. A year has passed since the war in Ukraine began. Since then, Students from the Warsaw Dormitory have been continuously helping those in need. We recently mentioned cooking together and organising creative activities for children. This time, the Students decided to support a lonely refugee from Ukraine, 85-year-old Zoya. The Dorm Activity Room was transformed into an art studio, where pictures were painted at a large table. Grandma Zoya is a reclining person and sometimes feels lonely. At the end of last week, a three-strong delegation of Students decided to visit the woman to give her the artwork they had prepared and to say a few warm words.

Fat Thursday at the SAN University dormitory. Yesterday at the Warsaw dormitory, the Student-Activists together with Marina Hulia,SAN University Intercultural Coordinator, celebrated Fat Thursday with a meeting. They met not only to eat doughnuts, but also to take stock of their charity work and to talk about future endeavours. After all, the students regularly cook for the elderly from a nursing home, run art classes and cook for Ukrainian children evacuated from Odessa, and support people without homes. A nice surprise for them was a gift from Yope, which they received as a thank you for their commitment and good heart.

Cooking together for the residents of a retirement home. Another joint cooking event took place in January 2023, all for the residents of a retirement home. This time, in addition to the students of the SAN University, Ms Hanna Machińska, honoured with the Knight's Cross of the Order of Rebirth of Poland, deputy Ombudsman for Civil Rights Protection, and Mr Andrzej Stefański, director of the Ombudsman's office, joined in the cooking. The meeting was a beautiful gesture of mutual integration and assistance.

Christmas at the SAN University dormitory. On 21 December 2022, Christmas came to the Warsaw dormitory at 6 Ciołka St. The meeting, jointly organised with the Intercultural Coordinator of the Warsaw Branch of SAN University, Ms Marina Hulia, was a beautiful event for the foreign students, most of them from war-torn Ukraine. The students experienced home, warmth and the peaceful spirit of Christmas. Carols sounded, Christmas Eve dishes were served and the spirit of Christmas was felt. "A Polish Christmas Eve in full class" - concluded Director Lukasz Parkasiewicz with a smile

Family cooking. In December, a meeting attended by the Students of the SAN University and Lukasz Parkasiewicz - Administrative Director of SAN in Warsaw took place. The family cooking took place at the friendly Little Chef studio in Warsaw, and was a beautiful and memorable meeting for 32 lonely and abandoned grandmothers. A particularly memorable quote for the participants of the event was: "It's not time to die," smiled Grandma Halinka. - As long as you remember us, we will live".

Meeting at the Little Chef cooking school. In November 2022, a meeting was held at the Little Chef cooking school in Warsaw's Mokotów district. The event was attended by students of the SAN University as well as the administrative director Mr Łukasz Parkasiewicz. Thanks to the provision of space and cooking products, warm, home-cooked meals were created for Ukrainian orphans. The meeting was also attended by Bergiej Orynbassar and Lom Ali, a disabled boy from Chechnya, who danced the lezginka with his beloved mother Zhovret, joyfully and in Caucasian, during the meeting. The meeting passed in a pleasant atmosphere and the participants showed how important it is to help and support another human being.

In an effort to educate young students on such an important and topical issue as helping your fellow man, a lecture was held at our University in June by Marina Hulia entitled. "On wise helping: volunteering for people in need".

In October, on the occasion of 'Halloween', we organised a meeting with children and families from Chechnya. The event was held at the SAN dormitory. The participants were in good spirits. We danced together and taught the youngest citizens of Chechnya through play. Thanks to the event, we helped the families find their way in our country.

Recently at the SAN dormitory, we took another initiative and created an art studio where our students created, using crepe paper and coloured paper, colourful works. The whole event was aimed at enriching the time of Ukrainian orphans who were evacuated from Odessa and found their temporary home, in a hotel near Warsaw. Our volunteers tried to support the Ukrainian children as much as possible and help with the art workshops organised for them.

On the occasion of the Easter holidays on 21.04.2022, we organised a festive dinner for international students at the Dormitory of the SAN University. The event was attended by the Director of the Ombudsman's Office, Mr Andrzej Stefański. Traditional dishes of Ukrainian cuisine were served on the table.

Participants could also listen to a concert by saxophonist Nikita from Belarus, and the festive atmosphere could already be felt during the preparations. The event was organised to show support for refugees from Ukraine, for whom Easter is a very important holiday. The students felt a sense of unity, even though they were not at the same table with their family members.

Another event in which our students participated was held in Opole. Together with young activists, we created a hate-free zone. Our goal was to show that it is worth building ties between different nationalities, even if we come from different countries. SAN students excelled in showing unity, while emphasizing how important and better the world is without national divisions.

Seeing how important it is to help, already on March 6, 2022, in Lara Gessler's studio, students of the SAN University together with Moms from Brest Station prepared meals for refugees from Ukraine. As a university, we wanted to show support for those fleeing war zones. They were able to eat hot meals prepared by the students and talk to our students.

On the first day of the war in Ukraine, 24.02.2022, our students, together with Marina Hulia, took part in the Freedom Concert. The event aimed to unite with the Ukrainian people and show as much support as possible in this difficult time for them.

As the SAN University, we are involved in many initiatives to draw attention to the geopolitical situation of our country as well as the world. Since February 2022, we are all focused on the problem that is the war in Ukraine. From the very beginning of the conflict across the eastern border, citizens of our country have been involved in aid initiatives for those fleeing the country of aggression.

The community of our University, is also actively involved in organizing projects, cooperating with institutions and individuals for whom human rights and security are fundamental values. We are open to the other person, regardless of country of origin or other cultural barriers, so we build a space free of intolerance and division. We create a place for dialogue and enable students to exchange their views and shape the character of those studying with us. Students at our university take an active part in various volunteers and organizations that support people in need.

In cooperation with Marina Hulia, intercultural coordinator at the SAN University, students and faculty take an active part in various events aimed at helping refugees and providing ongoing support during difficult times for them. Most of these events are shared and reported on Facebook.