Transnational Meeting 2 - Poland
Warsaw University of Life Science
Nowoursynowska 166
02-787 Warsaw
Travel Days – November 16 and 19
Meeting Days – November 17, 18
Participants
Adam Cade,UK
Marta Nuero Aristizabal, ES
Alberto Cuenca, ES
Conceição Colaço, PO
Ana Rita Silva, PO
Michał Orzechowski, PL
Wojciech Kędziora, PL
Visitors
Róża Brytan, Celestynow Forest District
Artur Dawidziuk, Celestynów Forest District
Bartłomiej Rębkowski, Institute of Wood Sciences and Furniture, WULS-SGGW
Aim - Introductions, roles, rights and responsibilities of partners, communication and promotion.
Key agenda items:
●Getting to know each other - new participants - ice breaking - first dinner in Lovage restaurant.
●Visits to city forests, nature reserves and state forests in the vicinity of the Warsaw agglomeration.
●Planning of new activities in Y4T project.
●Presentation of Erasmus+ projects conducted at WULS-SGGW.
●Discussion on the possibilities of new joint undertakings within Erasmus+.
●Establishing the tasks of individual participants in the new projects.
●Discussion on the possibilities and ways of developing the YPEF competition.
Throughout the meeting we focused on our experiences on the possibilities of developing cooperation in the current project and the next projects in the framework of Erasmus+ and other ways of financing. We analyzed the need to modify the tasks in our project to match the needs and opportunities in a pandemic situation.
Our agenda was divided into 9 sessions:
Session 1: Walking tour at Całowanie Swamp Nature Reserve
Session 2: Visitor Center in Celestynów Forest District
Session 3: Visit to Adventure Rope Park in Józefów, Holiday Inn
Session 4a: Presentation of Erasmus+ project Sunrise program by Marcin Zbieć, Bartłomiej Rębkowski, and Patrycja Zatoń from Faculty of Wood Technology
Session 4b: Presentation of Erasmus+ project Allview Marcin Zbieć, Bartłomiej Rębkowski, and Patrycja Zatoń from Faculty of Wood Technology
Session 5: Possible Erasmus+ future cooperation
Session 6: Visit to Natolin Nature Reserve
Session 7: Erasmus+ follow-up grant proposal – brainstorm
Session 8: Erasmus+ follow-up grant proposal – wrap-up
Session 9: Warsaw sightseeing
Swamp “Całowanie” walk
We organised an educational trip to the State Forests in the vicinity of the Warsaw agglomeration in the Celestynów Forest District, where we were hospitably welcomed by forest manager Artur Dawidziuk. November weather allowed us to visit a special area under nature protection - Całowanie Swamp. The guide was Róża Brytan, an employee of the Celestynów Forest District responsible for nature and forestry education. We discussed the vegetation of the marsh and animal problems of the area. The beaver houses and dams were particularly interesting. Beavers in this area are not a rare species, but they lead a secretive life and are not often seen. The participants were interested in the impact of beavers on the natural environment and forests.
The Beaver house on the pond.
Educational Centre in Celestynów Forest District
Róża Brytan and Artur Dawidziuk organised a presentation for us about the forestry district and the education of children and young people in a special educational centre. The Forest Education Centre in Celestynow is one of the largest forest education centres in Poland. The complex includes the main building of the centre with an exhibition and a conference room, a campsite, a canteen and a shelter for 70 people. The facility is owned by the State Forests.
We had the opportunity to learn the principles of operation of the educational centre and ways to activate young people and raise their ecological awareness. We took part in activation games (e.g. building a Leonardo da Vinci bridge), we visited the area of the educational centre, museum and educational game rooms. An important role is played there by an extensive model of forests in various stages of development and ways of human use.
Hosts provided useful links that were mentioned during our discussions:
“Całowanie” swamp interesting links:
1)http://parkiotwock.pl/sciezki-dydaktyczne-mpk/item/77-13-blota-stop-thirteen-feet-of-mud
2)http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/calowanie-swamp-iba-poland
Celestynow Forest District website: https://celestynow.warszawa.lasy.gov.pl/
Celestynow Forest District Facebook fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/NadlesnictwoCelestynow/
short film about education in Forest Education Centre: https://www.facebook.com/NadlesnictwoCelestynow/videos/1326784850773007
Masovian Landscape Park website: http://parkiotwock.pl/
Preview of Erasmus+ projects at WULS-SGGW
We have started our discussion about future cooperation and applications with a presentation from Faculty of Wood Technology and Institute of Wood Sciences and Furniture Erasmus+ projects presentation led by Bartłomiej Rębkowski. He described projects that were conducted at the faculty and in the institute giving detailed information about two of them: Allview & SunRISE. We have learned about different possibilities of application in Erasmus+ Key Action 2 & 3 as well as possible ways of delivering intellectual output of different formats including smartphone application for future students. It was a great way to have a look outside our usual box of projects led by all partners of Y4T consortium.
The first day was finished with an unusual dinner in total darkness. This was offered, among others, by a restaurant Different https://restauracjadifferent.pl/en/ run by a foundation https://niewidzialna.pl/en supporting blind and visually impaired people.
We tried to guess the ingredients of the dishes served without being able to see. It was an experience of the senses in a different reality. This experience can also be used for sensory education about trees and forests.
Natolin Nature Reserve
We started the next day with a visit to a special nature reserve, which is also a cultural monument. "Natolin Forest" is a 100 hectare forest closed to the public in the south of Warsaw, owned by the Prime Minister's office. Formerly it was a rural royal residence - a hunting ground. Currently it is a forest surrounded by urban buildings. The area is managed by the Natolin European Centre, which conducts educational activities there - postgraduate studies outside the nature reserve.
The former park has been transformed with the passing of time into a forest with the character of a natural primeval forest. We admired a large number of veteran trees: oaks, ash trees and hornbeams, and historical buildings hidden among them. Here, too, we found numerous traces of beaver feeding and dams damming up water. This is a new element in this cultural and natural system which increases the biodiversity of the ecosystem.
Meeting in WULS-SGGW
After a stroll and discussion in the field we started our second day of future plans preparation by brainstorming possible applications that were in the scope of Erasmus+ Agenda and in an interesting topic for all the partners. We discussed different aspects of the application process as well as elements of application that have to be included and may be included in the proposals. We discussed differences between Erasmus+ Key Action 1, 2 & 3. We have all decided that we will focus on the first two of them.
Future plans
We have decided to try to apply for new projects that would involve all the partners. They will aim at using food from forest (led by IROKO), concern art and forestry (led by ASPEA), fund youth exchange for YPEF and preparation of foretopedia (both led by WULS-SGGW).
We finished the evening by sightseeing Warsaw’s Old City (https://warsawtour.pl/en/project/old-town-2/) and had dinner at traditional Warsaw restaurant Podwale (only in Polish: https://podwale25.pl/).