Etnoteam.pl is a new internet service launched by the Villa Decius Association in the framework of the activities focusing on the promotion of human rights and tolerance in Poland. Etnoteam.pl is a multicultural site addressing youth, teachers and all who are interested in promoting tolerance, human rights and prevent all acts of discrimination on the basis of nationality. It is a way of education in history, culture and religions of all national and ethnic groups in Poland, as well as a forum where contacts can be made and views and opinions can be shared.
Etnoteam.pl is a part and a conclusion of a project carried out by the Association since 2007, an educational project focused on the promotion of human rights and tolerance in Poland ‘Our Europe’. The project was based on the belief that the intercultural education should constitute an important element in the education of each nation. Only thanks to this approach young people can take part in the process of learning about history, culture and society free from stereotypes and build an open society that would be able to treat ethnic diversity as an element of the nation’s richness and not as a source of antagonisms.
The territorial differentiation of the structure of the Polish nation often does not give the young Poles the opportunity to have a direct contact with the cultures of other nationalities and ethnic groups, which causes the general lack of knowledge and experience in these matters among Poles. The internet forum of understanding gives a chance to break the real and mental barriers in the intercultural contacts as well as the possibility to create a supra-regional society ‘etnoteam’ that would gather the representatives of each nationality and religious confession in Poland, but also abroad. In the ‘Our Europe’ project initiatives already youngsters from Norway and Slovakia have taken part too.
The site includes pages devoted to the proposals of multicultural educational programmes for teacher, presenting the knowledge about different cultures and explaining the terms necessary for the intercultural education. There are also links to other services with similar as well as information about the initiatives and the community at the site.
Partners:
- British Council Biuro w Krakowie
- Instytut Europeistyki UJ
- Instytut Politologii Akademii Pedagogicznej
- Fundacja Kultury Chrześcijańskiej ZNAK,
- Korporacja Samorządowa im. Józefa Dietla
- Association for International Affairs
- Center for the Research of Ethnicity and Culture
- Centre for Development and the Environment at University of Oslo.
Honorary patronage
- Marek Nawara, Marszałek Województwa Małopolskiego
- Józef Rostworowski, Małopolski Kuratora Oświaty