ISSUE #6 POLAND
LUBLIN, POLAND
POLAND ESTABLISHING the Polish office of Camp Leaders in the city of Lublin was an easy choice for both Pawel and Paulina. Despite it being more than three hours travel from Warsaw and Krakow the city provided a strong academic presence from which to recruit future young people who would want to embark on an opportunity of making a life changing journey to the USA. So in 2007, the pair set about their task with an inner belief that from day one this venture was going to work. And given the fact that both had experience of what travel and meeting people from other cultures had done to their lives, they felt they should share it with others. Ably assisted by Alex Fekete and the staff of the Hungarian office, their first recruitment drive in 2008 brought in 67 participants to the program. Compare that with 2014, when the Polish office had more than raised the bar a little by recruiting 620 people, making it the third largest recruitment country among the Smaller Earth family. Continued on page 4
Currently, the Polish office employs five full time staff, three interns as well as 30 nationwide team recruiters. Both the experience and connections gained from their stays at camp has enabled Pawel and Paulina to establish a business relationship with one of the biggest food service company’s in Western Massachusetts - Keilty’s Food Service. And every year the director of the company comes to Central Europe for the hiring trip, which results in 60 support staff placements a season.
Smaller Earth in Poland also operates the Canago program with more than 20 participants last season. Ask Pawel or Paulina what is special about the Polish office and its staff and they will readily respond that it’s all about energy and teamwork “As an office we fit very well with the theme of Smaller Earth, which is one of being part of both an energetic and performance driven team of young people. “The best expression is small team but large impact, where each member of staff strives for success in an atmosphere where they feel part of something much, much bigger.
“We fundamentally achieve this by unhesitatingly giving a helping hand to one another in what is often like a close knit family. “This cooperation extends beyond our borders and even enabled some of the team to visit the Hungarian office to exchange new ideas, as well as organising a reunion party for Camp Leaders and a Halloween party last November, in Lublin, for past, present and future participants in the program. “The staff sees their work as a life mission in helping broaden young people’s horizons and showing them that while the world is wide open, it is much smaller than they actually think. And just like a spark to a flame, the team’s greatest joy is in witnessing those program participants and their subsequent development into the wider world.”
PAW E L DZ I E R Z A K DIRECTOR AND CO-FOUNDER OF CAMP LEADERS POLAND
Pawel holds two masters degrees, one from the University of Salford in security studies and another in international relations from the University of Lublin. When he is relaxing he enjoys long distance swimming and his New Year resolution was to complete a triathlon in 2015. His other interests include contemporary history, politics, law and economic, even calling his dog Forint after the Hungarian currency. Pawel spent 10 summers at Camp Half Moon in Great Barrington, which gave him a deep insight into how camps operate. He is now responsible for overseeing Camp Leaders and Smaller Earth operations in Poland and is involved in setting up tax refund service for Smaller Earth on a global level. Pawel is married to his Camp Leader’s Poland co-founder Paulina. and a father to Bruno. The couple are expecting baby number two come July.
PAU L I N A G IZ YC K A PROGRAM MANAGER/CO-FOUNDER OF CAMP LEADERS POLAND
After encouragement from Pawel, Paulina started out on her American camp adventure in 2003, an adventure which lasted for nine summers. As well as being an international Relations graduate from the University of Lublin she has a postgraduate diploma in public relations from the University of Warsaw. Paulina likes to understand how social media impacts on the company’s operations and is very much a details oriented person who keeps Polish operations on the straight and narrow. Paulina’s Facebook campaigns help generate lots of interest in the Camp Leaders program in Poland. As a result, as of last month, the recruitment for the upcoming season had reached its target. Among her other roles, Paulina oversees flights, insurance and visas in Poland. Paulina and Pawel got married in 2011 and in 2012 their first son Bruno was born and another little Dzierzak is due in summer. One final word about Paulina, is to remember she does not like being on water and even gets seasick on duck tours!
MAGDALENA WIETR ASZUK CAMP AND RESORT LEADERS PROGRAMS AND CANAGO RECRUITER
Magdalena joined the Smaller Earth office in 2012, after completing her first summer at Camp Chingachgook YMCA, followed in 2013, by a summer at Camp Sloane YMCA. Last year she also graduated after completing a degree in American literature and culture at the University of Lublin. She is currently doing her masters part time in corporate capitalism. Her hobbies include dance and gymnastics and whenever the opportunity allows she brushes up on her Spanish. An amusing fact is that Pawel, whilst visiting Magdalena at Camp Chingachgook in 2013, did not actually recognize her as a Polish participant, and it was only after a quick chat in English they both realized they were from Lublin. Currently, she coordinates both Camp Leaders and Resort Leaders Programs and helps in processing Canago applications! This summer she is going to work at Mount Washington Resort as a front desk agent.
M AG DA L E N A P E D RYC COORDINATOR CAMP LEADERS AND CANAGO PROGRAM
Magda has been working for Smaller Earth since 2011, as a result of her student internship. She has already completed her studies in international relations and is currently doing her doctorate in Middle Eastern politics. In her ‘leisure time’ she learns Arabic and Korean and lectures at the University of Lublin. Having spent six summers at camps, she can, to all her co-workers, be deemed ‘a camp freak’, after visiting four different camps and before finally discovering her second best place in the world was at Camp Pontiac (New York). And while not declaring where her best place in the world is, she is currently putting the finishing touches to her new apartment. When she has any other time to spare, she loves karaoke and sunbathing. And believe it or not, her pet hate is actually sleeping in tents!
TO M A SZ A DA M C Z Y K CAMP LEADERS COORDINATOR AND IT EXPERT
After spending a couple of summers working at Timber Lake Camp, in New York Tomasz decided to try his hand working with the Smaller Earth team. And, undoubtedly, he could not have made a better choice. For the past 18 months, he has been responsible for coordinating the recruitment process in all the programs available; starting with contacting participants, through to checking their applications sorting out their visas and preparation days. Thanks to his passion for computers, he helps solve every IT issue in the office. It was therefore not without reason that he became the new system ambassador. At university he graduated with a degree in geography and as well as travelling to new countries and discovering new cultures he likes warm weather when he can play football and go hiking. His sense of humor and positive attitude add colour to the Polish team.
Recruitment Fair at St. George’s Hall
THE largest Camp Leaders recruitment fair showcased itself in the historic surroundings of Liverpool’s St George’s Hall.
The Camp Leader program, which comes under the umbrella organization Smaller Earth, aims to impact on the lives of 20m people by 2020.
The program, which helps young people use their individual expertise to embark on often life changing experiences over the summer months attracted almost 600 would-be recruits to last month’s event, which involves up to 30 camps across the United States.
Joint founders of Camp Leaders Chris Arnold and Dave Robinson were in St George’s Hall to welcome the young people and the Lord Mayor of Liverpool Erica Kemp. Ms Kemp said:
“I am in favour of anything that helps develop young people’s lives and this program has to be applauded.”
“The experience they get will be unique, and although it will be hard work and challenging, it will be life changing for many of them. “We feel it’s important to support this type of event which will provide them with an opportunity to meet with young people from countries across the world and included in that are people from Liverpool. “A lot of people tell me that young people sit with their laptops all day, yet here we have young people doing anything but that.”
Joint founder Chris Arnold said the original program for Camp Leaders which started out in 1999, sent just 32 young people abroad in its first year, now sends 6,000 annually. Chris said: “The first of our recruitment fairs was held in Liverpool in 2004, when we had just six camp directors from American camps here whereas in 2015 it was 30. “And what I love most is to see the queue outside and then seeing all those young people and their enthusiasm bursting through the doors, filled with both excitement and anticipation at what they are hoping to embark upon. “A decade after the first camp fair was held in Liverpool, I feel like being in St George’s Hall is a real thrill. And those six original American camp leaders are still working with us, which means we must have done something right. Here’s to the next ten years!” Bastian Weinberger, the CEO of Smaller Earth said: “‘In January, we host a total of 16 camp leaders fairs in ten different countries, which will facilitate the placements of over 1,000 young people. “Each of those participants will have the summer of a lifetime and experience some amazing personal growth and development. “We are particularly proud to have hosted our biggest fair here in Liverpool at St. Georges Hall – surely one of the most impressive buildings in Britain.”
ON THE COVER Culture in Lublin
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2015