The Warsaw Ukrainian School
SzkoUA is an innovative project that responds quickly to changing needs and emphasizes cooperation. Created in April 2022, two months after the escalation of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, it aims to provide safety and normalcy for Ukrainian refugee children by offering a face-to-face education in the Ukrainian system.
Initially meant to last 3 months, the project has continued for almost 3 years due to the prolongation of the war.
The school for up to 273 students, with 1 class in each of the Ukrainian system’s 11 years, is run jointly by the Club of Catholic Intelligentsia and the Ukrainian House Foundation in cooperation with MriyDiy School in Lviv and the Stevenson High School and the U. Ledóchowska Montessori School in Warsaw. The main financial partner of the project until December 2024 was Save the Children International.
Currently, SzkoUA is looking for donors who will enable it to continue its mission.
From summer 2023, SzkoUA has developed a unique educational program that combines the Polish and Ukrainian curricula.
Integration into Polish society is also emphasized through Polish language, history and culture lessons, as well as meetings with Polish peers.
The school prioritizes psychological care for its students and their teachers, who are themselves also refugees.
Since September 2023, SzkoUA has been integrated into the Polish educational system, functioning under the modus of preparatory departments: to achieve this, we introduced intensified Polish language instruction, amongst others through innovative binary classes in which Polish and Ukrainian teachers teach together. SzkoUA staff participate in training sessions with Polish and foreign specialists, and the school engages in various events and activities, including the creation of a forum for Warsaw Ukrainian schools.
SzkoUA, led by director Oksana Kolesnyk, has received significant recognition for its contribution.
In 2022, it was awarded the S3KTOR award of the City of Warsaw for the second best non-governmental initiative.
Additionally, SzkoUA was a finalist in the Portraits of Sisterhood competition run by the sestry.eu portal, which honors Polish and Ukrainian women supporting the struggle for freedom and democracy.
The school is also a finalist in the PRZEWROTY competition organized by the Copernicus Science Center for innovative educational initiatives.
Most recently, SzkoUA won The Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) Award for Social Cohesion.
SzkoUA aims to preserve Ukrainian national identity while ensuring peaceful integration into Polish society.
It offers students a flexibility to continue their education in either the Ukrainian or Polish systems, thus offering them choices in the face of a future scenario that is highly unstable.
The school is supported through a Polish budget subsidy, which provides some stability and allows it to continue its mission and development. Unfortunately, this subsidy covers only ⅓ of SzkoUA’s budget, so we still have to seek additional financial support from non-governmental organizations and businesses.
Over the next two years, we plan to transform our project into an independent and sustainable Polish-Ukrainian school.
As a non-profit project, SzkoUA faces organizational, financial and infrastructural challenges.
We are looking for partners and patrons who will support our activities which will ensure the maintenance and further development of SzkoUA.
Presentation about SzkoUA – Eduсational Bridge > >
HOW YOU CAN HELP?
You can make a donation or contact us for more information!
DONATE
Support us by making a donation to the account of the Club of Catholic Intelligentsia in Warsaw:
IBAN PL35 1140 2062 0000 4445 3900 1035
SWIFT BREXPLPWXXX
Transfer title: Donation SzkoUA
CONTACT
They supported us
Our partners
Ukraiński Dom in Warsaw – initiator of the SzkoUA project and the institution running it.
Catholic Intelligentsia Club in Warsaw – the initiator of the SzkoUA project, KIK coordinated the creation of the school and supervises its everyday functioning.
Orientyr Hub – supports SzkoUA with content and is responsible for recruitment
Mriy Diy – provides SzkoUA students with the opportunity to formally continue their education in safe conditions during the war in Ukraine.
Design Montessori – during the war in Ukraine, it provides SzkoUA students with the opportunity to study full-time in the Polish education system.