Menu

We know the results of the February call for Micro-Grants!

After several days of committee meetings, we already know which projects will be implemented in the spring in Wroclaw. Exploring the history of ethnic minorities and the oldest “Wroclaw villages” together, bicycle trips, playing chess and, finally, close encounters with nature – there are many great neighborhood events waiting for us in the city this season!

For the first two weeks of February, the Microgrants team collected proposals for projects in the fields of animation, education, art and many other integrative and culture-creating activities. The path for individuals and informal groups received a total of 97 initiatives, of which 14 will be implemented in the area of Wroclaw’s former districts – Fabryczna, Krzyki, Psie Pole and Śródmieście. All selected ideas will receive financial support (up to PLN 5,000 gross), as well as assistance in administrative, organizational, promotional or logistical matters.

The first events will start at the beginning of April and will last until the end of June – so we have all spring for neighborhood integration! Let’s see which projects made it to the final fourteen ↆ

FABRYCZNA

Academy of the Young Rescuer 

Grupa wrocławskich licealistów, studentek i studentów, od kilku już lat angażująca się w różnorodne inicjatywy edukacyjno-społeczne oraz warsztaty i imprezy międzypokoleniowe, tej wiosny przybliży nam wiedzę z zakresu pierwszej pomocy. Temat ważny dla każdego, ale żeby nie było nudno – od teoretycznego przygotowania przejdziemy do bardziej praktycznych działań w postaci gier terenowych w Parku Grabiszyńskim i Parku Mamuta! Uczestniczki i uczestnicy będą zbierać pieczątki za wykonanie zadań w sześciu stacjach (Infolinia, Urazówka, RKO, Wypadek komunikacyjny, Zatrucia i zachłyśnięcia, Odparzenia i odmrożenia). Na zakończenie wszyscy otrzymają dyplom poświadczający kompetencje jako absolwenta/-ki Akademii Młodego Ratownika oraz pamiątkową naklejkę. Wspólnie z grupą zapraszamy zarówno dzieci i młodzież, jak i rodziców, dziadków czy opiekunów – w międzypokoleniowym gronie nauczmy się, jak sobie nawzajem pomagać.  

Women’s empowerment: together we can do more

As the saying goes: girls stick together! In the wake of this maxim, an informal group called G2G (Girls2Girls) was formed by two friends, joining forces to promote the development of women. They are familiar with topics such as soft skills and psychology in business, and plan to hold four meetings to help women take a new look at their opportunities in the labor market. Participants in the events, with the support of invited guests and guest speakers, will work on their strengths, learning more about the competencies of the future, and take part in a workshop on designing a resume and entering a job interview. The finale of the project will be an integration at the Popowicka Glade, during which the participants will present their own plans for social initiatives. A video summarizing the project will become a souvenir and inspiration for further activities for local support of women!

Citizen Boar. International integration with Wrocław nature

An autumn series of meetings has already been held around the eponymous animal over the past year. Sympathizing with wildlife, the Sisters of the River Sleigh are returning to the Microgrants to organize walks in places for which naturalists and local activists and activists are fighting for legal protection. During the walk in Prachy Odrzanskie, we will talk about the impact of legislation on the lives of animals in Poland and other countries, while fostering civic-minded attitudes. Inspired by wild, plant-based cuisine, we will discover treasures straight from nature, which we will use while preparing food and drinks together. In addition, we will try to create visual works about the world around us from recycled natural materials, which will make up a collaborative, outdoor exhibition. The Sisters of the River Silt, who support the idea of grassroots environmental education, invite people who communicate in both Polish and English, Ukrainian and Spanish to participate in the cross-cultural project.

KRZYKI

The oldest villages in Wroclaw: Księże, Brochów, Wojszyce, Ołtaszyn 

Piotr Gaglik, an activist of the Society of Friends of Brochow, now retired, and formerly a researcher and city official of Wroclaw, is also an author of historical works, a foreign journalist and a guide for many tours of Brochow, among other places. In the spring, he invites residents and residents to four walks in the footsteps of old Wroclaw villages! During one of the walks, we will learn about the history of Ksiez, visiting the area of the Ksiez cemetery (the area of the former so-called “escape fortress”) and the former Button Mill, We will also learn about the history of Brochow, where there used to be a nawsie (i.e. a square located within a former serf village). We will also discover the historical identity of Wojszyce, walking from Klasztorna Street to Asphalt Street, and Oltaszyn, following the route of Parafialska, Pszczelarska and Kutrzeby Streets. The culmination of the project will be the publication of educational brochures dedicated to the respective neighborhoods/villages. And of course – the integration of their contemporary male and female residents!

Różnorodność w Smaku i Słowie – Osiedlowe Spotkania Kulturowe

And in this call, many projects have a multinational profile, which pleases us immensely! The informal group Intercultural Settlement Initiative conducts various activities of an integrative, intercultural and intergenerational nature on a daily basis. As part of the Microgrants, it is planning a series of meetings led by residents and residents of the Silesian Insurgents estate from Italy, Thailand, Syria, Egypt and Ukraine, among others, during which we will share interesting facts about the traditions of the place we come from. Conversations at the Anna Culture Club will be diversified with quizzes and delicious snacks, which are specialties in different countries! Materials disseminating the project will become a brochure with profiles of the guests and hosts of the events, as well as recipes of the tasted dishes, published online and in print.

From Tarnogai to work by bicycle

Cycling enthusiast Krzysztof Czyżycki encourages you to use a two-wheeler as an everyday means of transportation! The microbike rookie offers two theoretical meetings on road safety, route planning or choosing the right clothing and luggage, and two practical workshops, during which we will prepare our bicycles for riding. Replacing tires and tubes, adjusting derailleurs and brakes, checking the technical condition – with proper training, the bicycle will no longer have secrets from us, and riding will forever become safe and comfortable. The project will also include the creation of a brochure with information discussed at the workshop. Mr. Krzysztof invites all residents of Tarnogaj to participate, regardless of age or even experience in riding two wheels!

Make and Play Neighbor! 100 chessboards on the 100th anniversary of FIDE 

The popularizer of the game of chess and its history, Jacek Szymala, wants to share his passion by inviting residents and residents of the Świdnica Suburb to prepare chess sets on their own. During a series of four meetings, we will creatively decorate chessboards and improve the pieces, i.e. figures and pawns, while learning the rules of the game under the guidance of an instructor. Challenge – to create one hundred chessboards for a neighborhood game! The project is directed to everyone, regardless of age or chess experience – let’s spend creative time in a friendly atmosphere!

PSIE POLE

Trees and people – synergy! 

We are happy when you come back to us in the next calls after brilliantly executed projects! Such a person is Marek Zator, a lover of manual work with wood, interested in Polish and Scandinavian design and the design of the 60s and 70s. This time he is preparing for the residents and residents of the Swojczyce-Strachocin-Wojnów housing estate a series of meetings and workshops, the leitmotif of which will be a tree. How to restore and repair wooden objects? What kind of trees to plant in a pot, terrace or balcony boxes and how to care for them? What is worth knowing when planning a night in a hammock suspended between the branches? In addition to gaining knowledge, we will try our hand at refinishing wooden chairs, armchairs or photo frames, but also at climbing trees using ropes or balancing on a slack rope. Spring will also be an ideal time for bird watching, so during the last meeting, together with an ornithologist, we will go for a walk in the Black Water Park.

“This will now be our home” – the culture of Lower Silesian ethnic minorities 

Piotr Bączkiewicz is involved in the culture of the Chadecky Highlanders, and has been a certified folk dance instructor since 2022, although his adventure with folklore began much earlier, in the Świdnica song and dance group “Jubilat.” How will he translate his passion into an ongoing project in Micro-Grants? With his project he wants to remind that interculturalism is not a phenomenon of recent years, and Wroclaw is a particularly interesting example of this fact. The aim of the planned events will be to get to know more about the ethnic and national minorities that appeared in Lower Silesia after 1945. Lectures, dance workshops and the creation of folk costumes at the Agora Cultural Center, will be devoted to the culture of the Czadecki Highlanders, Lemkos and Ukrainians. For the finale of the project, something special awaits us – an intercultural, folk and outdoor dance party!

Magic of Zawidawskie Meadows, or intergenerational workshops in Psi Pole

They are united by their love of nature and deepening their knowledge of local herbs and animals. Zawidawskie Witches is a group of female residents of Dog Field who want to activate their neighbors once again, and this time they are inviting them to explore the natural areas of Dog Field-Zawidaw together. As part of the project, we will go for a walk with a biologist along the Vidava River, which will turn out to be a real festival of magic of local biodiversity! Also awaiting us are a floriography workshop, an art class using Victorian knowledge of communication through plants, and meetings where we will learn to use herbs and flowers from the Vidawa area on Zgorzelisko to create eco-cosmetics and delicious snacks and healing infusions. The conclusion of the series of meetings will be a festive music-making on the Zawidawska glade, combined with picnicking with plant-based light refreshments. On the occasion we will weave garlands of local flowers and herbs and make natural incense. It will be a true celebration of spring!

ŚRÓDMIEŚCIE

Reading the Quarter – Children of the Square 

Ej Aj Theater, a group that organizes, among other things, acting workshops in Wroclaw, will once again implement its project in the Microgrants program! Behind us are intercultural art workshops and intergenerational podcast workshops on the Big Island. In this edition, we will go a step further, taking part in a performative discovery and reading of stories from the area of the Big Island, and in particular Sępolno. Over the course of seven weekly meetings, participants will learn actor reading, the ins and outs of staging, and how to creatively present a documentary story. The basis for joint work will be the collected interviews with residents and residents of Libelta and Mieroslawski Streets, i.e. the eponymous Children of the Square – a group that already cares about nurturing the memories of their neighborhood. Fascinating and little-known stories from this unique neighborhood, we will present to a wider audience during the project’s finale!

Nice to meet you! Intercultural workshops for Roma, Ukrainian and Polish children 

Iryna Chechun is a Kharkiv-born resident of Breslau who works at the Children and Youth Activity Center on a daily basis. It was in Nadodrze that she noticed that ignorance of cultures other than one’s own can give one a hard time – especially among children. So she decided to use her experience in working with young people, planning multicultural encounters with art and cuisine in the Microgrants! Participating children, will learn about Roma, Polish and Ukrainian art and symbolism, and then make their own painting impressions and diaries with a selected symbol of the respective culture. Of course, nothing integrates as much as time at the table together, so Iryna also invites them to talk about traditional dishes, taste pancakes inspired by traditional Roma cuisine, Ukrainian sweets, and make the famous Polish delicacy – fudge! Meetings for children aged 8 to 12 (younger ones accompanied by a guardian(s)) will be held at the Nadodrze Infopoint.

Dance with us traditionally! Belarusian folk dances in Wroclaw

A group of friends of Belaruskiya tancory and music, active in the cultural area in Wroclaw, will introduce us to the folk traditions of Belarus in joint dancing and singing. On the dance floor we will meet a dancer of Belarusian folk dances and a baraban-playing dancer from a folk ensemble in Grodno. We will get to know our neighbors and neighbors’ neighbors (and steps, of course!) with live music – amidst the sounds of violins and bagpipes! The second part of the project will be dedicated to artistic meetings, during which we will learn poop songs and make traditional straw spiders and karaliky, or elements of folk costume. The crowning event of this cross-cultural initiative will be a dance at the Club under the Columns or, weather permitting, on the Green Riverfront. All residents and residents are invited to participate in the final event, coinciding with the Kupala holiday!

We sing among the tenements. We explore the nooks and crannies of Olbin

Magdalena Jarczewska-Bomba, whom you may know from her instagram blog @oldkafelstory, is a resident and enthusiast of Olbin. She has been exploring townhouses for years, delighting in their interiors and details, and now she has infected her neighbors and neighbors’ neighbors with this fascination! She will invite us to the estate’s lesser-known but delightful spaces for three workshops with a white singing instructor. The folk tone will resonate with the acoustics of the hall of the former Olbin estate council headquarters, the Edith Stein House and at the Non-Public Medical College. Each meeting will begin with a short lecture on the history of the location, and its photographs, taken at the meetings, will grace the postcards-memorabilia distributed, along with a brochure summarizing the project, to participants and attendees of the finale. The workshop is also expected to produce a community, Olbin chant!

Detailed evaluations of all formally correct applications and minutes with justification of the committee’s choices are HERE.

We congratulate all the winners and wish them good luck with their activities. See you in the city!

Stay updated!

If you want to stay up to date with what's happening with us, sign up for our newsletter.