On the 12th of January 2026, the European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk will be hosting the conference titled “Why We Wanted to Change the World? Stories of School Creators from 1989–1995,”. The conference is to summarize a research project on the origins of private education in Poland. The event will be dedicated to the people who created the first private schools after 1989 – teachers, parents and social activists, for whom freedom, dialogue and partnership became the foundation of modern education.
The project, which is being finalized with this conference, documents the beginnings of the transformation in Polish education. The project collected accounts and memories of school founders, interviews, research, and the archival materials that, together, paint a picture of a pivotal moment in the history of Polish education. The results of this work, including recordings of the interviews, are available on the project website:
The research results and reflections from the project participants on the role and significance of the first private schools in Poland will be presented at the conference. The event will be an opportunity to exchange experiences and discuss how the values and ideas of those years can inspire contemporary initiatives in education. Members of the Pomeranian Private Schools Network are also invited to participate. Participation in the event requires prior registration, using the form available at:
The conference is organized with the financial support from the PZU Foundation and the Pomeranian Private Schools Network, and is held under the Minister of Education and the Mayor of Gdansk honorary patronage . Among the partners and patrons are also: the Gdańsk Education Board, the European Solidarity Centre, the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Gdańsk, the Social Educational Association, the Pomeranian Private Schools Network, the National Forum for Private Education, the Knowledge and Education Forum, Akademickie Zacisze, the weekly “Polityka,” Trójmiasto.pl, Gdansk.pl, Wiekdwudziesty.pl, and Edunews.pl.