“Future for Ukraine” Centre opened in Poland

Nov. 2022

Eröffnung eines neuen Kinderhauses

According to current UN estimates, approximately 14 million people have been displaced from Ukraine since the outbreak of the war. Children and young people who arrive in neighbouring European countries from war zones are often severely traumatised and find it difficult to return to their new everyday lives. With the funds from the EduCare Europe Fund, the PATRIZIA Foundation supports these children and young people and their accompanying persons. The focus is on the goal of reintroducing them to educational opportunities as quickly and gently as possible. With the opening of the “Future for Ukraine” centre near Warsaw, this goal has now been taken another big step closer.

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Housing & Education

The Future for Ukraine Centre is located in Ozarow Mazowieckie, about 30 kilometres south of Warsaw. It is run by a long-standing partner organisation of the PATRIZIA Foundation, the Pallottine Order. The facility offers 96 Ukrainian children and their mothers or accompanying persons safe accommodation, food and educational and psychological help to cope with their situation. Specially trained staff help the children to process and overcome trauma in order to be able to participate in educational opportunities again as quickly as possible. In cooperation with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the centre therefore also provides additional extracurricular educational opportunities as well as laptops and PCs for the media room.

High-profile guests & moments of hope

In addition to the Rector General of the Pallottine Fathers, Zenon Hanas, and Angelika Jacobi, Managing Director of the PATRIZIA Foundation, a number of high-ranking politicians from Poland also attended the opening ceremony of the “Future for Ukraine” Centre on 16 November.

Opening of a new children's house

Among them: the Deputy Marshal of the Polish Parliament (Sejm), Małgorzata Gosiewska, Adam Struzik, Marshal of Mazovia and the UNHCR Protection Officer in Warsaw, Batyr Sapbiyev. Angelika Jacobi: “It was a moment of hope when we cut the ribbon and it suddenly became so clear that the future can happen here again – at least in the form of paving the way for it. That makes me personally very proud.”

Recognising needs, healing trauma

To support the local teachers in their work, the PATRIZIA Foundation in Warsaw offers “Train the Teacher” courses. In these trainings, Ukrainian and Polish teachers learn how to respond to the needs of traumatised children in the best possible way and thus facilitate their way back into everyday school life. The individual developmental phases of young and older children alike are taken into account. The “Train the Teacher” courses are led by two experienced emergency educators from the PATRIZIA Foundation, Beatrice Rutishauser Ramm and Orsi Fulop. The basis of the training is the so-called “Essence of Learning (EoL)”, an emergency pedagogical approach that has proven very successful in a wide variety of crisis situations, but especially in dealing with traumatised children. Further “Train the Teacher” courses are to follow at regular intervals. These are also financed by the EduCare Europe Fund.

Eröffnung eines neuen Kinderhauses
Eröffnung eines neuen Kinderhauses

Further support also in 2023

The PATRIZIA Foundation would also like to support refugee children and young people next year with the resources of the EduCare Europe Fund. Low-threshold, integrative offers in the form of courses, school support, cultural as well as leisure activities and emergency educational intervention remain at the centre of all activities.

For this, we need your help – and are happy about your donation. Because: every euro counts, gives hope and makes the future possible.

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A Musical Programme with Lasting Impact

Young musicians from the MiSST programme welcomed guest with an opening performance.

Throughout the evening, the students further captivated guests with their performances, including Adoration by Florence Price and selected pieces from The Phantom of the Opera.  

An Evening of Shared Vision and Personal Stories

In his welcoming speech, founder Wolfgang Egger talked about the importance of investing in young people and creating opportunities that allow them to thrive — academically, personally and socially. Ambassador Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber delivered a passionate speech on the importance of protecting arts education in the UK, particularly at a time when music and creative subjects continue to face significant cuts within the school system. He spoke movingly about the responsibility to ensure that every child, regardless of background, has access to creativity, culture and music education.

Chairwoman of the Board Astrid Gabler, together with Board Member James Muir, reflected on their recent visit to one of the programme’s partner schools. James shared how deeply a passionate music teacher had influenced him during his own school years and how this experience continues to shape his belief in the importance of the support in education infrastructure. 

Rachel Landon, CEO MiSST, brought the programme vividly to life through inspiring footage and powerful stories from participating students, offering guests a meaningful glimpse into the daily impact of the initiative.

 

One of the evening’s most memorable moments came from Rain Spiegel-Johnson, a former participant of the programme, who shared her personal story and reflected on the impact music education has had on her life. Growing up in a low-income household, opportunities to take part in extracurricular arts education were often out of reach, leaving her feeling excluded from experiences many others could access. Through MiSST, however, she discovered a creativity and confidence that had long remained hidden.

Speaking about her experience, she described music not only as a form of artistic expression, but also as a powerful sense of belonging:

“Through music, I discovered not only artistry, but the profound feeling of being part of an ensemble so unified, disciplined and unwaveringly beautiful.”

She also emphasized the broader importance of the programme, calling MiSST “an outstanding microcosm for the future of music and the arts in this country.”

Thank you!

Thank you to everyone who joined us and our Ambassador, Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber, for the “Thrive Cubed with Music” evening in support of music education in the UK — and for your shared commitment to creating new opportunities for young people through the power of music!

PATRIZIA Music Programme

With the PATRIZIA Music Programme, the PATRIZIA Foundation continues its commitment to educational support and equal opportunities across Europe. The programme was established to provide children and young people from disadvantaged communities in the United Kingdom with access to high-quality music education and to open new pathways for their personal and academic development. In partnership with MiSST, the programme supports schools in Morecambe and Manchester by providing classical musical instruments, professional music tuition and regular performance opportunities. Over the course of three years, the PATRIZIA Foundation is funding 300 instruments, creating long-term access to cultural education and helping young people build brighter futures through the transformative power of music.

PATRIZIA Music Programme