The program for mutual understanding between the nations is co-financed by the Polish-Ukrainian Council for Youth Cooperation. Zbarazh itself is a partner city of Bolesławiec. The county takes particular care to maintain ties with the residents of the Eastern Borderlands of the Second Polish Republic.
– I have a special fondness for this form of cooperation among young people, said county head Tomasz Gabrysiak. – As with many families who now live in our county, some of my ancestors also came from there. I am very pleased that it is young people from Zbarazh who want to visit us. Our students are also happy to travel there and learn about our shared history.
One of the main elements of the visit will be a photographic exhibition depicting Zbarazh’s past and present.
– We are also creating family trees for every project participant, said Mirosława Kołtoniuk, a teacher at School No. 3 in Zbarazh. – We ask who we are and who our ancestors were. The young people are discovering things they had previously known nothing about. It turns out that many students have Polish ancestors, whether on their mother’s or father’s side. I even found documents belonging to my great-grandmother stating that she was of Polish nationality. It was a part of history I did not know.
The Polish coordinator of the project is Barbara Smoleńska, a teacher at the General and Vocational Education Complex.