Speakers

Robert Biedroń

Robert Biedroń is Polish activist and politician. One of the three leaders of the Left. Founder of his party Wiosna. Currently member of the European Parliament and Vice-Chair of the Committee on Women's Rights and Gender Equality. Chair of the European Parliament's Delegation for relations with Belarus.

Nenad Bogdanovic

Nenad Bogdanovic is a Serbian-born Cypriot cultural, social and youth worker, activist, pedagogist and musician. His expertise covers a wide range of local, national and European cultural, social and trans-border cooperation policies. Being a person of a migrant background, he is professionally oriented to interculturalism, dialogue, mobility and inclusive integration actions.
He is currently working as Intercultural Counsellor of Limassol Municipality, where he coordinates the work of Limassol Intercultural Council, the implementation of Limassol Intercultural strategy, Limassol Anti-Rumours Strategy and Limassol participation in the Intercultural Cities program of the Council of Europe. He is also the Director of the non-profit Euro-Arab Youth Music Center.
After the graduation from the Music School of his birthplace Kragujevac, he studied classical music on the National Music Academy of Ukraine in Kiev. He also holds MA degree in Cultural Management from the Northumbria University (UK).
He worked as executive director of a number of cultural organizations including Cyprus Symphony Orchestra Foundation, Creative Europe Desk Cyprus, Cultural Movement “Epilogi” and Dance House Limassol.
He was a board member of international music organizations such Jeunesses Musicales International (JMI) and European Music Council.

Krzysztof Czyżewski

Practitioner of ideas, writer, translator, editor, director and university lecturer. Co-founder of the Borderland Foundation and director of the Centre "Borderland of Arts, Cultures and Nations" in Sejny. Together with the Borderland team, he established the International Center for Dialogue in Krasnogruda. Initiator of intercultural dialogue programmes in Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Indonesia, Bhutan, North Africa, the Middle East, the United States and other borderlands of the world. Lecturer at many universities in Europe, Asia and the USA; professor at Bologna University and Rutgers University.Author of collections of poetry and essays, incl. The Path of the Borderland (2001), Line of Return. Notes from the Borderland (2008), Miłosz. A Connective Tissue (2014), A Small Center of the World. Notes of Practitioners of Ideas (2017), Żegaryszki (2018) and Towards Xenopolis (2019). Co-author of Trust and Identity: A Handbook of Dialogue (2012), Miłosz - Dialogue - Bordeland (2012), The Krasnogruda Bridge. A Bridge Builder’s Toolkit (2016).Director of the theater stories of Borderland, including, most recently, Three Women. Metamorphoses of the Medea myth in Ovid and Picasso and the Mystery of the Bridge.Honored by Jerzy Giedroyc with the "Small Scepter of Polish Culture" award. In 2014, he received the Dan David Prize, and in 2018, together with the team Borderland, the ECF Princess Margriet Award for Culture.

Alona Dmukhovska

Project manager of Creative Europe Desk Ukraine. Has experience as a curator and programmer working with the biggest music and educational events in Ukraine, organizer of international youth exchange programs (with partners from Germany, Netherlands, Czech Republic), speaker at WOMEX, Viva Sounds, ESNS, co-organizer of Music Conference Ukraine.

Justyna Domaszewicz

A social media communication specialist and event presenter. Previously,
a cultural and entertainment event organiser and restaurant manager. Currently, a member of Social Communication Team in Lublin City Office. Interested in travels, especially those related to reaching peaks, and photography. Loves good films, biographies and reportage books. Mother of 17-year-old Martyna.

Olga Dryndova

Olga Dryndova is a Belarusian researcher. She currently lives in Germany where she works at the University of Bremen as editor of Belarus-Analysen

Dagur B. Eggertsson

Dagur B. Eggertsson is the Mayor of Reykjavík City, serving from 16 June 2014. Dagur studied, trained and worked as a physician and holds a master's degree in Human Rights and International Law from the University of Lund in Sweden. Dagur was elected to the Reykjavík City Council in 2002. He chaired the Executive Committee from 2010 to 2014. Dagur was elected mayor in the municipal elections of spring 2014. He was re-elected in 2018. Dagur grew up in Reykjavík and is married to Arna Dögg Einarsdóttir, a medical doctor. They have four children.

Agata Etmanowicz

For more than a decade, together with Impact Foundation she helps culture organisations in placing audiences in the heart of everything they do (by spreading the joy of working according to audience development philosophy).
With Art Factory in Łódź she co-creates ART_INKUBATOR to support the growth of young creative entrepreneurs (both locally and internationally). With Poland Without Barriers Foundation she promotes accessibility in all aspects of life - from architecture, design to production of culture events.
She’s a also a great fan of wheelchair rugby, volunteering with Warsaw Wheelchair Rugby Team and supporting professional approach to adaptive sport.

Tamar Ghlonti

Founder and executive director of Guria Youth Resource Center, the Civilc Society Organization form Georgia. She has been engaged in civic activism and non-profit work since 1998. In various times she has been the author and director of more then 30 projects funded by international donor agencies.

Monika Grochowska

Culture manager, producer, curator, script writer, theatre director. Deputy Director of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute since 1.04.2019.
She graduated cum laude from the Theatre Studies Department of the Theatre Academy in Warsaw. She has worked on creative projects with many cultural institutions, non-governmental organisations, festivals, and public institutions. As a script writer and expert, she has developed new formats of regular campaigns and festivals.

She has led international projects at Teatr Dramatyczny im. G. Holoubka. She has curated and co-ordinated projects for MALTA Festival, the National Audiovisual Institute NiNA, the History Meeting House, the Museum of the Warsaw Uprising, TR Warszawa, Nowy Teatr, as well as the National Theatre, where she co-ordinated the Drama Studio. She has initiated and co-ordinated innovative social business. Many of her formats have become social and cultural landmarks. Since 2017, she has been with the and art projects – winners of the awards "Nocne Marki" and "Wdechy". She has experience in managing a Adam Mickiewicz Institute as Manager responsible for new programmes and formats and as Leader of the Open Poland team.

Maciej Hofman

Maciej Hofman works as a Policy Officer at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Education, Youth, Sport and Culture, where he is responsible for managing initiatives related to the role of culture in cities and regions, access to culture via digital means as well as support to cultural and creative sectors.
Before coming to Brussels, he worked at the Polish Ministry of Culture, British Council offices in Warsaw and Paris, a French e-learning startup and as a freelance editor and translator for cultural NGOs, film festivals and digital projects. Mr Hoffman is also a frequent speaker at different events across Europe related to creative sectors, cultural & local development and EU funding for culture.

Iryna Ivanochko

Justyna Jochym

Justyna Jochym believes that festivals reflect the best and most optimistic version of a place. As CEO of Festivals Adelaide, the strategic umbrella organisation that exists to advance a sustainable, enterprising, and collaborative international festival city through the coalition and collective action of Adelaide’s leading cultural festivals, Justyna works to enhance the public benefits of the sector and facilitate future growth. Prior to this role, she worked as the Head of International Cooperation and Development at the Krakow Festival Office (Poland), where she managed global partnerships and programs, among them the Krakow UNESCO Creative City designation. From 2014 - 2018, Justyna was the chair of 28 UNESCO Cities of Literature and a member of the UNESCO Creative Cities Network Steering Committee. She has acted as the coordinator of the Festival Cities Network (Adelaide, Edinburgh, Krakow, Montreal, and Singapore) since 2017. Justyna also serves on several boards and executive committees, including Tourism Industry Council of South Australia, The Mill, Writers SA, Arts Industry Council of South Australia and the United Nations Association of Australia, SA Division.

Ewa Kornacka

Coordinator in Creative Europe Desk Poland responsible for European Union Culture sub-programme supporting transnational activities in the field of cultural and creative sector; former expert in the field of „Europe for Citizens” programme, youth work and non-formal education.

Paweł Kowalik

He has 17 years of professional experience in supporting enterprises.
Author and coordinator of startup-oriented projects: at the stages of incubation, acceleration and capital entries. Manager of the CONNECT Pilot Start Platform (launching and managing the incubation and acceleration program for 80 startups)
Manager of Innova-Invest – Seed-capital Fund (launching and managing an investment fund); CEO, co-fouder of the VC Lublin Ventures fund.
Advisor, interim manager.

Justyna Król

Justyna Król – urban development expert, also specialist in trends analysis and social innovation. Founder of Urban Workshop, awarded in 2018 with the Future Generation Foresight Practitioners Community Award by the School of International Futures. Together with her team, she has implemented the first socialised urban foresight exercises in Poland and Georgia. She cooperates with government agencies, NGOs, corporations and international organisations in strategic analysis of trends for sustainable development. Coordinator of the City Experiment Fund for UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub. Promoter of Julius Fromm's legacy.

Charles Landry

Charles Landry is an international authority on the use of imagination and creativity in urban change. He invented the concept of the Creative City as an urban policy tool which became a global movement and helps cities make the most of their potential by triggering inventiveness and thinking – increasingly important in a pandemic age. His latest books are ‘The Civic City in a Nomadic World’, ‘The Creative Bureaucracy & its Radical Common Sense’, ‘The Digitized City’, ‘Psychology & the City’. He was recently a fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin and in collaboration with the Falling Walls Foundation co-organizes the Creative Bureaucracy Festival there.

Olesya Malyugina

Olesya Malyugina – a political scientist, activist for migrants integration in Poland, a migrant herself. A staff member in Equal Treatment for Foreigners Team in the International Cooperation Department at the City of Warsaw.

Zurab Nasaraia

Zurab Nasaraya - a Georgian politician, who currently serves as Governor of Guria, a region of Georgia. Mr Nasaraya began his political career in Poti local council in 1999. In 2002, he became Member of Parliament serving on both the Committee on Tax Revenue, Finance & Budget as well as the Interim Corruption Investigation Commission. In 2004 he left politics for a career in the Georgian Railways. Reentered politics again in 2018 as Governor of Guria.

Dr Jakub Olchowski

Political scientist and analyst, academic teacher at Faculty of Political Science and Journalism, University of Maria Curie-Sklodowska in Lublin, head of Eastern Europe Department in Institute of Central Europe. He focuses on international relations, especially international security, international organizations, cultural identity and intercultural relations, in particular in East-Central Europe. He’s been co-operating for years with non-governemental organizations and the media.

Kinga Anna Gajda Ph.D.

An adjunct in the Institute of European Studies at Jagiellonian University. she is a doctor in the field of knowledge about literature. She is a theatrologist, dramatologist, and Europeanist. She is an author of two books: Educational role of museum and Contemporary Medea. Currently, she conducts research in the field of cultural education, creative pedagogy, and intercultural competence. She is a leader of the service of intercultural competence at IE UJ.

Ewelina Iwanek Ph.D.

PhD in Law; extensive experience in all aspects of project management, from preparation to coordination of complex projects at national and international scale. Member of the research teams developing the ICT tool for competence assessment of employees, managers, potential entrepreneurs. Holder of the Prince 2 Project Management certification. Participant of training courses in management of multicultural team and trainer in project management. Lecturer at the University of Economics and Innovation in Lublin.

Iwona Reichardt Ph.D.

Iwona Reichardt is the deputy editor and lead translator for New Eastern Europe. She has a PhD dissertation in political science from the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. Her previous experience includes a one-year internship with Foreign Policy magazine in Washington, DC, and five years of policy analysis work with the World Bank at its headquarters also in Washington DC. Iwona is also the author of a number of academic and policy papers, published in Polish and English.

Mariusz Sagan Ph.D.

Director of the Strategy and Entrepreneurship Department at Lublin City Office, plenipotentiary of the Mayor of Lublin for the special economic zone. Co-author of Lublin Strategy 2020 setting directions of development of the biggest city of Eastern Poland. Initiator of Study in Lublin programme, Lublin IT Upland, and Lublin Medicine – Medical & Wellness and Life Science clusters. (all activities held in Lublin). Expert and practician in the field of entrepreneurship and strategic management, including city strategies and foreign investment. Simultaneously, since 2009, works in the Collegium of Business Administration at SGH Warsaw School of Economics. Author and co-author of more than 100 publications on regional and city development, international business, and business management, including numerous articles in American and British journals such as Cross Cultural Management, Managing Service Quality, Marketing Education Review, Chinese Management Studies, and more. Visited dozens of countries (China, USA, Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Portugal, etc.) where he presented results of his work during conferences and lectures. Member of Global Advisory Board at Center for Leadership and Management at Rutgers University, the State University of New Jersey.

Krzysztof Żuk Ph.D.

Krzysztof Żuk (born 1957) holds a Ph.D. in economics. He has held the mayoral office of Lublin since 2010 – re-elected for a 3rd term (2018-2023) with 62.32% votes. He was Under Secretary of State at the Polish Ministry of State Treasury (2007-2009), board member in Union of Polish Metropolises and Association of Polish Cities. Holder of many prestigious awards such as for example Local Government Leader 2019. He is a strong believer in investments as a drive for change as well as in resident-centred cities.

Robert Piaskowski

Cultural manager and animator, educator, musician. He gained his professional experience in various cultural sectors, initially as an NGO activist. Associated with the Krakow 2000 office, which was transformed into the Krakow Festival Office. He was responsible for the most important international festivals in Krakow, including Misteria Paschalia, Opera Rara, Sacrum Profanum. He is the artistic director and co-founder of the FMF – Krakow Film Music Festival. As a member of the Convention for the Cultural Development Strategy for Krakow, he took part in the preparation of the Programme for the Development of Culture in Krakow until 2030. He is a lecturer at the Jagiellonian University, the Andrzej Frycz Modrzewski Krakow University, and the WSB University in Gdynia.

Magdalena Pieńkowska

She is responsible for managing all TechSoup program activities in Poland. This includes donation, discount, CSP, hardware, education, community and VAS programs carried out in Poland. She is also managing the overall development of the program to build tech capacity of non-profits in Poland. For the next three months.
Magdalena Pieńkowska has been involved in the entertainment, production and marketing industry for nearly 20 years, including 12 years as a team leader. She co-created and managed the Special Projects Department in Multikino (currently Vue Entertainment Group). As Marketing Director at Platige Image, she was responsible for the studio's comprehensive marketing communication, including the promotion of its key projects. In Stellar Fireworks she was a Producer of the multimedia water theatre show for amusement parks and helped to develop thematic travel exhibitions and merchandising projects.

Assoc. Prof. Beata Piskorska

Andrzej Poczobut

Paweł Prokop

Chairman of the Organisational and Programming Committee. Lublin Mayor’s Plenipotentiary for social participation and cross-border cooperation. Chairman of Foundation for Managerial Initiatives.
Author of international cooperation projects (with Italian, German, Ukrainian, Russian, Georgian, Kyrgyz and Tajik partners). Advisor to Mayor of Lublin on cross-border cooperation and social participation. Coach and consultant in various fields: management, organisational coaching, development strategies for public, non-governmental and commercial sectors. Lecturer at University College of Enterprise and Administration in Lublin. Council member and Director of the Representation of the Polish-Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce in Lublin.

Rytis Mykolas Račkauskas

Rytis Mykolas Račkauskas (born 1959) has graduated from Vilnius Engineering Construction Institute (Architect). He has held the mayoral office of Panevėžys since 2015 – re-elected for a II nd term (2019-2022). Before the election as the Mayor was involved in professional activities in the field of architecture. Former Member of Panevėžys Council of Experts of Architecture and Urban Matters. Member of Initiative Group of Rebirth Movement “Sąjūdis”, a Delegate to the Founding Meeting of Rebirth Movement “Sajūdis”, Member of Panevėžys City Council of “Sajūdis’, one of the coordinators of the Baltic Way.
Memberships: Member of LIONS Club, President of the Association of St. James Trail of Lithuania, Vice-President of the Association of St. James Trail of Europe, Member of the Association of Lithuanian Army Founders Volunteers the King Mindaugas Panevėžys Branch.
Awards: Commemorative Medal of January 13 of Lithuania, Medal of Baltic Assembly, Medal of Founding Volunteers of the Lithuanian Army

Anuela Ristani

Deputy Mayor of Tirana in charge of International Affairs and Sustainable Development. She joined the City in 2015 as Chief of Staff to the Mayor, Erion Veliaj and was appointed Deputy after he was re-elected in 2019.
During her work for the city she has overseen the Green City Action Plan, the Tirana Child Friendly agenda and the Resilience and Sustainability strategies. Prior to joining local government she established the National Youth Service where she also co-founded RYCO - Regional Youth Cooperation Office with the participation of the six Western Balkan Countries.
Ms. Ristani joined public service from more than a decade of experience with multinational corporations and International Organizations where she’s served as Marketing and Communications expert.
Anuela holds an MBA from both Trulaske College of Business and Columbia School of Journalism at MU and a BA from the American University in Bulgaria. Outside work she writes on sustainable economies, lectures on international marketing and global affairs and is the mother of two young children.

Agnieszka Legucka D. Sc.

Indrani Das Schmid

Prof. Aleksander Sogomonov

Chairman of the Committee for urban studies and community development at the Federal Expert Council of the Russian Parliament and All-Municipal Union of the RF; Member of the Council for Urban History and Anthropology Studies at the Russian Academy of Science; Scientific Curator of the University of Civic Culture (Moscow). PhD in History. Author of approx. 100 educational games in local politics, sociology of local life. Author of more than 500 articles and 12 books.
Graduated from Vladimir State University, from Moscow Academy of Science (postgraduate studies & Ph.D.), post doctorate studies at Manchester University and Freie Universitaet zu Berlin.

Krzysztof Stanowski

Director of International Cooperation Centre at Lublin City Office, former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Poland, co-founder and leader of NGOs. Author of numerous educational programmes and publications concerning civic education, NGO management and development cooperation. During martial law, a member of the regional authorities of the underground ‘Solidarność’, a political prisoner. Co-founder of independent scouting in Poland, first President of the Board of the Polish Scouting and Guiding Association (ZHP). Long-term President of the Education for Democracy Foundation. Co-founder of the Civic Committee for Solidarity with Ukraine. Member of the Steering Committee of the World Movement for Democracy (2000-2007) and authorities of ‘Grupa Zagranica’. Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of National Education (2007-2011) and subsequently Undersecretary of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Author of Development Cooperation Act. In 2012-2017, President of Solidarity Fund PL. From 2013 co-organizer of Polish aid for Ukraine, including support for Euromaidan medical services, the independent press and IDPs. Author and initiator of several appeals for solidarity with Ukraine. In 2014, co-founder and member of the Civic Committee of the Solidarity with Ukraine (KOSzU). Since 2017, member of the Polish-Ukrainian Dialogue Group, in 2017-2019 member of the Polish-Ukrainian Partnership Forum. Co-founder of the ‘Flame of Brotherhood’ action of the Polish Scouting Movement and the Ukrainian scouting organization ‘Plast’.

Daniel Szeligowski

Rasmus Wiinstedt Tscherning

Rasmus Wiinstedt Tscherning is the founder and CEO of Creative Business Network (CBN), the global initiative for entrepreneurs, innovators and investors from the creative industries. With over 20 years of experience in the sector, he has served in key leadership roles within the EU and internationally. He is former Managing Director of the Center for Cultural and Experience Economy, former Chairman of the European Creative Industries Alliance and co-chair of OMC Group on Access to Finance for Cultural and Creative Sectors.

Inese Vaivare

Inese Vaivare is director of the Latvian Platform for Development Cooperation. She is also council member of Forus - global network of national NGO platforms, and head of council of “Civic Alliance Latvia” - national NGO coalition.
She works as a lecturer on strategy development and innovations in Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences. Inese also trains and consults NGOs, public administration, local governments and private sector on strategy development, enabling civic participation and sustainable development.
Inese’s professional experience is 12 years in public administration drafting policy documents and legal acts on such issues as public administration reforms, public service systems, quality management and citizen engagement.
For the last 7 years she works in the NGO sector leading one of the most recognized national level organisations - LAPAS.
LAPAS is also secretariat for National Multistakeholder Coalition on SDGS.
When pandemics started she became one of leaders of the new and fast growing network of volunteers - #stayhome.

Aldo Vargas-Tetmajer

A Coordinator of the Polish URBACT Point in the Association of Polish Cities. Supervises the activities of Polish partners in URBACT projects, deals with the promotion of recruitment and promotion of project networks’ achievements within municipal development programmes. Initiated and participated in the European research on sustainable urban development. Involved in many European initiatives concerning urban policies.

Iurii Vilkul

Doctor of Technical Science, Professor. Mayor of Kryvyi Rih since November 2010. Member of the organizing committee of the World Mining Congress, President of the Academy of Mining Sciences of Ukraine, First Deputy Chairman of the Dnepropetrovsk Regional Association of Local Self-Government Bodies, Deputy Chairman of the Dnepropetrovsk Regional Advisory Council on Interaction between Local Self-Government and Executive Bodies.
Rector at the Kryvyi Rih Technical University in 2003-2006. Head of the Dnepropetrovsk Regional Council in 2006-2010. President of the All-Ukrainian Association of Local Self-Government Bodies "Association of Ukrainian Cities" in 2012-2016.
Recipient of the State Prize of Ukraine in the field of science and technology (1997), has the honorary title "Honored Scientist and Engineer of Ukraine" (2004), awarded with the Honorary Diplomas of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, the state award of Ukraine "Order of Merit" III class, the Order of Danylo Halytsky (2009), UNESCO Medal "For Achievements in Science" (2000), honors from the Dnepropetrovsk Regional State Administration and the Dnepropetrovsk Regional Council.
Iurii Vilkul has received honors from the executive committee of the Kryvyi Rih city council – "For Merit to the City" badge (2007). Awarded the "Honorary Citizen of Kryvyi Rih" title in April 2010.
Won the regional competition "Person of the Year of the Dnipro Region – 2011" in the nomination “People's Mayor of the Year”. In 2012, 2013, 2014 – winner of the regional competition among local self-government officials in the nomination "The best mayor of cities of regional significance with regional division".

Jacek Wnuk

Volunteer Centre in Lublin, Editor-in-Chief of Nowe Radio www.noweradio.pl, trainer in the scope of the Act on Public Benefit and Volunteer Work, volunteer management, group processes, diagnosis of the local environment. Author of aid programmes and projects for people at the risk of exclusion. Volunteer animator in social welfare centres, at schools and NGO's, working with foreigners and refugees, associate of the Polish Children and Youth Foundation and the Polish-American Freedom Foundation. Co-author of the standards for the network functioning of Volunteer Centres in Poland. Involved in the development of volunteering, including: Georgia, Ukraine, Belarus, Cuba, Moldova.

Marharyta Zhenchuk

Having academic background in environmental studies – from the universities in Ukraine and the US, Ryta Zhenchuk started off with packaging GHG emission reduction projects varying from landfill gas utilization to capturing NOx nitric acid plants in the Eastern Europe. Later on she moved to Ivano-Frankivsk, West of Ukraine, where she started to work on local development projects: ranging from art center management, nature protection, rural tourism, industrial parks establishment on reclaimed industrial territories, and most recent – launch of the most ambitious grassroots driven Promprylad. Renovation project in the country – aiming to transform the remnants of what used to be giant sophisticated manufacturing facility into innovation center (up to 37 800 m2) with the focus on new economy, urban studies, contemporary art and informal education.
Presently, Marharyta Zhenchuk is responsible to bring international partners on board.

Siuzanna Zhukovska

A teacher and therapist at “Harmonia” Rehabilitation Center (Ukraine), representative of a social organization “Harmonia” from Vinnytsia (Ukraine). Started her social activity in 2011 as a volunteer at training camps for young people with disabilities. Her main interests lie in the development of space accessibility, including elimination of architectural barriers for people with wheelchairs. As part of these actions, she conducts monitoring and accessibility audits in various city parts. Author of a training programme "Accessibility Auditor's School" anda number of social projects that focus on social activity of the disabled youth and on the needs of people with disabilities.

Dagbjört Ásbjörnsdóttir

Dagbjört Ásbjörnsdóttir works as project manager of interculture at the School and Youth department of Reykavík, Iceland. I have been working in the field of intercultural and youth since 1998 and developed various projects concerning education,
youth work and in later years working with issues concerning asyluum seekers and refugees.