Grójec, 24^th November 2014

Mr Andrzej Grzyb

Coordinator of the Human Rights Subcommittee of the European Parliament

Dear Sir,

We are writing to express our point of view on a sentence given to Endy Gęsina-Torres, who made a footage about a horrible situation in the refugees’ center in Białystok. He was accused and convicted to pay a PLN 2000,00 fine. We strongly disagree with this judgement.

Endy Gęsina- Torres in his reportage wanted to show the conditions in the refugees’ center in Białystok. He was caught at the border and the police put him in the refugee center. Endy introduced himself as a Cuban and signed papers with a false name. He lied about his family story and hard life situation. Thanks to this for three weeks he could stay with other refugees. He was able to know their violent stories and he saw how the staff treated their subordinates. Endy Gęsina- Torres recorded every situation with his hidden camera . Thanks to that he could make a reportage. All the people in Poland and other countries can find out about the scandalous behavior in this center. The crime came to light and the reporter was accused of breaking the law.

We strongly disagree with the sentence. He was wrongly accused. He was wrongly sentenced. Endy
Gęsina- Torres worked in defense of human rights. Moreover, he wanted to change the situation in the refugees center. What is more, he is a journalist so showing the truth was his duty. He had a good intention and it is all that matters. Endy Gęsina-Torres should not have been sentenced. He had broken the law but in good faith. Thanks to him, now refugees have better life in such places.

I hope this matter will be reconsidered and Endy Gęsina Torres will be found innocent. Thank you in advance for your assistance. I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully

Martyna Zieja and Milena Wojda

Comenius Project partcipants

How to protect the environment?

1. On an individual level

a) Save energy:

• Switch off the light when you leave the room.
• Turn off the TV when you don’t watch it.
• Turn off the radio when you don’t listen to it.
• Turn off your computer when you don’t use it.
• Use energy saving light bulbs.

b) Save water:

• Take a quick shower instead of a bath.
• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth.
• Let a dishwasher wash your dishes – it uses less water.
• Collect rainwater – ideal for plants.

c) Save trees:

• Use both sides of paper for writing or drawing
• Do not makebonfiresin the forestifthere is nodesignated place
• Make sure you do not waste space on a piece of paper

d) Take care of cleanliness around you:

• Throw rubbish into a trash bin
• Clean up after your dog when you take it for a walk
• Sort rubbish.
• Don’t litter the streets.

e) Do the smart shopping:

• Pay attention to what you buy - is it made of recyclable materials?
• Buy only what you need.
• Take your own shopping bag instead of using plastic carrier bags.
• Choose glass packaging instead of plastic one.

f) Think about the stuff you throw away:

• Do not throw away your toys or clothes you don’t use any more

– they may be useful for someone else.

• Compost organic waste (for high quality organic fertilizer).

g) Do not pollute the environment with exhaust fumes:

• Walk or cycle to school rather than going by car.
• Share a car – 4 people in a car rather than 4 separate cars.
• Use public transport.
• Use unleaded petrol.

h) Do not forget about the environment:

• Talk to your family members about different ways of protecting the environment.

2. On a national level

• Support reasonablemanagement of the environment.
• Support the the government’s pro-ecological policies.
• The government should take advantage of renewable sources of energy.
• More money should be spent on eco-friendly technologies (e.g. in a car or heating industry).
• There should be more recycling power plants built.
• People should be encouraged not to use coal to heat houses.
• There should be more city bikes.
• More focus on environment education at school from a very early age.
• Protect endangered species in nature reserves.
• Educate the community in the field of waste collection
• Management ofenvironmental resourcesin accordance with theprinciple of sustainable development.
• Counteract pollution.
• Createnational parks andmonuments of nature.
• Recycling.

2. On an international level

• There should be management ofenvironmental resourcesin accordance with theprinciple of sustainable development.
• Countries should cooperate to counteract air pollution or water contamination.
• Createnational parks and nature reserves
• Share knowledge and the latest technological devices to save the environment.
• Make sure the standards and regulations are followed by all the countries.
• Introduce common laws concerning the use of alternative sources of energy.

There are many charity events taking place in Liceum Ogolnoksztalcace im. P.Skargi in Grojec. One of them is collecting plastic bottle lids. One can ask why bottle lids, what for? The answer is simple: they are made of recycling material which can be reused and the collected money can be spent on a good cause.

The two girls: Paulina Pluzinska and Malgorzata Sobczak, students of our school, had this wonderful idea to start collecting lids and spread the news among their friends. The idea took off immediately, with more and more people and institutions willing to join this charity action. The students of our school have been bringing plastic bottle lids to the school building since February 2013 for the sole purpose of helping a disabled boy named Oliwier, Paulina’s nephew. During the Comenius visit in Poland the lids were put together and packed into large bags. The lids were then transported to the recycling plant and the earned money is going to be spent on a new prosthesis for the five-year-old boy (a new one is bought at least twice a year).

Oliwier’s parents’ initiative and strong will have helped Paulina to be even more motivated to encourage others to give a hand. The news spread quickly, even to overseas countries, and now many individuals, institutions and schools are contributing to making Oliwier a happy child.

The fact that Oliwier’s mother is a graduate of L.O. in Grojec, and that Paulina is currently studying in our school, makes all the school community to willingly take part in the event. We are still collecting the lids and encouraging others to do the same. Why don’t you join us? How about organizing such an event in your school? Not only will you contribute to protecting the environment but also, most importantly, help the young boy make his dreams come true. The more of us open our hearts, the more people will be happy.

You can find more information on:  https://www.facebook.com/helpoliverpyrzak?fref=ts

Kamil Posnik

Many thanks to Monika, Agnes and the whole Hungarian Comenius team: teachers, students and parents for preparing the last meeting of our project group in Gyula. Thank you for a warm welcome and organising all the events which we took part in. Below there are Polish students' comments which we would like to share with you.

Pawel

"The meeting in Gyula was an amazing experience for me. I had an opportunity to meet many great people. I’m very grateful to my host family for feeling there like at home.  After a week spent together with young people from other countries I could improve my English skills and get to know other cultures and traditions. I’m sure that new friendships will last a long time after this visit and I’ll never forget our moments spent together."  - Adrianna

"The meeting in Gyula was a huge experience which I will never forget. The family I was living with made me feel at home. My new parents treated me like their daughter. They were very kind and understanding for me. Laszlo always took care of me and never let me feel alone. I got to know a lot of wonderful people from other countries. Everyone was very friendly to each other. During this week we had many great moments together, which made our goodbye very hard for us. Thanks to visit in Gyula I improved my English skills, so I can communicate more easily. I'd like to thank all the participants of this project, who made my time in Hungary the best time ever!" - Natalia

"The comenius trip was an amazing experience for me. I had the opportunity to meet people with other cultures and lifestyles with whom I can share my experiences. Now I feel more confident when I speak English, I see a significant difference. Gyula, a town where we stayed for a week is very beautiful and worth seeing. Special thanks go to my host family who received me very warmly and I could feel like at home there." - Zuzanna

Dear Rina,

I would like to thank you very much again for organizing the whole visit. I appreciate your hard work and kindness. You made us feel at home. Many thanks to Beatrice for the warm welcome, other Italian teachers who accompanied us and the hosting families: parents and students. They put a lot of effort to make our stay such an enjoyable experience. You are really a fantastic leader and you have a great team of students to cooperate with.
Thank you very much for letting us know how beatiful Tropea in Calabria is and how warm-hearted people in Calabria are. The topic of the meeting "Small Steps to Big Enterprises" has contributed greatly to making our project so valuable.

Ada and Pawel

Below is Natalia's opinion about the meeting:

"The Comenius visit in Tropea was the best time of my life. I had never met people with such huge openness and sincerity towards foreigners. The family with whom I was staying made me really feel at home. They treated me like their daughter. Salvatore and Giuseppe cared about me and my roommate Sophie at every step so that we would not lack anything. He Italian students showed us every nook and cranny of their amazing city. I never felt bored or lonely there. They welcomed us very warmly and everything they did caused that I will never forget them. What I learnt within that week, both about the topic of the meeting (Small Steps to Big Enterprises) and cultural aspects, will definitely help me in my future life. I want to say a BIG THANK YOU to all the participating students, teachers and, of course, my host family.

Natalia