The J.K. Steczkowski BGK Foundation

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  • FS16
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Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego’s social engagement programmes are conducted by the J.K. Steczkowski BGK Foundation. Its mission is to mobilise and support citizens at various stages of their life. Strategic operations of the Foundation include aligning educational opportunities, supporting adults, reinforcing national identity and the sense of community among young citizens. The most important initiatives to support the social development in Poland undertaken by the Bank in 2021 included: promoting equal opportunities in education, building social capital and promoting volunteer projects.

PROMOTING EQUAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

13th and 14th edition of the “Off to a Good Start!” grant contest

As part of the “Off to a Good Start!” grant contest, the BGK Foundation encourages the application of innovative methods of working with pre-school and early school age children, which facilitate interaction between students, develop communication and teamwork skills, creativity, initiative, empathy and responsibility, and promote physical activity. In particular, the co-financing is granted for: preparation and holding classes for children, purchase of learning aids, purchase of the necessary equipment related to a given project, expert advice for children and workshops for parents and guardians.

  • 2 editions
  • 59 co-financed projects
  • approximately 3,000 recipients (13th edition)
  • PLN 830 thousand – total amount of co-financing (in two editions)

Further editions of the “Once Upon a Time... Money” programme

The programme is addressed to children aged between 3 and 9 and its purpose is to familiarise them with the basics of finances, so that they can function better in a modern society. It involves holding proprietary classes for individual age groups. Lessons are focused on, inter alia, the value of money, fundamentals of economics and managing personal finances, the role of banks, and reasonable consumer decisions.

  • 4 editions
  • 78 projects
  • approximately 1,800 pupils and 80 teachers

4th edition of the “Small Town” programme

“Small Town” is an educational programme developed by the BGK Foundation and addressed to children between 8 to 12 years of age. For five days, children are given an opportunity to assume the role of an adult: they work, earn, save and spend money. Through play and action children learn the value of money, how to manage their budget, and how the economy works. Children as residents of a “Small Town” participate in educational workshops organised by local entrepreneurs.

  • 3 towns
  • PLN 550 thousand
  • 1,000 hours of workshops
  • 300 primary school students

INITIATIVES FOR ADULTS

3rd and 4th edition of the “Generation 6.0” programme – call for applications

Generation 6.0” is a programme addressed to persons over 60 years of age, intended to improve their social, technological and physical activity, prevent their exclusion and set new development paths for them. The programme involves cyclical courses, workshops or classes, e.g. in financial matters, language courses, workshops on digital skills, professional development courses, group rehabilitation or physiotherapy etc.

  • 30 co-financed projects
  • PLN 440 thousand – total amount of co-financing

2nd edition of the “Wings for Mother” programme

The programme objective is to activate women from smaller towns which are on a maternity or parental leave or who are unemployed in connection with providing care for small children who are not covered by pre-school care. The workshops carried out as part of the project are intended to make it easier for employees to return to work after a break caused by caring for a child and help them discover their own talents. Foundations, associations, public libraries, cultural centres, communes and Farmers Wives Associations may apply for participation in the programme.

  • 30 co-financed projects
  • 2,300 hours of workshops
  • 460 women
  • PLN 430 thousand – total amount of co-financing

CITIZENSHIP EDUCATION AND BUILDING SOCIAL CAPITAL

4th and 5th edition of the “My Little Homeland” programme

The programme is aimed at co-financing initiatives improving the infrastructure of local communities and activating them to work for the common good in the local environment, design public space and improve its visual appearance and functionality and modernise it. Under the programme, co-financing was awarded also for activities which foster local patriotism, commemorating local heroes and historical events, as well as initiatives supporting sports, recreation and educational centres.

  • 60 co-financed projects in both editions
  • approximately 5,000 recipients
  • PLN 1.64 million – amount of co-financing in both editions

2nd edition of the “Captain Nemo’s Children” programme

“Captain Nemo’s Children” is a new project of historical education targeted at young people from 10 to 18 years of age, whose purpose is to familiarise them with the history of outstanding and less well-known Poles who achieved success in science, art or business. Our goal is to recall the profiles of Poles whose achievements, discoveries or inventions revolutionised human thought and changed the perception of the world. Through various forms of activities (e.g. workshops, games, outdoor classes), young people will learn about history and wonderful achievements of less well-known Poles. The programme aims at building national pride and providing the youth with a motivation to learn and work.

  • 30 co-financed applications
  • more than 5,000 recipients
  • PLN 390 thousand – total amount of co-financing

EDUCATION SUPPORTING CITIZENSHIP AND PATRIOTISM

The “Quality Label of Social and Solidarity Economy 2021” contest

The BGK Foundation engaged in the project “System of certification with quality labels for social economy entities and local government units”, implemented by the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Policy and co-financed from EU funds under Measure 2.9 of the Knowledge, Education and Development Operational Programme. One of the project elements was the “Quality Label of Social and Solidarity Economy 2021” contest. The BGK Foundation funded four awards in the following categories: “Debut of the year”, “Best employer”, “Market success”, “SEE project financed with ESF repayable funds”.

The total amount of co-financing in the competition was PLN 40 thousand, i.e. one award amounting to PLN 10 thousand in each of the above categories.

PROGRAMMES SUPPORTING VOLUNTARY WORK

In 2021, in cooperation with the Bank’s employees, the BGK Foundation organised six volunteer work campaigns:

  • Easter and Christmas card contest – a nationwide contest for primary school children to design a holiday card. In December, the Foundation organised a Christmas Card Fair where shoppers could buy Christmas cards submitted for the contest. The funds were used to provide material assistance to a family in need.
  • “Good Deeds” campaign – collection of goods for two pre-adoption centres in Łódź and Otwock.
  • “Back to School” volunteer work campaign – collection of school items for entities registered by BGK employees. The beneficiaries were four institutions from four provinces (Śląskie, Świętokrzyskie, Lubuskie and Zachodniopomorskie).
  • “Small Dreams Come True” – over 240 gifts were sent to children from ten specialised centres across Poland.
  • “Voluntary service is great!”

In the “Voluntary service is great!” contest, employees could submit their own social projects addressing the reported local problems and needs.

  • 54 completed projects
  • 513 BGK employees participated
  • almost 7,000 people in need received support and assistance

Green voluntary work

Voluntary work at BGK also focused on the environment, which involved cooperation with the Ostrów Mazowiecka Forestry District and the Celestynów Forestry District.

  • 50 BGK employees participated
  • 2,000 trees planted
  • 50 bags of garbage collected

ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES

In addition to the numerous grant programmes, the BGK Foundation engaged in many initiatives as part of partnership projects and donations. 81 projects received co-financing in the total amount of nearly PLN 7 million. Thanks to them, the Foundation reached approximately 850,000 recipients.

The 2021 was another year in which there was an epidemiological threat related to the spread of COVID-19. The Foundation allocated a portion of its funds to support medical units. Funds were transferred to the Mazovian Provincial Hospital in Siedlce for the purchase of an ambulance, the Silesian Heart Disease Centre of Zabrze for specialised medical equipment, and the Institute of Mother and Child of Warsaw for decontamination equipment. Other activities in the area of supporting the protection and promotion of health include financing the purchase of a vehicle for medical diagnostics for seniors under the “MediBus Senior” project, costs of treatment, purchase of medicines, costs of rehabilitation of persons of Polish origin from Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Russia and Ukraine, and purchase of meals for medical personnel. However, the most important activity in this pillar was the initiation of an information and education campaign on paediatric transplantation.

Once again, the BGK Foundation was also involved in the activities of the Growing Up Together Foundation and has joined the Together for Heroes Coalition, a programme supporting children whose parents were killed or seriously injured in the line of duty.

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