Beata Bruggeman-Sękowska a laureate of the Marshal of the Senate of the Republic of Poland Award

Beata Bruggeman-Sękowska is a laureate of the Marshal of the Senate of the Republic of Poland Award 2017.

Her article entitled ‘’ My daughters are guarding’’ published on March 10 2017 on the platform of the Central and Eastern Europe Center in the Netherlands has been warmly received by the jury consisting of senators, journalists and employees of the Senate Chancellery.

The main theme of the contest was: “Polish family outside of Poland”. Beata Bruggeman-Sękowska in her article wrote about her two daughters Alexia and Victoria and their journey through their bilingual and bicultural life since they were little. This journey can be sometimes difficult, sometimes confronting but it does not miss also many happy and hilarious moments.

The Senate, announcing this contest, wanted to inspire the media, and through them, the Polish community to reflect on the condition of the Polish family outside Poland. These reflections will allow the Senate to look at the Polish family abroad and think about what can be done in the country to strengthen and support these families.

The Polish government and the parliament attach great importance to the condition of the family. The Senate, who is the guardian of the Polish diaspora and Poles abroad, is also interested in how the Polish families function abroad. Outside Poland, more and more children are born. In the last 5 years 150,000 Polish children were born in Great Britain. Besides of the usual every day struggles, families face also other issues such as foreign environment, adaption, integration. Do they preserve Polish tradition, culture, language? How do they cope with the generations conflict? Do they contribute to the societies of the countries where they live? These are just a few examples of the issues that the Senate mentioned in their contest description.

Beata Bruggeman-Sękowska is also a laureate of a prestigious, internationally recognized prize “For Merits for Poland and Poles in the World” by the Polish Public TV, TVP Polonia.

The award is given to exceptional individuals from the world of science, culture, politics and sport who, through their achievements, promote a positive image of Poland and Poles in the world. So far, among its laureates, are among others, Krzysztof Penderecki, Wanda Wiłkomirska, Igor Mitoraj, Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, prof. Andrzej Stelmachowski, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Roman Polanski, Basia Trzetrzelewska, Robert Lewandowski, Marcin Gortat, Robert Kubica, Association “Polska Polska”, National Institute of Fryderyk Chopin.

“For Merits for Poland and Poles in the World” award has been granted by the Polish Public TV TVP Polonia since 1995 and the winners receive Fryderyk Chopin’s statue designed by Ms Dorota Banasik.

Beata Bruggeman-Sękowska has been cooperating with Polish media since 1998. She is a founder and director of the only in the Netherlands Central and Eastern Europe Center: www.communications-unlimited.nl

Beata Bruggeman-Sękowska is an international journalist, correspondent and media commentator. She cooperated and cooperates with various national and international media including: Polish Public TV TVP, Polish Public TV broadcasting internationally TVP Polonia, TVN, Dutch Public TV: NPS, AVROTROS, Dutch commercial radio BNR, Polish Public Radio Polskie Radio and various newspapers and magazines, including: the biggest Dutch Newspaper De Telegraaf as well as Trouw, Dziennik Polski.

She is a CEE professional and a founder of the only of this sort in the Netherlands Central and Eastern Europe Center. Beata Bruggeman-Sękowska is an author of seven books, hundreds of publications about Central and Eastern Europe, lecturer, publisher and advisor cooperating with national and international media, governmental organizations and universities.

Beata Bruggeman-Sękowska is an experienced academic lecturer, public speaker, meeting/congress facilitator, moderator. She has experience in chairing panel discussions and acting as a jury/president of the jury in various contests.

Last but not least, Beata Bruggeman-Sękowska is an official, registered sworn translator: Polish-Dutch-English in the official Dutch register of the sworn translators and interlocutors : ”Register beëdigde tolken en vertalers” entrusted by the Ministry of Justice with various implementation tasks in respect of the Wet beëdigde tolken en vertalers (Sworn Interpreters and Translators Act).

Due to her broad professional background, extensive intercultural management and leadership skills and experience she occupies/occupied the following functions.

Advisor to the Remembrance Foundation of the Deported Jews with Mr. Ralf Krewinkel, mayor of Heerlen, as president.
Management Board of Maastricht Institute for Central and Eastern Europe with Mr. Jan Mans as president. https://www.communications-unlimited.nl/jan-mans/
The Committee of Recommendation for the Friendship Year The Netherlands-Russia with Prof. Joop van der Berg, leader of PvdA in the Dutch Parliament, as president.
Member of the jury panel of the Polish Person of the Year in the Netherlands with Ms. Barbara Borys-Damiecka: Polish Senator.
Jury president of Miss Poland Benelux since 2011

Her company comprises also
•Publishing House
•International Journalism and PR Centre
•Language and Translation Centre
Her company is supported by an advisory board which consists of respected and well-known international representatives of the political, business and culture world.(https://www.communications-unlimited.nl/category/board-of-directors/)

Beata Bruggeman-Sękowska was born in Warsaw, Poland and has also Armenian blood and roots in Lviv, which is now part of Ukraine. She lives in the Netherlands, Limburg.
She was raised dually in a communist Poland where she got propaganda lessons at school and she was taught at home by her parents how the real world is really like. She wanted to know why totalitarian systems exist. From that moment she got fascinated by intercultural communication, politics, languages, culture and psychology, internationalization, which gave her a feeling of freedom.

Due to her deep interest in people and communication between people especially beyond the borders she followed English and American Studies at Warsaw University. She studied among others culture, literature, history, mass culture, ethnicity issues, political issues, gender studies, philosophy and psychology. Her major was American culture, and she specialised additionally in methodology and translations. After receiving her master title she also completed post-master studies in Journalism organised by L’Ecole Superiere de Journalisme de Lille and Warsaw University with the cooperation of the College of Europe. She received ‘Diplôme en Journalisme Européen’.

Sources; Official Site of the Senate of the Republic of Poland and Communications-Unlimited.nl

Video reportage:Senate: https://www.facebook.com/SenatRP/videos/730000647191274/

Read/Watch also:

Official Site of Senate: http://senat.gov.pl/aktualnosci/art,10331,uroczystosc-wreczenia-nagrod-w-konkursie-dla-dziennikarzy-o-nagrode-marszalka-senatu.html