Polish Public TV broadcasting internationally TVP Polonia and the Statue of ‘’For The Merits of Poland and the Polish People Abroad’’ Award of the Polish Public TV visited Mr Kees van Rooij, mayor of Horst aan de Maas to talk about succesful integration of Polish citizens in his region and his cooperation with Poland.
Mr Kees van Rooij also congratulated Ms Beata Bruggeman-Sekowska from our Central and Eastern Europe Center for winning a prestigious TVP award : ‘’For The Merits of Poland and the Polish People Abroad’’.
Mr van Rooij is the president of the project ”Het belang van arbeidsmigranten” (the importance of migrant workers) with municipalities of Horst aan de Maas, Venray, Peel en Maas, Venlo, Leudal. The project won the Honorary Polonus award in November 2016. ( Honorary Polonus: a person or organisation that contributes significantly to the integration of Polish people in the Netherlands or contributes significantly to promoting the knowledge about Poland)
North Limburg municipalities Horst aan de Maas, Venray, Peel en Maas, Venlo and Leudal decided to break the negative image of migrant workers and as the first municipalities in the Netherlands decided to ensure that Poles were perceived as neighbours, fellow citizens of the region and not just the ‘immigrants’.
The project “The importance of migrant workers” is an example of successful cooperation of national government authorities, regional authorities and migrant workers, whose aim is to welcome new neighbors and involve them in the region. This regional project has become an example for regions throughout the Netherlands and beyond. It showed the true face of Poles, as hard-working new neighbours, who together with the Dutch want to start their new life in the Netherlands.
The interview will be soon broacast on TVP Polonia: Halo Polonia.
About ‘’For The Merits of Poland and the Polish People Abroad’’
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.
Mr Adam Kwiatkowski, Secretary of State, Chief of the Cabinet of the President of Poland, in addition holding in the Chancellery of the President the responsibility for maintaining contacts with Poles abroad who was attending the official gala when the prize was awarded said:
”Today, among those who won the statuettes are those who have lived for many years outside Poland and are proud of being Poles, remember that they are Poles and they are promoting Poland where they live and work.”
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, Robert Lewandowski, Igor Mitoraj, Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, prof. Andrzej Stelmachowski, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Roman Polanski, Basia Trzetrzelewska, Marcin Gortat, Robert Kubica, Association “Polska Polska”, National Institute of Fryderyk Chopin.
In her speech Beata Bruggeman-Sękowska said that she had been raised dually in a communist Poland where she got propaganda lessons at school and the real teaching was at home by her parents who taught her how the real world is really like and that she should be proud of being Polish and of Poland. This is what she never forgot and is an essential part of her life: to promote Poland internationally and let others see what Poland has to offer.
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. She is an international CEE professional, media commentator, author of seven books, hundreds of publications about Central and Eastern Europe, interviews with politicians, diplomats, artists. She is a publisher, journalist cooperating with national and international media, governmental organizations and universities. Last but not least she is an academic lecturer in Central and Eastern Europe studies, cultural awareness, a PR professional with an international dimension and a sworn translator ( from/to English, Dutch and Polish). She has extensive intercultural management and leadership skills experience.
Communications-Unlimited is supported by an advisory board which consists of respected and well-known international representatives of the political, business and culture world.
Public functions occupied by Beata Bruggeman-Sękowska:
– 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
Beata Bruggeman-Sękowska was born in Warsaw, Poland and has also Armenian blood and roots in Lviv, which is now part of Ukraine.
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’.
“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.
Text: official site of the President of the Republic of Poland and communications-unlimited.nl, PAP (Polish Press Agency)
Read also:
Polish public TV-Photo reportage from the visit to Limburg and the Polonus gala
Official congratulations from H.E. Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Warsaw
A few photo impressions from the Gala of ”For the Merits of Poland and Polish people abroad
Official site of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: http://www.msz.gov.pl/pl/polityka_zagraniczna/polonia/wydarzenia/wiadomosci_kraj/warszawa__tvp_polonia_nagrodzila_za_zaslugi_dla_polski_i_polakow;jsessionid=858FCD4939AC9D0FD908144F770F7098.cmsap1p
Coverage from Gala:http://www.polonia.tvp.pl/30210986/gala-tvp-polonia
Short reportage about Gala: https://www.facebook.com/tvppolonia/videos/1382183795180171/
Interview with Beata Bruggeman-Sekowska: http://halopolonia.tvp.pl/29908334/02052017-2220
from 12.07
Official site of the President of the Republic of Poland: http://www.prezydent.pl/kancelaria/aktywnosc-ministrow/art,675,nagrody-tvp-polonia-za-zaslugi-dla-polski-i-polakow-za-granica.html