Katarzyna Basisty – a graduate of Sociology and International relations at the University of Wrocław, as well as postgraduate studies in University management and Polish language teaching at the University of Warsaw. Professionally associated with the University of Warsaw for 8 years, she has been managing the Welcome Point of the University of Warsaw since setting it up in 2017. Katarzyna teaches Polish as a foreign language in the Centre of Polish Language and Culture for Foreigners “Polonicum” UW. Volunteering has always been important to her and for 6 years she was a volunteer in the Jesuit Social Centre “In Action”, where she was teaching Polish and supporting migrants and refugees. She is interested in intercultural communication and the potential brought by meetings of various cultures, passionate about traveling.

The Welcome Point is the central information service for international employees, visitors and students – both those who come to the UW for one semester exchange and to pursue the whole cycle of their studies. WP provides relevant and up-to-date information in matters related to the University, student activities, and everyday life, assists in legalisation of stay in Poland. Moreover, WP organizes workshops, trainings and information meetings.

Miriam Kołak-Pleśniak works for the Volunteer Centre of the University of Warsaw. She is a graduate of cultural studies at the University of Warsaw, and since 2011 she has been promoting cultural and social projects, including running social media and websites, but also organizing events and projects. She has experience in working for state institutions, universities, but also in non-governmental organizations.

She conducts training courses and workshops in the field of communication and promotion of cultural and social projects. The source of inspiration and tools for her is everyday work, participation in workshops and design processes, observation of the activities of culture animators and Design Thinking.

Katarzyna Kucharska  is Project Coordinator and Intercultural Skills Trainer at the University of Warsaw. She coordinates multicultural and international projects in the Volunteer Centre of the University of Warsaw. She also cooperated as a mentor and trainer with organisations working in the field of social engagement and cultural diversity.

The Volunteer Centre of UW is a unit of the University of Warsaw which integrates the UW community around volunteering. Its goal is to promote ethical values and attitudes, develop social competences and create space for action.

Animafac  is the national network of student associations, supporting student initiatives,  promoting engagement and allowing many young people to meet for more than 20 years. Animafac also supports socially innovative projects and is a resource centre that provides development tools to several thousand student associations each year.

Maria Ly is in charge of the European Projects at Animafac including STEP and also in charge of the competencies and skills project.

Mateusz Płatos, PhD, is a psychologist, faculty member at the Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw, and Vice-President of the Association for Social Innovation ‘Mary and Max’. His main research and practical interest is supporting people on the autism spectrum in different areas of functioning. He collaborates with the Office for People with Disabilities at the University of Warsaw to build a comprehensive model of support for students on the autism spectrum.

Dr Úna Redmond is the Director of the Office of Student Life (Dublin City University) and has previously held a number of roles in the organisation.  She has a particular interest in supporting and rewarding students for engagement with extra-curricular activities. She was instrumental in developing the Uaneen Module, a unique module that acknowledges and recognises learning gained through engagement with social and volunteering activities.   She holds degrees in social science, business and educational leadership and her Doctoral thesis focused on first generation students’ involvement with outside the classroom learning opportunities.

The Office of Student Life’s mission is to enhance and support the DCU student experience – both inside and outside the classroom – providing opportunities for growth and development through holistic experiences. It is the umbrella body for the Students’ Union, Club Life Committee and Society Life Committee, providing administrative support, training and facilities for the student leadership and student led bodies that work to enhance the experience and richness of students’ time in Dublin City University.   It works to enhance student life in DCU through supporting student run organisations who are engaged with sporting, cultural, social and volunteering activities.

Viktoriya Terzieva is a Project Coordinator at the European University Fundation EUF, where she works on several Erasmus + KA2 projects. She holds a Master’s in International Project Management from the University of Strasbourg and recently completed an online Masters’ in Business Administration (MBA) specialized in Renewables and Energy Efficiency. Currently her work is focused on making the Erasmus+ programme more environmental friendly, measuring and recognition of Erasmus+ staff competences, as well as assessing the capacity building of students on mobility and those engaged in extra-curricular activities.

Gvantsa Tvaliashvili Graduate of Applied Sociology and Social Anthropology with the specialisation NGOs and cross-sectoral cooperation at The University of Warsaw, currently Civic Education Teacher at the school-lyceum in Tbilisi. Furthermore, Projects Manager and Co-founder of the Martkopi Youth Centre. She has been volunteering and working with different NGOs all around the world since 2014. She has run and taken part in various international projects with The Volunteer Centre of the University of Warsaw since 2017. She is a Board member and summer camps leader of CISV Georgia, inspired by their non-formal educational tools. She believes, that small steps could make big positive changes. She is driven to see the successful results of her hard work with youth empowerment concerning social issues.

Małgorzata Wiśniewska has been working for the Volunteer Centre of the University of Warsaw since 2018. As a project coordinator she is responsible for educational and event-based projects of VC UW. She has a wide experience as a national and international volunteer mainly in the areas of supporting children and education. Graduated from sociology and education for adults, currently she has a particular interest in projects designed for older people.