Between June 16–21, 2025, the “Space of Hope” center in Chernivtsi hosted a Summer School dedicated to second- and third-year students of International Relations at Yuriy Fedkovych Chernivtsi National University. The idea of such a school is not new – several editions have already taken place here – but this was the first to be held in the newly renovated premises of the center.

The Summer School was organized in close cooperation with the Ignatianum University in Kraków and the Yuriy Fedkovych National University in Chernivtsi, from which the workshop participants were recruited.

What is the Summer School? To better explain the idea, let us refer to the model of study visits well known in the world of Polish foundations and associations under the name Study Tours to Poland. Initially, these activities were financed through the RIT Program (“Region in Transition”) program by the Polish-American Freedom Foundation. These study tours have been running for over 20 years, meaning they are based on solid experience. Thanks to them, many students from Eastern Europe have had the chance to visit Poland for a few weeks and witness – in many dimensions – the post-1989 Polish transformation and its consequences.

Study Tours to Poland is a program aimed at sharing the outcomes of Poland’s social, political, and economic changes with students from post-Soviet countries. These changes brought both successes and challenges, and that is precisely why they are worth sharing. Undeniably, the effects and inspirations of those transformations reached far beyond Poland’s borders. Over the years, the program has changed organizers and coordinators, but it still exists. That serves as our inspiration.

Sharing the Polish transformation experience, as well as its impact on neighboring countries, became the central theme of the current Summer School held in Chernivtsi. The lectures and workshops were led by Fr. Dr. Jarosław Charchuła SJ and Ms. Krystyna Potapenko from Ignatianum University, as well as Fr. Norbert Frejek SJ from Space of Hope. The coordinator from the Chernivtsi university side was Prof. Władysław Strutyński, also a lecturer at the Department of International Relations.

Forty-two students participated in lectures on topics such as: social and political changes in Poland after 1989, manipulation and disinformation in media coverage of Polish-Ukrainian relations in the context of the current war, the Orange Revolution 20 years later, and recent Ukrainian history in the context of perestroika, the collapse of the USSR, and transformations in Central and Eastern Europe.

One day of the Summer School was left free of classes, and we used it to take a trip to Khotyn to visit the fortress overlooking the Dniester River – site with deep historical significance, including wars between the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and the Ottoman Empire.

Feedback from participants was positive to very positive. Students themselves suggested adding more variety to future sessions and proposed topics they would like to explore. Although the working language was Polish, all participants had declared – prior to the event – that they understood the language at a level sufficient to follow the lectures.

Why is sharing the Polish experience important? Firstly, because some things have succeeded over the years – and some have not. Secondly, much has succeeded (even if the road was long), and that is worth sharing because others may do it even better in the future. Thirdly, Poland’s path of transformation – despite its difficult history with neighbors – can be an inspiration for them. By the way, and quite on the side: a side effect of Poland’s internal political squabbling is that we tend to underappreciate our own achievements. This squabbling is, incidentally, about to celebrate its 30th anniversary. So far, there’s no Augsburg on the horizon.

At the closing session of the workshop, where each student received a certificate of participation, the following also took part: Prof. Vasyl Karpo – Dean of the Faculty of History, Political Science, and International Relations, Prof. Vitalii Makar – Head of the Department of International Relations, and the aforementioned Prof. Władysław Strutyński. The Summer School will continue this fall in Kraków – albeit in a slightly different format, due to wartime circumstances and Ukrainian legal restrictions. Plans for another Summer School in Chernivtsi are already in place for next year.

Fr. Norbert Frejek SJ