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These are the two days of the year that no one needs to be reminded of by the calendar, because the words Grandma and Grandpa are enchanted with the greatest childhood memories. Remembering about those we love, Olivia Business Centre prepared a meeting that was to be both a surprise and an unusual thank you.

– Many of us, when thinking about Grandmas and Grandpas, feel that our hearts are warming. We decided to thank the next meeting Oliwa from a Bird’s Eye View for Grandmother’s and Grandfather’s Day, which turned out to be a fantastic opportunity to spend time together intergenerationally – says Dagmara Rybicka, Communication Manager at Olivia.

This important day began at O4 Coworking with a cup of aromatic coffee, delicious cakes and a lecture about Oliwa.

– The plan of the event has been prepared in such a way that our Residents could spend the whole day, afternoon or lunch break in Olivia with their Grandparents and Parents. They could have been with them since the “green lecture” or went up to the 32nd floor for half an hour, only to return to interrupted classes a moment later. They could also, after entering Olivia Star TOP, stay in the restaurant and eat something delicious together with their guests – says Magdalena Piskorska, Event Manager from Olivia’s Communication Team, the organizer of the event.

Extraordinary stories about green and recreational areas were told to the crowd by Łukasz Darski – a guide to Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot, who is also a resident of Oliwa. Mr. Łukasz’s stories inspired the seniors to make many memories. You could hear about places that many young people have probably missed. It turned out that a very important element of the district are viewpoints and Oliwa squares equipped with open-air gyms. Seniors recommended their favorite meeting places, encouraging their grandchildren to live an active and creative life, where relationships between people are the most important.

The special guests of the Oliwa from a Bird’s Eye meeting were a married couple – Mrs. Czesława and Mr. Henryk, in whom the Tri-City community recognized the heroes of the film about Olivia Star TOP published in social media. They were the first visitors to the observation deck on the 32nd floor of the tallest building in Pomerania.

The highlight of the celebration was a joint ride to one of Olivia’s top floors. Admiring the panorama of Gdansk was accompanied by a commentary from the guide.

“ It’s a really amazing time, full of positive energy, warm words, wonderful memories,” says Magdalena Piskorska. – Once again, we invited Seniors to Olivia, because it is a place for them, one that is supposed to connect generations, experiences and passions. We invite everyone who is curious about us, the world and who is close to Gdańsk after Lent.

“The smiles on the faces of Grandmothers and Grandfathers and the questions whether Oliwa from a Bird’s Eye View will become a permanent part of the tradition of the business centre confirmed that the surprise was a success,” sums up Dagmara Rybicka.

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THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL MEETING!

 

 

^{Fig. Maciej Roszkowski, We Love Foto}

These are two days of the year about which the calendar does not need to remind anyone, because the words Grandma and Grandpa bring back the greatest memories of childhood. Remembering those we love, the Olivia Business Centre has prepared a meeting that was meant to be both a surprise and an unusual thank you.

“Thinking about Grandmas and Grandpas warms the hearts of many of us. We decided to thank our loved ones with a meeting Oliwa District from a Bird’s Eye View for Grandma’s and Grandpa’s Day, which turned out to be a fantastic opportunity for people of different generations to spend time together,” says Dagmara Rybicka, Communication Manager at Olivia.

This important day began at O4 Coworking with a cup of aromatic coffee, delicious cakes and a lecture about Oliwa.

“The event plan was prepared so that our Residents had a chance to spend their whole day, afternoon or lunch break in Olivia with their Grandparents and Parents. They could have stayed with them starting with the ‘green lecture’ or entered the 32^nd floor for half an hour just to resume their activities a moment later. After entering Olivia Star TOP, they could also stay in a restaurant and eat something delicious with their Guests,” says Magdalena Piskorska, Event Manager from the Olivia Communication Team, the organiser of the event.

Łukasz Darski , a guide to Gdańsk, Gdynia and Sopot, who is also a resident of Oliwa District, told a wide audience unusual stories about green and recreational areas. The stories of Mr Łukasz brought many memories back to seniors. You could have heard about places that probably many young people have missed. It turned out that very important elements of the district are Oliwa viewpoints and squares equipped with open-air gyms. Seniors recommended their favourite meeting places, encouraging grandchildren to an active and creative lifestyle, in which relationships between people are the most important.

Special guests of the meeting Oliwa District from a Bird’s Eye View was the couple – Mrs Czesława and Mr Henryk – in which the Tri-City community recognised the characters of the video about Olivia Star TOP published in social media. They were the first visitors to the observation deck on the 32nd floor of the tallest building in Pomerania.

The culmination of the celebration was a common visit to one of Olivia’s top floors. We admired the panorama of Gdańsk and listened to the guide’s commentary.

“It’s really an amazing time, full of positive energy, warm words and wonderful memories,” says Magdalena Piskorska, “Once again, we invited Seniors to Oliwia, because it is a place for them, a place that is to bring together generations, experiences and passions. We invite here everyone who is curious about us, the world, and who simply feels close to Gdańsk.”

“Smiles on the faces of Grandmas and Grandpas and questions whether Oliwa District from a Bird’s Eye View will become a tradition of the business centre confirmed that the surprise was successful,” sums up Dagmara Rybicka.

THANK YOU FOR THIS WONDERFUL MEETING!

 

^{photo: Maciej Roszkowski, We Love Photo}

It’s hard to take care of a better tomorrow while standing on the sidelines. At PwC in Gdańsk, the employees did not fold their hands, but by taking part in volunteer work, they jointly declared war on air pollution. In the form of workshops, they reach schools and kindergartens with the conviction that environmental education is the most important step to stop climate change. Ania Aramayo and Dorota Kaszubowska, coordinators of the project in Gdańsk, talk about the second edition of the “Business vs Smog” initiative, which attracts more and more organisations.

Has Gdansk business declared war on air pollution?

Ania: We are in the process of implementing the second edition of the “Business vs. Smog” programme, which was conceived and initiated by PwC. We started our activities in September and will finish in March with the end of the heating season. Dorota and I are local coordinators who implement activities in Gdańsk. The idea was born in Krakow, but very soon other cities – Warsaw, Katowice and Łódź – joined the action.

And why did a city that is famous for its clean air join the action?

Dorota: I remember my surprise when I heard that there was smog in Gdańsk and Pomerania. Very quickly the doubts were dispelled by a trip to one of the small towns in the region, a huge black cloud hovered over the local houses, which for the inhabitants was a permanent element of the landscape. I made sure that this is a topic that definitely applies to our region as well, and that education will be an effective weapon.

Why do you want to act socially, why do you want to get involved and devote time?

Ania: We are glad that we can do something useful, and that we have the opportunity to change. We all complain about various negative things that happen next to us, instead of wasting energy on it, it is worth taking concrete action. What’s important, the enthusiasm of the people who came up with the project and implemented it was so great that it was hard not to succumb to it (laughs). The idea behind the “Business vs. Smog” program is to have a real impact – we work with the youngest, we get the opportunity to educate, raise awareness and instill the desire to care for the environment.

Are you the only volunteers at PwC?

Ania: We are coordinating the program in Gdańsk, working closely with a group of volunteers, which currently consists of about 30 people, and over 100 people in the entire PwC in Poland. According to the assumptions, each of them is obliged to conduct at least two educational workshops in educational institutions, so summing up, the scale of activities becomes noticeable. All the more so because PwC has also invited other companies to join the program.

What does it look like from the technical side?

Dorothy: Many PwC employees have children, so it is much easier for us to reach schools and kindergartens that are interested in education. In our opinion, such an action is of great value. I had the opportunity to see for myself that what we do is needed – the institution I talked to was very open to cooperation. A conversation with the management assured me that the project should grow and be continued in the following years, I received an invitation that if we wanted to do more in this area, the door was open and we were welcome. Other volunteers have been contacted and I am sure that the initiative will stay in these benches for good.

Do you have a proven model on how to interest a unique and demanding audience in the topic?

Dorothy: At the very beginning, there are trainings for volunteers, conducted by experts from the Krakow Smog Alert, during which we learn about the substantive aspects of the topic, but also learn how to talk to the youngest so that it is not boring and how to make them interested in the topic. The children’s audience is very demanding – there is no room for generalities here; We must always be prepared to maintain attention.

Ania: The workshops are always adapted to the age of the participants, which requires a completely individualized approach from us. We use materials specially prepared by the Krakow Smog Alarm – games and activities, we implement ideas that encourage children to actively cooperate.

How to reach their hearts?

Dorota: Authenticity – children are great and insightful observers of 😉

Can they handle it?

Dorota: Definitely! Depending on the size of the group, we have planned that the meeting should last no longer than 45 minutes, children get tired quickly, lose concentration, so it is our responsibility to make the workshops interesting and engaging enough to deserve the attention of the youngest.

Ania: We want the children to tell their parents about the workshops when they return, also influencing the everyday decisions of adults.

Do you think such a change is real? Are we ready to give up our habits?

Ania: Yes, otherwise we wouldn’t have taken up the challenge. The entire team of PwC volunteers is sure that we may not be able to carry out a revolution, but we will persuade people to change in small steps. Education is the most important weapon in the fight for the climate.

How long does it take for this to work?

Ania: The most important thing is that the different types of activities are combined. It is well known that education is a kind of foundation, but appropriate legislative action is equally important.

Dorothy: The first edition of Business vs. Smog was a kind of field for experiments. On the basis of the conclusions, we started with the second one, which is more and more eagerly publicized, which confirms that the program makes sense. Last year, we managed to train as many as 10,000 children, mainly in Małopolska and Silesia. The principle of small steps is the most effective, because an attempt to “force” change would certainly end in reluctance.

Let’s go back to the creation of the project – where did it all start?

Ania: The initiator of “Business vs. Smog” is the Krakow branch of PwC. We have invited other companies and organizations to participate in it, and now there are 29 of us in total. I hope that the business group will continue to grow.

How can more organizations join?

Ania: There is a formal path to joining the program for willing companies. In the first edition, there were 13 organizations, and in the current one, there are already 29. The program is open, but we also set certain requirements – as to the number of workshops and recipients. Each of the companies has its own contribution to the program – we share tasks. New companies can complement us and support us. For example, one of the companies that deals with translations offered to take care of them (we also run workshops in English). Everyone gives something from themselves and at the same time becomes responsible for a given element of the program. There are a lot of jobs and sectors in which you can fulfill yourself, so we invite you to participate all the time in accordance with the principle that together we can do more.

As coordinators, do you feel that you are changing the world a bit?

Dorota: A little bit!

Do you see the first effects of your work?

Ania: Awareness is growing, more and more people want to join the actions that will lead to stopping climate change. More and more volunteers are asking what they can do and how they can do it.

Dorothy: I have the impression that, especially now in the new year, everything has gained momentum. Our actions ignite others.

Ania: People want to act themselves! I can see that the idea drives, so it’s fantastic to see the commitment, because it has to translate into change. If we manage to hit wider and wider; Awareness of how we should act to protect the environment will grow.

From the very beginning, it went smoothly? Have you faced the label of eco-freaks?

Ania: No. The awareness of the society is growing, and we do not try to implement controversial ideas and push astonishing theses with our actions. I think we’re perceived as normal (laughs). People see our enthusiasm and willingness to act and many of them decide that it is worth joining. After all, everyone understands what it means to be responsible for the planet, which we bequeath to future generations.

Dorothy: We do not impose, I think that it is best to start every change with yourself and thus inspire others to change, we work with people who consciously approach the topic.

PwC’s everyday life under the green flag?

Dorothy: PwC’s overarching goal in the world is to build social trust and solve problems. One of the biggest challenges today is to protect the environment and stop negative climate change. By initiating projects such as “Business vs. Smog”, we achieve the company’s goal and have a positive impact on the environment. In addition to the company’s environmental programs, we have good habits, for example, we make sure that the last person to leave the office always turns off the lights, and the refrigerators are turned off on weekends.

What do you want to achieve this year?

Dorothy: Raise awareness and draw attention to air pollution. We want to convince you that it is worth taking care of a place where you can live well.

Ania: Awareness, education and active scaling up. The second year of the project is the beginning, we are sure that in the following years we will be able to favor the land on an even larger scale. If even one child suggests to their parents to choose a tram instead of a car, it is already a big change and a reason to rejoice.

More information about the program: https://www.facebook.com/BiznesKontraSmog/

We invite you to participate in the campaign “Neighbors, stay at home. You won’t be alone!” THIS IS A GOOD TIME TO HELP!

We cordially invite you to join us to help the Closest Neighbours who are now afraid to leave their homes, e.g. due to age or health condition. Each of us can get involved in the project in a very simple way “Neighbor, stay home. You’re not alone.” There are only a few steps to follow.

1. Download the poster-flyer from the gdansk.dominikanie.pl website
2. Write your name and contact phone number on it.
3. Hang a poster in your immediate surroundings , let them know that you can do your neighbors shopping, fill a prescription, walk the dog…
4. AND HELP!

Olivia supports the charity of the “Górka” Academic Chaplaincy.

More information and a download can be found HERE

HERE you can download the poster-leaflet

WELCOME!

—–/—–

NOW IS THE TIME TO HELP!

We encourage you to join the campaign to help neighbours. Each of us can easily get involved in the project “Stay at home neighbour. You are not alone”. There are only a few steps to follow.

1. Download the poster-leaflet from gdansk.dominikanie.pl
2. Enter your name and contact phone number on it
3. Hang the poster in the immediate vicinity, let them know that you can do shopping for your neighbors, collect a prescription, walk their dog…
4. AND HELP!

Olivia supports the charity campaign of the Academic Chaplaincy “Górka”.

More HERE

DOWNLOAD POSTER

We present 6 winning works in the competition “Freedom is for me…”, which we organized on the occasion of the National Independence Day (the awarded artists will be shown soon).

Together with the Strategic Partner of the competition, ENERGA from the Orlen Group, we invited you to tell us and show us what freedom means today for each of you. How do we see it, how do we feel it, how do we perceive it? The form of the works was free. You sent films, photographs, poems, photographs, artworks, essays. Here are the six Laureates selected during a stormy but fruitful meeting of the jury, which appreciated (and evaluated) m.in. creativity, ingenuity, labor intensity, aesthetics.

THANK YOU ALL FOR TAKING PART IN THE CONTEST! HERE ARE SIX EXCELLENT AUTHORS AND THEIR WORKS.

The largest number of jury votes: Dominika Sobaszkiewicz (film)

Watch and listen (you can read below)

Pola Jędrysik (poetry)

Ewa Sobieniak (essay)

Read the full essay

Jarek Kobiela (film)

Watch the video

Anna Niedźwiedzka (poetry)

Sara Jaśkiewicz (drawing/ painting)

Congratulations!

We would like to remind you that the authors of these inspiring projects receive vouchers for the luxurious TREINTA Y TRES restaurant on the 33rd floor of Olivia Star.

We would like to thank the Strategic Partner of the competition, ENERGA from the ORLEN Group, which implements this project as part of ENERGA’s CSR Strategy.

More about the competition

Being together this Christmas will be a bit… Difficult. But what are online tools for? There is still time to choose the communicator (program, application) that you think is the easiest to use. Teach your loved ones how to use it and connect this Christmas.

We present our subjective choice. We recommend a few simple (in our opinion) solutions for online meetings.

Facebook Messenger

The king of free instant messaging. It enables not only text communication (enriched with a lot of GIFs or emoji icons), but also voice and video calls. It is possible to create an account in Messenger without creating a Facebook account.

• 6 people actively participating in the conversation; up to 50 people watching
• Learn how to start a video chat with a person or group in Messenger.
• For more information, visit messenger.com

Messenger Rooms by Facebook

In the spring of 2020, Facebook released a service called Messenger Rooms. It allows for video conferences with up to 50 people. Messenger Rooms gives Facebook and Messenger users the ability to create a virtual video chat room to which they can invite others. Importantly, the invited persons do not have to be users of any of the Internet giant’s services; They can join the conversation by clicking on the generated link. On Facebook, rooms can be created from the news feed, groups or events.

• Max. max. 50 persons
• All About Messenger Rooms
• See how to use Messenger Rooms

Google Meet

It’s easy to start a secure video call with Google Meet . Just join the meeting from any modern web browser or download the app to your phone. Anyone with a Google Account can create an online meeting with up to 100 participants. A single meeting can last up to 60 minutes.

You can send a meeting link or meeting code to everyone you want to talk to. In the free version of Google Meet, invitees will need to sign in to their Google Accounts to join the call, or if they don’t have one, create one for themselves.

• 100 people (free version)
• Google Meet Help
• See how to make video calls in Google Meet.

Skype

Skype is a proposal that could not be missing from the list. The communicator is identified with the ability to make voice calls and video conferences (including group ones), and although Microsoft systematically tries to change it, these functions invariably remain the most important. There are a lot of useful features, such as voicemail, the option to forward calls to a smartphone, and the option to contact people who don’t have Skype. Communication is encrypted, and the quality of both audio and video automatically adjusts to the current network bandwidth.

• Free online calls for max. max. 50 persons
• Free Online Calls
• Explore the power of Skype
• See a playlist on how to use Skype

Viber

A solid alternative to the above-mentioned programs is Viber, which offers not only voice calls but also video calls. Viber’s list of features is much longer and includes text communication, uploading photos, voice memos, video files. Here, too, communication with other users of the app is free, you only pay for calls to mobile numbers. Viber in mobile versions has a very intuitive interface, it strongly resembles the interface of modern smartphones.

• Viber allows you to have individual and group chats for up to 250 participants
• More about Viber
• Group video calls using Viber

WhatsApp

What the uninitiated may not know is that WhatsApp has been owned by Facebook for a good few years. Initially, WhatsApp focused on text messaging, but the growing popularity of the app led to the emergence of video calling options in 2016. Interestingly, text conversations can be conducted in group chats (for more than 200 people) and you can send not only text, but also photos, videos and documents (up to 100 MB). WhatsApp is easy to use by integrating with your smartphone’s address book, and it also has location sharing and the option to sync chats between mobile devices and your computer.

If we are at our computer, we can save ourselves the trouble of reaching for a smartphone, because the service also works on a PC – as a separate application for Windows or in a browser. However, we need to pair our WhatsApp account with the computer.

• Group calls allow you to make WhatsApp video calls in groups of up to eight people
• More about WhatsApp
• 8 Practical Tips for WhatsApp
• Group Conversations on WhatsApp

Zoom

Zoom is great for video and audio conferencing. Although we can use Zoom from a web browser, it will be much easier for us to use the app. The simple app is available for both computers and mobile devices.

Zoom is a service that is available for free, but we can extend its functionality by choosing to pay for one of the subscription plans. In the free version of Zoom, we can host meetings of up to 100 people, but we are limited to a 40-minute meeting (after this time, we can reconnect with the interlocutors). The paid version provides unlimited connection time and the ability to organize meetings of up to 300 people.

Joining a Zoom meeting is very simple. First of all, the organizer must send us a link to the meeting – they can do it by e-mail, SMS, or on Messenger or WhatsApp. We click on this link and a browser window opens where we are asked if we want to open the Zoom application or if we want to join the meeting in the browser.

• Bloog Zoom
• Zoom – how to install and use?
• Zoom page
• How To Zoom?

And finally, a handful of suggestions from Computer World (including Discord and Microsoft Teams). See for yourself!

Olivia Business Centre is one of the first office centres in the world to implement in its buildings the technology of air purification with ions, which has so far been used in the most prestigious buildings in the world, such as the White House, Harvard University and the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi. Ionization is also used in Gulfstream’s private jets.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have treated the safety of residents as an absolute priority ,” says Krzysztof Król from Olivia Business Centre. – Our Management Department has done a titanic job implementing a number of solutions in buildings aimed at creating a space free of viruses, bacteria or allergens while ensuring ecological, fresh and healthy air for every body. Ionization of air in air handling units is a part of the strategy implemented in Olivia Business Centre to create a new standard of safe and modern offices. –Adds.

What is ionization?

The installed devices saturate all rental areas with ions that have the ability to destroy viruses, bacteria and other pathogens in the ventilated air. The air purification process takes place continuously while people are in the room, so the fight against the pathogen begins from the moment it appears in the room.
The technology used in Olivia is Bipolar Needle Ionization. It is safe for people, animals and objects, including computer and office infrastructure. The positive and negative ions produced are taken over by the air stream created in the air handling unit (i.e. together with the fresh air forced to the surface), combining with other particles (bacteria, viruses), which allows them to be filtered out. Moreover, their biological inactivation takes place by taking hydrogen molecules from their RNA/DNA structure. The ionizers used do not cause the appearance of ozone, which is harmful to human health.

What does it mean for the Residents of Olivia Business Centre?

• reduction of bacteria and viruses in rooms, including SARS-Cov-2, at the level of 99.4%
• Eliminated unpleasant odours
• safe and fresh air in the office (m.in. remove PM 2.5 and PM 10 dust and other harmful pollutants that can cause respiratory failure)
• removal of allergens that weaken the immune system from the air
• removal of mold and fungi from the air that can cause breathing difficulties
• restoration of ionic balance in the air, ensuring better well-being

Ionization is only part of a larger plan

The strategy of ensuring the safety of Olivia Business Centre includes not only the introduction of Bipolar Needle Ionization. It also includes a number of other initiatives and solutions that have been gradually implemented since the second quarter of 2020. As part of it, a constantly working staff responsible for the safety of the Residents was established. As a result of his analysis, active titanium coatings were used in the common parts of the buildings (elevators, lobbies, access paths to garage halls). The coating, which lasts at least 12 months and has a minimum effect on surfaces, creates surfaces free of pathogenic microorganisms. Bacteria, fungi (including moulds) and viruses are eliminated and their residues are broken down into carbon dioxide and water. In addition, the air filtration level has been increased from G4 to F7 in air handling units, which is the highest level of filtration currently available. Sensors for VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) and particulate matter (PM) pollution were installed. Thanks to this, it is possible to monitor air purity and, as a result, eliminate harmful compounds from the air drawn in from the outside and distributed inside buildings. In addition, air exchange intensity control systems have been installed based on the knowledge of current CO2 measurement results, which contributes to a significant increase in the comfort of staying in the workplace. As part of the strategy implemented in Olivia Business Centre, additional solutions have also been prepared to increase the safety of office employees: sterilizers of entry cards have been purchased, elevator settings have been changed, so that in the stand by mode, the lift cabin remains open, allowing fresh air to enter it.

All of the above activities are carried out by the building manager and are complemented by projects carried out by individual Olivia Residents on their own. – says Krzysztof Król. All initiatives are also coordinated by the Resident Relations Department, which allows us to provide optimal solutions for each employee, which are at the same time in line with the standard set by individual companies residing in Olivia Business Centre.

More about safe Olivia

Kraków nativity scenes are true works of handicraft art . They are inseparably connected with Christmas. They are beautiful and one of a kind! Slim, multi-storey, richly decorated… They are characterised by the accumulation of miniaturised, fancifully combined elements reflecting the historic architecture of Kraków. Artists are inspired especially by St. Mary’s Church, but also by Wawel Castle, the Cloth Hall or the Barbican. Interestingly, for a nativity scene to be recognised as Kraków Szopka, it must be not only a multi-storey, richly decorated tower building. It should also be constructed of light materials (e.g. cardboard or plywood). The Kraków nativity scene, like other nativity scenes, is, however, primarily, to be a worthy place to present the great mystery of the Nativity of the Son of God, so its central figures are Baby Jesus, Mary and Saint Joseph.

As the Kraków nativity scenes originate from the tradition of static Christmas nativity scenes and plays, they cannot be missing figurines of shepherds, sheep or oxen… (the oldest nativity figurines originating from the fourteenth century have been preserved in the monastery of Poor Clares at the church of St. Andrew in Kraków). The heroes of the nativity scenes usually belong to two intertwining worlds: the biblical one, depicting the birth of Jesus, and the secular one, constantly changing and updated. Today in nativity scenes you can find both historical and modern figures. Their heroes also come from Kraków folklore and legends (with a particularly popular legend about the Wawel Dragon).

The first nativity scenes were created in the mid-nineteenth century. They were made by carpenters and bricklayers from Kraków and the surrounding area. It was an extra occupation for them outside of the construction season. During Christmas, they went from house to house with their nativity scenes to earn money. Particularly well-known was the team of nativity scene makers of Michał Ezenekier, a master who visited the Counts of Potocki every year at the Pod Baranami Palace and the Estreichers.

In 1927, Antoni Wasilewski initiated the organisation of an annual competition for the most beautiful Kraków Szopka. Every year, since 1937, on the first Thursday of December, on the steps of Adam Mickiewicz Monument on the Kraków Market Square, the presentation of nativity scenes and the competition for the most beautiful one take place. Whole families of modern carpenters specialise in building nativity scenes. The prizes are awarded in four categories: large nativity scenes, medium nativity scenes, small nativity scenes and miniature nativity scenes. The time it takes to make them depends on their format. Construction of a several-meter structure can take up to one year.

ENGLISH VERSION

^Sources:

^{https://pl.aleteia.org/2017/12/07/szopki-krakowskie-tradycja-ktora-wciaga/}

^{https://etnomuzeum.eu/zbiory/najstarsza-szopka-krakowska}

^{https://podroze.se.pl/polska/malopolskie/krakow/skad-wziely-sie-krakowskie-szopki/6188/}

^{Fig. kuriermlawski.pl, press materials, Historical Museum of the City of Krakow}

You can learn English with us, do you know that? But that’s not all!

Join Language TANDEM OBC and learn foreign languages with Olivia Residents:) Janek Meissner from AirHelp, who isthe Club’s Ambassador, organizes International Language Exchange Sessions there, during which you can talk to native speakers in the languages you want to communicate in better. We also plan to for Club Members, language webinars and online meetings(and ultimately offline), thanks to which you will improve your English, Spanish, German or Italian:)

• Join the TANDEM OBC Language Club

Take a look at our previous language webinars! With Janek and more:)

• Watch our language webinars

Remember, there is no universal method for learning a foreign language. Find your own way, pay attention to what you like. You love books – read them in English. Do you like TV series? Watch them in that language (with subtitles at the beginning). It helps you to write down vocabulary, that’s a good thought too!

So far, our webin experts have identified four methods of effective education:

• Immersion
• Sentence Translation
• Tandems
• Applications

A few words about immersion

Immerse yourself in the language. Try to feel like a native. Surround yourself with English. Watch TV shows, shows, movies, movies in target language. Listen as much as you can! It doesn’t matter that you don’t understand anything or much at first. Use audiobooks. Be patient and consistent, eventually words will become a part of your life. Let Shakespeare’s language be your number one! Do you have a passion? Study it in English.

Janek Meissner recommends: radio.garden

Sentence Translation

Listen, speak, repeat. Try to catch whole sentences. Use radio plays and podcasts. And remember, practice. Your speech apparatus has to get used to a different tongue or mouth pattern.

Janek Meissner recommends: languagePOD101

Tademes

In other words, learning in pairs. Try to exchange (also knowledge and competences). Teach your native language and have someone teach you English. Find an interlocutor, a tandem-partner, who will guide you through English, point out customary phrases, correct your pronunciation, etc. It’s a buddy.

Want to start talking? You need words! Make the most of every free moment. Instead of looking in a window or browsing FB, use apps, online courses, learn words, phrases, phrases.

Applications

AND HERE YOU CAN DOWNLOAD OUR
PRACTICAL LANGUAGE GUIDE,
I.E. WORDS FROM WEBINARS AND APPS RECOMMENDED BY JANEK,
SPEAKING EIGHT LANGUAGES!

The saying that the measure of a society is how it treats the most vulnerable can also be applied to the business environment and say that the measure of a business class is how it uses its potential to help and develop young generations, supporting them at the stage of entering professional life. Youth mentoring, conducted by experienced businessmen, is one of the forms of support that teenagers can use when thinking about their future careers.

Successful people want to share their knowledge and experience

What distinguishes mentoring projects from schools is the fact that such meetings are conducted by experienced businessmen and managers who have a need to share their knowledge and experience. Young participants in the programmes therefore have a unique opportunity to get to know entrepreneurship from the practical side, but also much more consciously choose your career path. It is often only during meetings with mentors that they realize how important it is to choose the right studies, participate in internship programs and choose the right extracurricular activities that will allow them to enter adulthood. In a situation where schools do not provide practical knowledge or the opportunity to properly discern their own abilities, such programs can help young people see their own qualities, discover their passions and manage their lives accordingly.

Mentoring programs are a mission that the managers involved in them have and feel, which is why they are most often classes for which participants pay a maximum of several hundred zlotys per semester. Participation in The Grade , a Gdańsk project partially implemented in the Olivia Business Centre, costs PLN 100 per semester, in Avenue PLN 200, and thanks to the EU support and ministerial funds of the Career Accelerator – a program for the development of social comecies run by 04 Coworking is a free program. As a result, they do not socially exclude any of the groups of young people, and even more: they open up opportunities for teenagers who do not have the opportunity to benefit from the support of the scientific or business community on a daily basis.

At the same time, engaging in activities with a mission can also bring many benefits to companies and to the mentors themselves. This is confirmed by Maciej Kamiński, one of the mentors involved in The Grade project: These classes give me incredible satisfaction and fulfillment. The Grade program is a continuation of my social passions. In this way, I was able to combine my passions in life: working with young people with this vitality and energy, dedicated to strengthening and extracting their potential and accompanying them in their search for their place on Earth.

The heart of mentoring beats in office buildings

Olivia Business Centre has become the heart of the Tri-City mentoring programmes, as as many as three such projects are implemented in its area.

The Grade is aimed at boys between the ages of 13 and 19. It is intended to help them enter adulthood and enable them to properly manage their life path and career, for example by choosing the right field of study. The program is carried out in groups (individual meetings are also held), and each participant is assigned their own guide – mentor. Classes are held every two weeks, and all are taught by speakers experienced in the field.

Mentors are most often managers from companies gathered in Olivia Business Centre, as well as external experts who have run their own enterprises, project management, but also business psychologists, financiers and investment advisors. The Grade is a unique project that opens up new opportunities for participants at a very crucial stage of life, when their attitudes and values are formed. The essence of The Grade program consists of a number of factors – says Maciej Kamiński. First of all, young people have at their disposal the knowledge and experience of fantastic mentors who share their life experience. Secondly, the very attractive formula of the program itself, which provides the opportunity to meet interesting and inspiring people, offers the opportunity to engage in interesting initiatives, as well as make friends with like-minded peers. And above all, it is a great alternative to spending time in front of a computer or TV.

The same is true of a similar project called Avenue, aimed at young high school students. The mentors and participants are only women who feel fulfilled professionally and privately and are willing to share their knowledge and time with high school students. The curriculum includes topics such as proactivity – motivating girls to actively and consciously go through high school education, time management, finances, negotiations, building conscious relationships or leadership in a group.

Maciej Kamiński emphasizes that adolescence is the most critical period of life and that is why mentors focus on young people at this age. It is during the high school period that we define who we are and decide in which direction we are headed. In today’s fast-paced, changeable, unpredictable world, it is very difficult for young people to find answers to these questions. In addition, if you do not have well-established values, it is very easy to get lost in all of this. The support of an adult, mature person who shares his or her wisdom and experience in this process is priceless – sums up Maciej Kamiński.

The program, in which experience and knowledge are acquired by young people aged 15-29, willing to develop themselves, is Career Accelerator, Led by Martyna Czarnobaj-Borowska with O4 Coworking, based in Olivia Business Centre. The main goal of the accelerator is to develop the participants’ social competences through their participation in workshops, trainings and meetings with mentors, coaches or businessmen running their own companies. The distinguishing feature of the program is the final development of an idea for a social initiative, action or other activity that shapes social attitudes or encourages action. Over the course of 18 months, the participants prepared projects that often surprised the members of the jury with their professionalism and ingenuity, who finally evaluated the complex ideas of the high school students. Among them were projects in the field of ecology, psychology, promotion of healthy food, education and culture. At the networking meeting at the end of the project, I saw with my own eyes how amazing progress these young people have made, how well they have developed their competences. They gained experience, gained more self-confidence and opened up to other people. I am convinced that all of them will receive certificates confirming the development of social competences, which they applied for while implementing projects. – says project coordinator Martyna Czarnobaj-Borowska.

However, competence and career are not everything

However, certificates are not the most important goals of participants and organizers of mentoring projects. According to Natalia, one of the participants of the Career Accelerator program, the evolution they have undergone during the program has allowed them to look at their competences and life plans in a completely different way: We remember that day when, full of stress and uncertainty, we entered one of the buildings of Olivia Business Centre for the first time and we did not know how to operate the elevator because we had to use an access card. Little, lost girls for the first time in the big corporate world. The Career Accelerator exceeded our wildest expectations, as it gave us much more than just the development of social competences. The whole workshop part, the trainers, the level of organization and care for us, the participant is one big cosmos! Another Accelerator participant, Adrianna, speaks in a similar vein: “It was an amazing adventure that will definitely stay in my heart for the rest of my life. The skills we have gained have simply become a part of me and will be useful in my further development. I’ve met a lot of wonderful people for whom I’m very grateful. For the fact that everyone gives as much as they can and contributed to the project. I will have fond memories of this whole period of the project

When analysing the effects of programmes, mentors assess their goals from a slightly different perspective. For them, the most important thing is the values and the more long-term benefits that the participants derive from them: We have at least 2 layers of understanding of the term “success” here . – says Maciej Kamiński. On the one hand, it will be the choice of one’s life path, perhaps the direction of study, the improvement of personal effectiveness and discipline on the way to achieving the planned goals. But there is also a deeper layer to this issue. Young people, through confrontation with mature adults, have an undeniable opportunity to look at life from a broader perspective, to think about what will really determine their happiness in life. Are you climbing the career ladder? Or maybe strengthening deep family relationships? Participants of the meetings often answer the question whether the concept of “success” defined by the current society is what they really want. And in this regard, I have in my mind a few examples of young teenagers who, as a result of contact with The Grade, have reoriented their goals. They went in a direction more in line with their natural talents, dreams, and not necessarily the expectations and pressures of the environment. And that’s a real reason to be proud!

There are certainly hundreds of mentoring programs across the country. The effects of those conducted in the environment associated with Olivia Business Centre indicate that young people should not be afraid to look for opportunities for themselves in the environment of modern companies and office buildings. Just surfing the websites of business centers and researching opportunities, social programs or other support initiatives can be an inspiring activity, and maybe even the beginning of a new life path.