A food-sharing station in Oliwa, photographic portraits of residents marking the 100th anniversary of the district’s incorporation into Gdańsk, intergenerational craft workshops, and another edition of the concert in Oliwa Park. These are the four projects awarded in the 7th edition of the Oliwa Neighborhood Budget. This year’s program pool amounts to PLN 24,000, with prize funding provided by Olivia Centre, Andrzej Stelmasiewicz, and Przemysław Skokowski, a councillor for the Przymorze Małe district.
The awards ceremony took place on October 20 at the Oliwa Culture Town Hall. This year’s winners proposed projects of a very diverse nature, ranging from practical solutions that make food sharing easier to cultural initiatives that highlight the district’s history, encourage community gatherings, and draw attention to important social issues. The ceremony concluded with a lecture titled “Oliwa Park and the Green Surroundings of Oliwa,” delivered by Dr. Habil. Eng. Arch. Katarzyna Rozmarynowska, an architect, urban planner, and researcher of the history of Gdańsk’s gardens, a longtime lecturer at Gdańsk University of Technology, and author of numerous academic publications on the history of urban greenery, including the book “Vanishing Gardens…? From the History of Gdańsk’s Public Green Spaces 1708–1945.”
The Oliwa Neighborhood Budget was established in 2020 on the initiative of Olivia Centre, to support ideas from residents and local organizations working for the benefit of Oliwa and Przymorze Małe. From the very beginning, the project’s partner has been Andrzej Stelmasiewicz, an Oliwa-based entrepreneur, community activist, and cultural animator, founder of the Gdańsk Community Foundation. In 2024, Przemysław Skokowski, an entrepreneur and councillor for the Przymorze Małe district, joined the group of funders. Together with Olivia Centre, they contribute their own funds to carry out neighborhood initiatives. This year, that amount totals PLN 24,000.
Funding may be applied for by non-governmental organizations, foundations, associations, local organizations, as well as residents themselves. Projects are evaluated by a jury made up of representatives from local institutions, community activists, district representatives, and Olivia Centre.
Four funded projects
One of the winners is the Regional Volunteer Centre in Gdańsk, which submitted the project “Food-Sharing Station at RSM Budowlani.” The first small food-sharing station in Gdańsk—a publicly accessible fridge and shelf for food placed inside a building—will be set up in a housing cooperative building at 569 Grunwaldzka Avenue. Anyone will be able to leave surplus, good-quality food there or take products donated by others free of charge. Local entrepreneurs will also be invited to take part in the initiative. The project, coordinated by Karol Krzyczkowski, aims to reduce food waste and serve residents, including the many seniors living in the cooperative’s housing stock. The Regional Volunteer Centre in Gdańsk already has experience running a food-sharing station in Gdańsk’s Orunia district.
“Faces of Oliwa. Stories and Frames” is a project by Daria Balabai, a cultural animator, film director, and founder of the Ukrainian Library in Gdańsk. To mark the 100th anniversary of Oliwa’s incorporation into Gdańsk, a series of resident portraits will be created using traditional photographic techniques, in the style of the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. Those photographed will include both people with generations-long ties to Oliwa and its newer residents, including people with migration backgrounds. The photographs will be accompanied by their personal stories and memories. The project also includes analog photography workshops, an outdoor exhibition, and the creation of a digital archive, which will help preserve residents’ stories for future generations.
Also among the winners is the Park ON Association, which supports people with Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative conditions, as well as their caregivers. The association will organize, for the eighth time, the “Concert in the Park with James P. and a Hat in the Background.” The free event will take place on July 4, 2027, in Oliwa Park. Concerts organized by Park ON have attracted residents and tourists for years, combining music with raising awareness about Parkinson’s disease. They are also an opportunity to thank individuals and institutions that support patients. The organizers place particular emphasis on making the event accessible to those whose health makes it difficult to attend concerts held indoors. It has also become a tradition for the audience to wear hats and fanciful headgear. The concert will be accompanied by a presentation of ceramic works made by association members and the presentation of “Uskrzydlenia” statuettes.
The fourth award-winning project is “Intergenerational Meetings,” submitted by Anna Wesołowska-Owczarska of the informal neighborhood group Pirates Club. Four craft workshops will be held at the “Przy Rynku” library in Przymorze, during which residents of various ages will work together to create jewelry from beads, natural stones, and elements of old ornaments. The project’s initiator hopes to encourage participants not only to creatively reuse recycled materials, but also to talk and share family stories. The workshops will be an opportunity to meet neighbors, develop interests, and spend time without phones or social media.
From Idea to Implementation
In the Oliwa Neighborhood Budget, what matters most are ideas that respond to residents’ needs. This year’s winners propose both new ventures, such as the Food-Sharing Station and Oliwa’s photographic archive, and the continuation of initiatives that already have loyal and engaged participants and audiences.
Seven editions of the program also mean seven years of cooperation between Olivia Centre and residents, social organizations, local entrepreneurs, and district representatives. Thanks to joint funding, projects can be realized that their initiators would otherwise find difficult to finance on their own. And residents of Oliwa and Przymorze Małe gain new places, events, and opportunities for working together.
