We would like to invite you to the award ceremony in the Olivia Prize competition! For the fourth time, we will award the projects of employees and companies from Olivia Centre. The special guest of the event will be prof. Marcin Piatkowski. Registration required.
Agenda of the meeting
18:00 Opening
18:00-18:10 Welcoming guests
18:10-19:10 Lecture by prof. Marcin Piatkowski’s “Polish Golden Age”
19:10-20:00 Olivia Prize Awards Ceremony
20:00-21:00 Closing / cocktail
Lecture by prof. Marcin Piatkowski’s “Polish Golden Age”
Marcin Piatkowski
Professor at Kozminski University in Warsaw and leading economist at the World Bank in Washington. Previously, he was a visiting economist at Harvard University, chief economist at PKO BP, economist at the European Department and advisor to the executive director at the International Monetary Fund in Washington. Former advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of the Republic of Poland. Author of several dozen scientific publications, lecturer at leading universities in the world and active commentator on economic events in the Polish and world media.
Author of the book “Europe’s Growth Champion. Insights from the Economic Rise of Poland.”, also published in Poland, where in 2019 it received the award of the Polish Academy of Sciences for the best book on economics, and in 2020 it won the first place in the Economicus competition of “Dziennik Gazeta Prawna” for the best book promoting economic knowledge.
“The Golden Age. How did Poland become a European leader in growth and what does the future hold for it?”
Why are some countries rich and others poor?
Why are some able to get out of economic backwardness, while others are stuck in poverty?
The author provides answers to these questions on the example of Polish and its unprecedented economic success after 1989, when we achieved the fastest growth rate in Europe and one of the fastest in the world. As a result, in just one generation, Poland joined a small group of high-income countries and entered its economic golden age. It also analyses the causes of the earlier centuries-long backwardness of the state and emphasizes the key role of inclusive institutions, culture, ideas and individuality as sources of Polish success. In addition, it points to threats to further development and proposes a new growth model that would allow Poland to catch up with the West for the first time in history.
Olivia Prize Awards Ceremony
The Olivia Prize is awarded in four categories:
Olivia Business – for an economic or business project, carried out individually or in teams by Olivia Centre Residents.
Olivia Pro Bono – for a social project, carried out individually or in teams by the Residents of Olivia Centre.
Olivia Eco – for an ecological project, carried out individually or in teams by Olivia Centre Residents.
Olivia Impact – for the project that in 2023 had the greatest positive impact on the environment, in the business, social or ecological area. This special prize is awarded at the Jury’s choice from among all submitted initiatives.
The winners will receive vouchers and statuettes prepared by the Prof. Tomasz Sobisz.
Prof. Academy of Fine Arts dr hab. Tomasz Sobisz
He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk in 1998. Habilitated doctor, works at his alma mater at the Faculty of Sculpture and Intermedia. Currently, he is the Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Sculpture and Intermedia. His sculptural output has been honoured with many prestigious awards, including the award of the Minister of Culture and Art, the award of the Mayor of Gdańsk in the field of culture, the award of the Rector of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk, and the award at the First Triennial of Pomeranian Art. In 2012 he received the PRO PATRIA Medal, and in 2014 he was awarded the Skra Ormuzdowa and the Medal of the Senate of the Republic of Poland. He has presented his sculptural achievements at many exhibitions, including at the Centre of Polish Sculpture in Orońsko (2011) and in Gdańsk at individual exhibitions: MEMORANDUM, STABILE (Gdańsk City Gallery, 2012) and BATTLEFIELD (State Gallery of Art in Sopot, 2015).
Do you remember Alicja, a 7th grade student of Primary School No. 23 in Gdańsk Oliwa? Ala submitted to the Oliwa Neighbourhood Budget (a project under which we support initiatives of the inhabitants of our district, Gdańsk-Oliwa) the idea of carrying out crochet workshops. And she received funding for them! And here it is!
Crochet workshops will be held in the Oliwa Library from January 29 to February 1 from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
We invite children from 10 years of age and adults, you don’t need to know how to crochet.
All materials will be available on site.
The number of places is limited to 15 people per group.
The workshop will be led by none other than Alicja Jankowska. Applications to the following email address:alajankowska5@wp.pl
“I really like crochet and I’ve been making hats, socks and mascots with this method for about a year ,” Alicja Jankowska told us when receiving the award. – It’s an incredible satisfaction for me to see the joy that my work brings to the people I prepare it for. Crocheting allows me to spend time creatively, relaxes, develops manual skills and gives me a lot of joy, so I want to share my passion with others.
Interestingly, this is not the first project submitted by such a young person. Alicja also ran in the Gdańsk Civic Budget; She submitted the preparation of an ecological mural. The girl shows entrepreneurship on a daily basis, successfully selling her own crochet products.
The Oliwa Neighbourhood Budget (OBS) is an initiative to support projects important to the residents of the district. Since 2019, residents, educational institutions and public benefit organizations have been submitting their initiatives to develop Oliwa, the district where the Olivia Centre is located. The budget was established on the initiative of the largest business centre in Poland, but its budget also includes Andrzej Stelmasiewicz , a Gdańsk councillor and local cultural animator. Previous editions of the neighbourhood budget have made it possible to co-finance projects with a total value of over PLN 65,000. More about the winners of OBS 2023.
It was a great time with you! On 14 December, in the lobby of Olivia Star, the Charity and Christmas Variety Market was held once again. It was visited not only by fans of handicrafts and unusual Christmas gifts, but also by those looking for a moment of respite with fantastic live music performed by Wiktoria Gorczyca and gourmets, such as lovers of classic borscht with dumplings.
During the event, you could buy amazing things from Tri-City artists and craftsmen, as well as from talented charges of foundations or associations. Thank you for visiting the stands of the RC Foundation, the ZEROBAN Social Cooperative , the Lena Grochowska Foundation and the Navel of the World Foundation .
The event was a charity event. The entire amount collected from the Exhibitors will be donated to the treatment of the wife of our colleague from O4 Coworking. In addition, O4 Coworking ran a fundraiser among people visiting the market! There is also a special piggy bank where you can make a donation to help Ula. Every who donates PLN 50 or more will receive an O4 calendar for 2024! The action is still ongoing!
On December 18, 2023, at the 34. On the first floor in Olivia Star, a special ceremony took place – the Maltese Wafer, which is the 22nd anniversary of the Maltese Christmas Wafer. edition of this Christmas meeting, for the 3rd time. organized in Gdańsk on the top floors of Olivia. The event was attended by two hundred invited guests, who had the opportunity not only to enjoy an exquisite dinner, but also to admire the picturesque views. The organization of this unique wafer was an initiative of the Association of Polish Knights of Malta.
The participants were greeted with a word and blessing by Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda, Metropolitan of Gdańsk. In his speech, he pointed out that this meeting is of particular importance in difficult times, and such events bring something positive to life. The President of the Association of Polish Knights of Malta, Jacek Tarnowski, emphasized that the Maltese wafer is to be unique and luxurious in order to bring joy to people whose lives are often difficult and the sun rarely peeks into their homes.
The campaign focuses on inviting lonely seniors and families in need to a Christmas dinner, where each guest receives a gift from Santa Claus. One of its important elements is taking care of a unique atmosphere. For many of the guests, it was not only a Christmas meeting, but also a chance to admire the beautiful views from the 34. Olivia Star floors. Families with children, the elderly, lonely people and people with disabilities sat at the Christmas table in Olivia. On the table there were traditional Christmas dishes, which were served to the participants of the event to the sounds of Christmas carols. It was a nice time, filled with conversations, celebration, socially integrating.
The Maltese Wafer is a nationwide charity campaign that aims to support poor families, lonely people, and those who need help. The activities are organized by the Association of Polish Knights of Malta in cooperation with Municipal Social Welfare Centres. In this year’s edition, it was planned to give gifts to about 3500 people in various locations in Poland, Ukraine and England.
The honorary patrons of this festive meeting were the President of the Association of Polish Knights of Malta Jacek Tarnowski, the Ambassador of the Order of Malta to Poland Niels Carl Alexander Lorijn and His Excellency Bishop Tadeusz Wojda. The Maltese Wafer takes place thanks to the generosity of donors, sponsors and the commitment of volunteers. The partner of the place was Olivia Centre.
Such fantastic news! 14 teams took part in the charity volleyball tournament “JUMP HIGH FOR SANTA CLAUS!”, which was brilliantly organized by volunteers from Bayer. Olivia was represented by Bayer Externals, EPAM Poland, Bayer Global Business Services Gdansk, Olivia Centre, PwC, Sii Poland! To the Hospice im. Ks. Dutkiewicz in Gdańsk received 15,950 zlotys!
As Agata Lewandowska from Bayer, who coordinated the whole event, says: “The amount from the entry fee for the participation of companies in the charity tournament is as much as PLN 14,000. But that’s not all! During the match, there was a lottery and auction to which m.in. Trefl Gdańsk joined, donating, for example, a T-shirt with Mariusz Wlazlo’s number and his signature, a puzzle with the image and autograph of this player, and 4 vouchers exchangeable for tickets for a match with the three-time winner of the Volleyball Champions League – Grupa Azoty ZAKSA Kędzierzyn-Koźle. The total amount obtained from this game is 1950 PLN. In the end, we collected PLN 15,950. The whole was donated to the Hospice Foundation in Gdańsk. The tournament was also attended by children from the Foundation, who lively commented on the matches and cheered on the teams. Thank you all very much, because without you it would not have been possible.”
On the podium were:
1st place: Bayer Externals
2nd place: Lufthansa Systems
Location 3: DNV
Here are all the teams of the tournament (in no particular order): JIT Team, HLAG, Oddyssey Logistics, Kemira, DNV, LSEG, Volue, Sii, EPAM, Lufthansa Systems, PwC, Olivia Centre and two Bayer teams: GBS Bayer Gdańsk and Bayer Externals.
THANK YOU!
Once again, we have proven that only together can we do more!
Fig. Players’ own materials, for which we thank you very much!
It was an event full of emotions, good emotions and great hits. The concert “Fifth ROCK of the Olivia Centre Choir” took place on December 6 on the 34th floor of Olivia Star and filled the hall to the brim, gathering an audience of over three hundred people. Once again, it turned out how special Olivia’s venture is.
During the pandemic, nearly 80% of choirs in Poland were forced to suspend their activities, and after the pandemic, only a handful of them continue their activities. Against many odds, the Olivia Centre choir not only endures, but also develops perfectly, contributing to the strengthening of the Oliwa community. The project, created in a business environment, which brings together busy and burdened with numerous responsibilities employees of corporations on a daily basis, is a unique undertaking, proving that passion can connect people and be something much more than just a space for them to develop their vocal talent.
The Olivia Centre Choir is one of the most active clubs for developing passions in Olivia. It is part of a project that has been implemented for years to create an active, strong community in Olivia, which is manifested in the functioning of a number of teams focused on the various interests of the employees of this largest business center in Poland. For years, there have been clubs of enthusiasts of photography, football, volleyball, mountain biking, cross-country running, plant lovers or singing together in the form of the Olivia Centre choir. These clubs have repeatedly shown how important a role they play in the local community, uniting their forces for important projects. During the pandemic, the people in them have completed m.in. collection of computers for children during remote learning, collection and distribution of Christmas gifts for the sick and needy and those in isolation, as well as collection of equipment and food for Ukrainians after Russia’s aggression against their country. At the same time, the choir is the most active project, which this year celebrates its 5th anniversary.
The conductor and manager of the choir is Wiktoria Pagieła, a native of Zhytomyr. It is her energy and persistence that make the project develop, bringing together people from over 20 companies from the Olivia Centre. As she emphasizes, the challenges she faces go far beyond what could be superficially called a club for developing her own passion.
– A conductor should have managerial competence to be able to developthe ensemblenot only in terms of music, but also in terms of Artistic. Luckily,I’mstill succeeding when we’ve been continuously developing our business for 5 years. During the pandemic, they masteredśwe piecesę rehearsals via the Internet, it will be possible toTAbout Us SIę even recordsć music video and releaseć The firstą pTYtęand we are currently preparing forę to our first commercial gig that will beęGoing onę in the Oliwa Town Hall of Culture. -Tells Wiktoria Pagieła.
Fig. Maciej Roszkowski
As he emphasizes, leading a choir means working on personalities that are as different as the voices are, but which nevertheless create harmonious sounds in the choir.
– To me, it’s importantżindividual contact with each other is notżSmoke from CZTonics of our teamTu whenż This is aęI manage to do itę constructionć TakesTe relationships and maintainsć TeamT Even during such difficult periods as they have gone throughśwe together, like the pandemic or the rise inśremote work. We like to siAs a ensemble, and this is the most importantthing for the development of the choir and our potential,” adds the conductor.
Fig. Maciej Roszkowski
A choir in the center of the business attracts people to the office
The non-musical role of the choir is noticed by many of its members. Marta Moksa, a choir member and director of the O4 coworking space, emphasizes that the mission of the choir for each of its members is much more than just a meeting of music lovers.
– Olivia’s choir is a classic exampleTad this, że reallyę Not all that is in żin life and in business we do, must haveć in advance forTaboutżpurpose, or a quantifiable indicator of theźNiki. And at the same timeThat the key in lifearethe people with whomyou start to do something. How do youfull of energy, commitmentand passion, then suddenly there isa Wonders. At the beginning of theItwas supposedto bejust an ordinaryhobbyIn the case of the Scottish Government, the Netherlands But how do youIf 10,000 people gather in one place, you canalready gather fortygreat amateur musicians with a big heart for the world.singing! For me, it’s aIt wasnot a great specificity (concerts, albums, awards, competitions) and at the same timeasymbol of the role that Olivia wants and fulfillsin the lives of many people from the Tri-City – says Marta Moksa.
Ewa Bućko , a senior accountant from Lyreco, joined the choir during the pandemic. Her adventure began completely by accident when, while in the office during the lockdown, she came across information about the recruitment and applied for an audition. Since then, the choir has become a place that not only gives her the opportunity to fulfill her artistic passions, but also provides a stimulus to come to the office: Fact że rehearsals shall take placeą Się inTaśin my workplace, motivates me a lotT On top of that, żso that on this particular day I would beTand in the office. KnowI alsosaidthatI had to plan my tasks in such a waythat I would be able to on a timed rehearsal. I’m very happy that my wholeteamin the company is very supportive of my artistic aspirations and cheers me on to make mydreams come true . ViewerThere are alsoa lot of events in Olivia that are supposedto attract people to the office. People chTheytakeadvantage of such oppor tunitiesand attractions, and I am the best example of this.
Wiktoria Pagieła also confirms that during the 5 years of the choir’s activity, it began to play a much more important role in the lives of musicians than just the one related to rehearsals and concerts: Our choir is a group of 40 people, representingvery differentworldsEnvironments. CzMost of them have been singing in the choir sinceits inception, and therefore already 5 years. ZawiąbehindTY się in it alreadyż Friendshipźno, meTaboutśToday,ęwhy the choir is not only our passion, but alsożE spoTEcznoT h e, which meetsę on the commonśkaraoke, cinema or other social gatherings. After so many years, the choir is alreadyThat’s our musical family.
Michał Krzepkowski, a manager from Epam Systems, a company with offices in Olivia, does not hide his satisfaction from participating in such a unique undertaking and the non-musical benefits: To my knowledge, there is no other initiative like this in the world. Certainly, it is something very unique and at first glance it is difficult to find a connection with everyday managerial duties. However, if we take a closer look, the work of a choir is also a group work, where everyone is different – if we compare it to our corporations, it is a much bigger challenge – if only because it is a larger team than those that managers deal with on a daily basis. Choir is a team effort – that is, if we want to achieve something, we should do it together. Choir is also about learning to listen to each other, it’s about working on communication, about looking for your strengths and weaknesses, it’s about supporting each other when you’re doing great, but also when there are days when everything sucks. For me personally, the choir gives a better perspective on the team, on how to work together to become better, how to overcome difficulties that will arise and how to improve communication.
In a period of dynamic changes in the labour market and the evolution of the office work model towards hybrid solutions, managers are developing numerous solutions to motivate employees to return to the office. Olivia Centre, among other things, through the activities of such passion development clubs as the choir, shows that with an interesting employee integration policy, the hybrid model does not have to be the dominant variant at all. According to extensive research conducted by Olivia, the number of employees coming to the office increases significantly on days when the center organizes events for employees of companies operating in its area.
Samuel Steinborn
Dominika Rossa
Paweł Neumann
Fig. Maciej Roszkowski
A few more words about the concert…
The guests certainly let themselves be carried away by the wave of energy, singing and rock sound. Not only was it a great time, but everyone who bought a ticket for the jubilee concert contributed to the charitable goal of the event. The Choir decided to allocate part of the proceeds from the tickets to scholarships for students of the Secondary Music School. Feliks Nowowiejski in Gdansk. Young artists, Antonina Zawada from class III, accompanied by her father, Paweł Zawada and Józef Wesołowski from class VII presented themselves excellently to the general public during the event.
Fig. Maciej Roszkowski
As the title of the concert suggests, “Olivia Centre’s Fifth ROCK”, guests could hear world rock hits arranged for choir, such as Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, U2’s “With or Without You”, and Queen’s “We Will Rock You”.
Soloists: Dominika Rossa, Paweł Neumann, Samuel Steinborn.
The Olivia Centre Choir was also accompanied by Felipe Alvarado (saxophone, classical guitar) and a band consisting of Marcin Twardowski – piano; Olaf Shchelushchenko – guitar; Krzysztof Hnatiuk – bass; Tomasz Hoffman – drums.
Olivia Centre Choir conducted by Wiktoria Pagieła
Dorota Bednarczyk, Alicja Błażejewska, Patrycja Buczkowska, Ewa Bućko, Samuel Conejo Amaguana, Krzysztof Dolański, Julia Fedosova, Michał Krzepkowski, Idmal Kwidzińska, Bożena Lehmann, Karolina Lewandowska, Marta Moksa, Yulia Myroshnychenko, Paweł Neuman, Magdalena Odrowąż-Piramowicz, Małgorzata Olszewska, Izabela Paluch, Katarzyna Piętka, Radosław Piętka, Hamish Potts, Katarzyna Roskosz, Dominika Rossa, Aleksandra Rylska, Olha Shatkovskaya, Joanna Sienkiewicz, Małgorzata Sitko, Adrianna Stajewska, Samuel Steinborn, Anna Szczołek, Maria Szkatulska, Karolina Tetlak, Bartosz Walaszek, Anna Walaszek, Sylwia Witberg, Remigiusz Wojciechowski, Dominika Ziobro
We cordially invite you on December 14, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., to the Charity and Christmas Variety Market in Olivia. As every year, you will be able to buy amazing things from Tri-City artists and craftsmen, as well as from talented charges of foundations and associations (such pre-Christmas helping is our olive tradition).
You don’t have to go to the center of Gdańsk to feel the atmosphere of the Christmas Market. All fans of handicrafts and unique trinkets, as well as those who simply like to help, will surely be satisfied with our Christmas market.
What’s ahead? Three trade fair zones and a performance by Wiktoria Gorczyca.
Non/meat – delicacies from a bistro with two faces – vegetarian and meat
Easy Cheesy – occasional catering, sweet and persistent treats
Charity Zone
Visit the stalls with handicrafts made by the charges of associations and foundations. And don’t forget about the O4 Coworking fundraiser . Take a look at the special stand of O4 Coworking – accepting payment confirmations and prizes for people supporting Ula (details below)
dOBRY dEALFoundation and with it ZEROBAN – backpacks, fanny packs, bags and toiletry bags
Lena Grochowska Foundation with ceramics
Navelof the World and handmade candles
Food court
Try festive, Polish delicacies from Natka Bistro, Easy Cheesy and Nie/mięsny! There will be no shortage of borscht and dumplings.
Live music, performance by Wiktoria Gorczyca
You will relax during a break at work, listening to vocalist Wiktoria Gorczyca and Christmas hits such as: Last Christmas, Let It Snow, Jingle Bells.
Wiktoria Gorczyca is a versatile vocalist with a dark timbre, a strong voice and a natural jazz feeling. She began her musical adventure in her childhood. She is inspired by the freedom in jazz music, which is in line with her nature. In 2017 she completed a course in vocal and conducting jazz bands at a seminar in Maastricht, the Netherlands. Over the next few years, she took part in numerous projects and music workshops. She performed with the accompaniment of the guitar in popular places in the Tri-City, singing various songs, giving them her own individual style. The next important step in her development was a trip to the United States, where she worked on her solo material and played, among others, in South Lake Tahoe, Los Angeles and Memphis. Her American adventure and numerous performances gave her confidence and contributed to the creation of new songs that helped her set her sights on a new solo album.
YOU BUY = HELP!
The event is a charity event. What does that mean?
First of all, the amount collected from the Exhibitors will be donated to the treatment of the wife of a colleague from O4 Coworking
Secondly, in addition, O4 Coworking will conduct a fundraiser among people visiting the market. You can help too! How?
A special piggy bank has been created, where you can make a donation:
Among those who come to the O4 Coworking stand with a payment confirmation, O4 will draw 5 unique gifts from exhibitors. The minimum deposit amount is PLN 10.
The 12th season of the Olivia Football League is underway. This time, 12 teams are fighting for the cup and fame. Who will win gold, silver, bronze? What will be the record for goals in a single match? Who will score the most goals in the regular season? Check out the current results!All matches are conducted by a team of referees selected by the Pomeranian Football Association.
Once again, a team of daredevils from Bayer organizes a charity volleyball tournament “JUMP HIGH FOR SANTA CLAUS!”. When? Of course, in the vicinity of Mikołajki, because that’s when the “for Santa Claus” net is played best. Anyone can take part in the tournament! Gather your team, let Agata know, who is in charge of everything, have a great time, and multiply the good at the same time! The entry fee (the whole one!) goes to children under the care of the Hospice Foundation! More details in the terms and conditions, and in the meantime, what should you know today?
When do we play? December 9 from 11:00 a.m. to… (it all depends on the number of teams)
Where do we play? At the Academic Sports Centre of the Gdańsk University of Technology (12 Zwycięstwa Avenue, Gdańsk)
Who do we play for? The collected funds will be donated to sick children from the Father Dutkiewicz Hospice in Gdańsk to ensure that the children have a peaceful Christmas with a dream gift under the Christmas tree as much as we can
What do we promise? Action-packed matches, hilarious moments, and maybe even the surprise appearance of Santa Claus himself!
Mark your calendars: DECEMBER 9.
GATHER YOUR TEAM AND REPORT TO AGATHA! YOU HAVE TIME UNTIL DECEMBER 7TH! MAIL: AGATA.LEWANDOWSKA@BAYER.COM
A small excerpt from the regulations will be useful, the full version of which you can find byCLICKING HERE.
Participants of the tournament form teams representing their companies/organizations.
The team consists of 6 players on the field and 6 substitutes.
Each team must appoint a captain.
The tournament will be played according to the official rules of volleyball, with some possible modifications that will be announced before the start of the tournament.
The registration fee is PLN 1000 net per team.
Registration of teams or players takes place by sending an e-mail to the organizers and paying the registration fee to the Hospice’s account.
The first edition of the Oliwa Neighbourhood Budget has come to an end. During Thursday’s meeting of the Jury, the winning projects were selected and received funding from Olivia. They were announced during this year’s celebration of the district, Viva Oliwa.
The highest number of votes was received by the ” Library +” project, submitted by a group of parents from Oliwa. As part of the project, a children’s section will be created in the Oliwa Library, which is to encourage the youngest inhabitants of the district to visit the facility more often and to encourage them to make friends with books and reading.
Further funding will go to two institutions that will jointly implement the following projects: “ Cultural and Culinary Oliwa “, submitted by the City Initiative Association, and “What is worth seeing in Oliwa – inspiration over coffee”, submitted by the Special School Complex No. 2. These include creating a map of Oliwa with the biggest attractions of the district and places less popular but worth seeing. The map will also include cafes and other catering and service outlets. Thanks to this concept, it will be possible to promote local entrepreneurs widely.
The third co-financed project is “Arte-creation”, submitted by the Association for People with Parkinson’s Disease and Degenerative Brain Diseases and Caregivers: Park On. As part of it, 18 art and ceramic workshops with elements of art therapy will be conducted. They will be dedicated to people who, due to their age or as a consequence of a progressive degenerative brain disease, are at risk of depression, loss of fitness, and a sense of exclusion.
We would like to congratulate the entities that received funding and thank each of the applicants for their participation in the first edition of the Oliwa Neighbourhood Budget.
Marcin Piatkowski 
