Olivia’s conversations: we talk to Bogusław Wieczorek about the Jagiellonian Club and how the subdued and substantive formulation of conclusions and recommendations – whether in the form of debates or scientific and journalistic publications – can lead to a change in the legal, political or economic reality.

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At the beginning of the new year, our thoughts are focused on planning many issues and topics concerning the future, including the constant development of the place where Olivia operates and our entire region – Pomerania. Taking into account the importance of the role of the exchange of thoughts, ideas and experiences for this development, we would like to introduce you to the organizer of cyclical meetings taking place in Olivia Sky Club. The Jagiellonian Club, as it is referred to, undertakes an in-depth analysis of topics important not only for the city of Gdańsk, but also for the emerging Metropolis. By supporting such initiatives, Olivia Business Centre tries to connect people who want to change the environment and recommend areas of active activity for local governments and politicians.

We invite you to read the interview with Bogusław Wieczorek – attorney-at-law at Olivia Business Centre; coordinator of the Jagiellonian Club in Gdańsk and expert of the Club’s Analysis Centre; author of a blog on intellectual property, which has been quoted many times in the media; the initiator of bringing the copyright to “Red Poppies on Monte Cassino” to Polish; Co-author of the report on collecting societies.

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Monika Bogdanowicz (Olivia Business Centre Communication): How and when did your adventure with the Jagiellonian Club begin and what motivated you to undertake such a social activity?

Bogusław Wieczorek: I have been involved in non-governmental initiatives for a long time, especially those related to the development of civil society. This is how I got to know the environment of the Jagiellonian Club – back in the days when its activities were concentrated in Krakow. When the decision was made to open a branch in Gdansk, I was naturally the first contact on the spot. It so happened that I could also devote my time to volunteering, and since the ideas of the Club are close to me, I undertook to coordinate the activities of the branch in the Tri-City.

MB: Is it possible to really change the world around us today by organizing debates on important topics concerning state policy in various thematic areas?

BW: A few days ago, Dr. Krzysztof Mazur, the President of the Jagiellonian Club, published a text entitled “41 reasons to be proud”, summarizing the Club’s activities in the previous year. I think you can think of that as 41 different answers to that question. Among the following points, one can find examples of how the subdued and substantive formulation of conclusions and recommendations – whether in the form of debates or publications of a scientific and journalistic nature – can lead to a change in the legal, political or economic reality. That is our assumption – not just a discussion circle, but concrete conclusions and real actions. The debate is intended to be the starting point.

Of course, a significant part of the Club’s recommendations remain only recommendations, but it is also not the role of the think-tank to implement them, but to express its voice in the discussion. The last word always belongs to the decision-makers. On the other hand, it would be great if the decision was preceded by reading the different opinions and considering each of them. Ideally, it should be done in a transparent way.

_{See the full text by Krzysztof Mazur, PhD: http://www.jagiellonski24.pl/2018/01/07/41-powodow-do-dumy/}

MB: What are the main projects you carry out as an association at the national level?

BW: In addition to the regular publication of expert reports and the already mentioned discussion meetings, the publication of the quarterly magazine “Pressje” and the journalistic portal Jagiellonski24.pl, the implementation of the Academy of Modern Patriotism – a program for secondary school students and the development of an application supporting consumer patriotism in Pola – are certainly of key importance for the Club’s activities. that each of them in its category is an important point of reference.

^{Fig. Bogusław Wieczorek (author: Joanna “Frota” Kurkowska)}

MB: What is the main goal of the Jagiellonian Club in Pomerania and why did you choose Olivia Business Centre as the place of your activity?

BW: One of the topics taken up by the Jagiellonian Club is deglomeration, which in the Polish reality boils down to the “dispersion of Warsaw”. Unfortunately, the lion’s share of politics and media is conducted from the perspective of the capital, which leads to a natural distortion of the image, in which – for example – Jerusalem Avenue, standing in a traffic jam, grows into a nationwide problem. There is only one solution – some of the state institutions must be transferred to other centres, which also have the resources to run them. Technological development has basically abolished the barrier of distance, which in the past could have been used as an argument for gathering state organs in geographically distant places. It works similarly in the case of all other organizations that have the ambition to analyze and describe the reality of the whole Polish, including the Jagiellonian Club. From Gdansk’s perspective, issues related to political and economic relations with Scandinavia or the construction of the Central Port take on an additional dimension. Discussions on these topics were organized by the Jagiellonian Club in Gdańsk – thanks to the hospitality of Olivia Business Centre – so we could also take advantage of an additional perspective, i.e. a beautiful view of the Port and the Bay of Gdańsk, which can be enjoyed from the Olivia Sky Club.

The activity of the branch is obviously an “extension” of the nationwide activity, but it is equally important for us to address local and regional issues. That is why the issues concerning the Tri-City metropolis are important to us – we discussed them from a purely practical side, such as the organization of public transport within its framework, but also from the political and economic side – discussing the possibilities and the need to separate the Gdańsk Metropolis as an independent self-government body. Also from this perspective, the actual presence in the new centre of the metropolis, where the largest investments and science are concentrated, is an added value of our meetings.

MB: Why is it worth participating in the meetings of the Gdańsk branch of the Jagiellonian Club and what benefits can be derived from such participation?

BW: And why is it worth participating in any meetings about the reality that surrounds us? It seems to me that anyone who is interested in politics, understood as caring for the common good, should take the opportunity to express their own opinion and get to know the opinion of others. This is what our meetings are designed to do. The Jagiellonian Club does not get involved in party life. We also try to make our meetings stand out from the emotional and aggressive discourse that dominates the media, directing the discussion to the tracks of objectivity and substance. If someone is close to this way of conducting a conversation, they will certainly find themselves at the events we organize, even if the conservative character of the Jagiellonian Club does not correspond to their worldview.

Of course, we also invite everyone who would like to join the Club’s activities – either as an expert or as an organizer. The cross-section of projects is so large that everyone will find something interesting for themselves, regardless of age and experience.

MB: A new year is always a time of new beginnings and new plans. What are you preparing as part of the Jagiellonian Club meeting programme, what topics will be the subject of analyses and discussions or debates in 2018?

BW: We are opening the year with a “hot” meeting on the digitization of the state and the economy. This week, the current Minister of Digital Affairs Anna Streżyńska lost her position, and at the same time the ministry published the first report on the U.S. digitization of Polish. If we add to this the civilizational trend related to the development of artificial intelligence and try to place Poland in it today, including the aforementioned need for deglomeration, it gets really interesting. This is one of the topics I will be talking about with Natalia Hatalska (author of the hatalska.com and best-selling book “Particles of Attraction” from the infuture hatalska foresight institute; indicated as one of the 50 most influential women in Poland), Dr. Cezary Kościelniak (head of the political cabinet of the Minister of Digital Affairs) and Rafał Kleger-Rudomin (leader of the group Code for Polish – Tricity).

It’s January 11 (Thursday) at 5:00 p.m. at Olivia Sky Club.

Soon after, we will certainly organise a debate on transport, especially the plans for Via Carpatia and its impact on the Gdańsk Metropolis. In the first half of the year, we will also focus on Solidarity and the relevance of its ethos. We will keep you informed about the next meetings on our Facebook page and by e-mail. If you want to be up to date, I encourage you to “like” your FB profile or send me your email to add it to your mailing list.

_{https://www.facebook.com/KJGdansk/}

_{mailto:kontakt@boguslawwieczorek.pl}

Soon, we will also offer – mainly students – participation in expert seminars. Each of them will be devoted to different issues and will be conducted by specialists in their fields. The extraordinary value of the Club is that it brings together people professionally and scientifically dealing with various issues. As a result, the Club’s offer, as an organization, can be really rich in terms of content. And so will the year 2018 of the Jagiellonian Club in Gdańsk.

^{Fig. Jagiellonian Club debate at Olivia Sky Club on the future of the metropolis in Pomerania (author: Joanna “Frota” Kurkowska)}

MB: If your ideas are important to someone, how can you support your organization in its development?

BW: First of all, active action. Feel free to contact me. I also encourage you to actively participate in the events we organize and to express your support for those initiatives with which you identify. Civic life cannot be confined to the ballot box.

Undoubtedly, the independence of funding should be important for every NGO. People interested in the subject are familiar with a disease called “grantosis”, which bothers many NGOs, and which, after settling a grant or a grant for a specific project, can lead to the collapse of the organization. There is only one remedy – regular support of supporters. That is why I encourage you to make payments – even small ones – to the Club’s account number: 32 2130 0004 2001 0404 9144 0004 (title: “donation for statutory purposes”). The time for settling personal income tax is also approaching, I encourage you to consider whether it is worth allocating your 1% to the Jagiellonian Club (KRS: 0000128315).

MB: Thank you for sharing your experience of building an organization that has the ambition to influence our environment and the reality in which we operate.

BW: Feel free to contact me and see you at the meetings and debates in Olivia!

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^{The Jagiellonian Club is a conservative and republican Polish socio-political think tank founded in 1989 in Krakow. The club’s goal is to maintain and spread the republican way of thinking about Poland and the world. The organization was established just after the end of the Round Table Talks and was granted legal personality in 1994. Currently, the Club is a nationwide organization conducting educational, expert, journalistic activities and implementing civic political initiatives. It brings together mainly experts, social activists and publicists of the young generation with republican, ordoliberal and conservative views. In its activities, the Club refers to the heritage of the First Polish Republic and the Second Polish Republic, the “Solidarity” movement as well as Christian thought and philosophy. According to the Preamble to the Statute of the Association, the mission of the Jagiellonian Club is to act for the good and benefit of the Republic of Poland and to multiply the spiritual, intellectual and political heritage of Polish through care for the common good, justice, responsibility, entrepreneurship and respect for tradition and religion. Expert activity within the Centre for Analysis of the Jagiellonian Club is carried out in the spirit of respect for four fundamental values: freedom, property, community and tradition.}