Jast-Zdroj, Poland

Regional Status: Outpost (OP)

 Jastrzebie Zdroj is a city of 96.000 people in the south of Poland only 100 km west of Krakow, known for its mining. If you want to make money, you work in the mines with all the risks and smells. Most other jobs pay half as much. The average income today in this region is € 300,- per month yet renting an apartment already costs more than half of that. So, as is so often the case in Central Europe, families live together all in one  house, including the grandparents, a benefit of life we seem to miss more and more in the west.  

A young man named Tomek from the cool (or is it coal) mining town Jastrzebie-Zdroj came to our International Youth Festival in Nitra in 2009. He invited us to come to Poland. The consequent visit to this town and region prompted us to add this region of Poland to our list of priorities to develop an outpost for building ongoing missional youth work. What really sold us on this region were the delicious “frites” his family makes and his mother’s cucumbers. Truly, the best cucumbers of Poland can be found in the little shop next door to their house. We also choose this town because of it being impossible to pronounce the name if you are not Polish. In AB we love a linguistic challenge.

Tomek is the man and we are waiting to see if there are any other Polish daring to join the Bridgebuilders and step out of the comfort zone. Other than Ania, our 2009 EVS-er,that is.

Tomek joined last summer for the Local Impact training weekend for leaders in Kruiningen. This fall he came to the youth leaders training weekend in Liberec, Czech Republic and they hosted a Circuit Riders team in October 2009. Since Nel, Naomi and Freddie have been to Poland as Circuit Riders, the interest in Bridgebuilders has increased and we look forward to their first Bridgebuildes Club starting in the spring of 2010. This summer we expect a group from Jasztrebie Zdroj to come to the International Youth Festival in Hungary. 

Plans to start a Bridgebuilders Club in February 2010.