Poland – Missionary and volunteer animation Warsaw Province schools

01 December 2022

(ANS – Warsaw) – In October and November 2022, the first series of missionary animation meetings took place in the schools of the Warsaw Province (PLE). The meetings are organised in collaboration with the Salesian Mission Centre and led by volunteers Carmen Jayo Torres and Shakurantha Perera, who arrived in Poland a few months ago from the far corners of the world to engage in Salesian volunteering for children and youth. Carmen comes from Peru and Shakurantha from Sri Lanka.

The first school they visited was in Sokołów Podlaski. Carmen and Shaku introduced the students to the geography and culture, language and religion of their countries. They talked about daily life and customs, food and music in Peru and Sri Lanka. Another unusual and interesting meeting was that with the students of the Salesian Music School in Lutomiersk. Much attention was paid to the musical instruments that are most popular in Peru. Carmen performed several pieces on the Samponia, including one of the most popular - 'El Condor pasa'.

At the largest Salesian School complex in the Province, in Lódź, during the lesson, pupils were able to test and improve their knowledge of the Spanish language by listening to Carmen's presentation and asking questions on the topics they were most interested in. There were also meetings with children and young people from the St Dominic Savio Oratory and the St John Bosco Bursa in Łódź.

At schools in Legionowo and Mińsk Mazowiecki, as at previous meetings, pupils had the opportunity to see and try on traditional clothing from different regions of Peru, learn from Shakuranta a few words in his native Sinhala language, find out what religion most of the Sri Lankan people follow and why cricket is so important to them.

Carmen and Shaku also shared with the young people their experience of living and volunteering in Poland.

These fruitful meetings, full of conversations, new impressions and new acquaintances, are carried out as part of the International Meeting House "Without Borders" project, which is funded by the National Institute of Freedom - International Meeting Houses Programme for 2021-2030.

The aim of the meetings is to develop in young people the desire to participate in activities based on volunteering and helping others locally and internationally, and to build a network of School Volunteer Circles in Salesian schools. In this way, participants not only have the opportunity to broaden their horizons of knowledge and practice their foreign languages, especially English, but also receive motivation to cultivate the missionary spirit in the charism of St John Bosco in their establishments.

Pupils, schools, establishments and volunteers are welcome to join. Please send any questions to the following e-mail address This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 

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