Marcin Zaleski
Poland
UWCAD (1987 - 1989)
“I think that for me, the prospect of coming to UWC was in a way doubly exciting – Poland was a pretty “closed society” at that time and I was not only looking forward to meeting young people from so many different countries, but also to being in Italy – a country that was so different from my own – a democracy with a free market economy.”
Marcin was born in 1970 in a small town in the eastern part of Poland, were he completed primary school and two years of secondary school before coming to the United World College in Duino. With opportunities for travel abroad being limited in the 80’s Poland, his coming to Duino was the first trip he took to Western Europe.
One of the aspects that Marcin enjoyed most in the College was the ability to confront different views and opinions in an open and rational manner.
“By living and studying in the College we were all immersed in diversity – diversity of political and religious views, diversity of historical and philosophical viewpoints, backgrounds and cultures. The ability to embrace this diversity was one of the first essential “survival” skills in the College. It had been almost impossible to question a teacher’s view in Poland back then – it was a norm in the College. I was also surprised at how open students were about their political views and religious believes (or lack of thereof) – and this was not a cause of conflict but rather an incentive for learning and discovery – through open discussions. One of the striking things about the College is that something is always being discussed, talked about, debated – not just inside a classroom but on the way to lunch, in a residence hall, in a privacy of one’s room.”
Marcin returned back to Poland and commenced studying English at the University of Warsaw. He obtained his M.A in English in 1994 and started teaching at the first International Baccalaureate school in Poland – in Gdynia on the Baltic Sea. Marcin taught English literature and English as a foreign language in the IB program as well as philosophy and Theory of Knowledge.
“Teaching in the IB felt a bit like being in the College classroom again – but this time I could experience it from the position of a teacher. IB is academically rigorous but it offers a lot of freedom to a teacher. Being able to look at the IB from a different perspective made me realize that UWC would not the same without this unique program.”
In 1994 Marcin participated in a workshop for teachers from Central and Eastern Europe organized by the Open Society Institute in Budapest. The focus of the workshop was debate – as a methodology of developing students’ critical thinking and communication skills as well as a teaching tool in civic education.
“I liked the methodology – it reminded me so much of my experiences of debates and discussions in the College. As a teacher, I felt that by using debate in my classroom, I would give similar experience to my students.
In 1996 Marcin became the coordinator of the Polish Debate Program operated by the Polish Open Society Foundation. Marcin trained over 200 Polish teachers in debate, wrote a book on debates at schools and organized a number of events for students and teachers.
In 1997 Marcin started training teachers and youth internationally and in 1999 he was elected President of the International Debate Education Association (IDEA) – a spin-off of the Open Society Institute Debate Program. Marcin is now the Executive Director of IDEA – an organization whose mission is to promote democracy and mutual understanding by supporting debate and discussion.
Working for IDEA, Marcin has conducted trainings in debate for educators and youth in over 40 countries: Central and Eastern Europe, Central Asia, South East Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
“I do not think I would be doing my job now if it had not been for the UWC. It gave me good education and opened a lot of doors for me – but more importantly – it instilled in me this insatiable curiosity and desire to meet new people and visit new places. When I see young people involved in debate programs in their schools and communities across the world – sometimes in countries where it is dangerous to openly discuss and debate certain issues, I see my friends and fellow students from the College. I hope that what I do, gives them some of that incredible experience I had been privileged to have in my youth.”
