Mission & Who We Are

The Friendship Art Education Foundation was founded in 2020 by seasoned NGO professionals.

We believe that children and youth thrive best in an environment that blends creativity, dialogue, and real responsibility. Our initiatives create spaces where young people can experiment, master intercultural teamwork, understand themselves and others, and build essential social-emotional skills.

Through art, education, and civic engagement, we empower them to make decisions, shape community projects, and build societies rooted in respect, empathy, and environmental care. The Foundation operates in a spirit of participation, openness, and inclusion, building bridges across generations, cultures, and communities.

Core Values

Friendship

We combine professional work with deep, meaningful relationships. We act with care and friendship toward nature (inter-species connection) and toward children and youth (intergenerational bonding).

Art

We create beauty that heals, empowers, and protects. Various artistic forms—including theater, dance, film, music, and visual arts—serve as our primary tools for impact.

Education

We share knowledge and experience by prioritizing the journey while patiently achieving the results. We use proven educational frameworks, such as peer-to-peer and intercultural learning.

Executive Board

Iwona Frydryszak

Foundation President, cultural manager, journalist, and educator. She co-created the Brave Kids project from 2011 to 2021. As a project coordinator for development and humanitarian aid (PAH, PIN), she has lived and worked in countries including Georgia, Tanzania, and Russia.

Mary Sadowska-Łakomy

Foundation Vice President, psychologist, educator, and trainer. She is an experienced producer and director of youth theater productions, including Brave Kids (2015–2019), and co-created the largest open-air events for the European Capital of Culture Wroclaw 2016.

Michał Patyna

Foundation Vice President and Logistics & Administrative Director for the Lelenfant project. He is also a teacher at the 14th High School in Wroclaw and the Lower Silesian Montessori Education Center. If you have a problem that won’t solve itself—call Michał!

Ewa Sawka

Board Member at the Friendship Art Education Foundation. She is a social and educational project coordinator and a global education educator. She holds certified qualifications as a youth camp director and counselor. A physiotherapist by training, she is also a certified nature connection facilitator.

Co-workers

Magdalena Młodzianowska

Since 2020, she has co-founded the Made in Brochów Foundation, managing finance, partnerships, and community building. She has been with the Lower Silesian Song and Dance Ensemble "Wrocław" since 2018 and has taught methodology at PSAK "SKiBA" since 2022. For the Lelenfant project, she served as volunteer coordinator (2023) and currently works as the producer and choreographer for the Polish group (2026).

Beata Trybusz

An executive producer and coordinator with a background in pedagogy (University of Warsaw). She has been with the Brave Kids and Lelenfant projects since 2019, building her expertise within international private equity and retail corporations. At the Foundation, she manages project coordination, production, promotion, youth education, and community engagement.

Anna Sieradzka

Beata Lech-Kubańska

Theater & film actress | Graduate of PWST Wrocław. Co-founder and Artistic Director of the KAMBAK Theater and Foundation, she has collaborated with the Arka and Ad Spectatores theaters. With years of experience running drama workshops for youth and people with disabilities, she successfully uses art in social and therapeutic projects to empower marginalized communities.

Julita Lech-Antas

A musician, Polish philologist (Pedagogical University of Krakow), and natural therapist (SEE Wrocław). She is a certified sound massage therapist (Peter Hess method) and an internationally accredited Gong Master (CMA, IAOTH, IGCT). She regularly composes, plays ethnic instruments, and leads sound relaxation sessions. Her work blends a deep passion for music therapy, nature, youth development, and communication.

Hanna Daniszewska

An actress, puppeteer, and performer, she graduated from the Aleksander Zelwerowicz National Academy of Dramatic Art in Warsaw (Puppetry Art Branch in Białystok). After performing for six years at the Puppentheater Zwickau in Germany, she now collaborates with Italy’s Astragali Teatro. She brings global experience in youth theater education across Germany and Israel, alongside specialized work with neurodivergent children. Based in Wrocław, she focuses on her own artistic creation and co-creates the "Lelenfant" and "Flying Hub" projects.

Ditte Berkeley

An actress and co-creator of Teatr ZAR, she graduated from the Rose Bruford College in London. Born in Denmark and raised in Spain, she has dedicated years to voice research. She has performed in major Teatr ZAR productions and managed international festivals at the Grotowski Institute. Having collaborated with Studio Matejka, she currently runs her own signature artistic workshops across Poland and abroad.

Aniela Astrid Gabryel

A director and screenwriter, she holds a PhD with honors from the Lodz Film School and graduated from Jagiellonian University. Winner of the Minister of Culture Award, her award-winning documentaries and feature films (including When the Wind Stops, Radical Move) have triumphed at IDFA, Vienna, and Krakow film festivals. She also creates commercials, music videos, and theater recordings, serves on festival juries, and explores experimental film narratives.

Samuel Alty

A New Zealand musician, singer, actor, educator, and multi-instrumentalist. A graduate of Dartington College of Arts (UK) and acting studies at the Song of the Goat Theatre, his diverse career spans performances at the Royal Opera House, youth theaters, and international circus projects. Since 2013, he has taught children using his signature methodology, while composing surreal folk-pop music and releasing independent albums.

Sylwia Sałamaj

A philologist (University of Wrocław), choreographer, stage director, folk dance instructor, and certified dance therapist. She is the founder of the "Kopalnia Folkloru" International Folklore Festival and the former artistic coordinator of ZPiT "Wałbrzych." Her work seamlessly blends cultural education, social integration, and her own signature music and handicraft projects.

Partners

Barbara Szymczak

A visual artist and set designer, she designs spaces for puppet theaters, television, and film.

Filip Basara

Photographer, Visual Storyteller

Reports

Friendship Art Education Foundation Workplace Standards, including Child Safeguarding Policies

Acting on the basis of Art. 22b of the Act of May 13, 2016, on Counteracting Sexual Offense Threats and Child Safeguarding (consolidated text: Journal of Laws of 2023, item 1304) and Art. 7, item 6 of the Act of July 28, 2023, amending the Family and Guardianship Code Act and certain other acts (Journal of Laws of 2023, item 1606), we hereby introduce additional child safeguarding rules within the Friendship Art Education Foundation. Pursuant to the Foundation Board Resolution dated August 1, 2024, the active policy document regarding child safeguarding and workplace standards—originally titled "Standards for Child Rights Protection; Protection Against Slavery, Human Trafficking, Equal Opportunity, Ethical Work in Projects Involving Children; Personal Data Protection Standards (GDPR); Accessibility Standards for Individuals with Special Needs"—is unified under the single title: "Friendship Art Education Foundation Workplace Standards, including Child Safeguarding Policies."

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