Stella Strzemecka
We have repeatedly emphasized the issue of how important it is to care for the preservation of Polish roots. It is especially important to shape appropriate attitudes among children who left Poland with their parents. There are also a number of benefits associated with maturing in two environments - Polish and Norwegian. We talk with Stella Strzemecka about why it is worth cultivating Polish traditions among children and how to prepare for emigration.
Stella Strzemecka - who is she?
Stella Strzemecka is a sociologist, PhD student and researcher at the Jagiellonian University, and a teacher of social studies. He specializes in issues related to family migrations. Affiliated at the Jagiellonian University and the University of Oslo, in 2013-2016, she conducted research on the social adaptation of children of Polish immigrants in Norway. On a daily basis, he cooperates with Polish diaspora schools around the world, as well as migrant families and teaching staff in Poland and abroad. He conducts trainings and workshops, gives lectures and lectures. He is involved in various scientific and educational projects related to family migrations, trying to disseminate their results on the largest possible scale.
Find out more from the website: www.stellastrzemecka.pl >>>
You can read about why it is worth cultivating the traditions and the Polish language among children in an interview by Stella Strzemecka from Radio Wataha.
Michał Nielub: What is worth remembering when raising children in exile? Should Polish culture and language be nurtured?
Stella Strzemecka: In the process of educating children on migration, it is worth remembering to try to give children both "roots" and "wings, bringing them up in respect of their country of origin and residence. The motivation to undertake the important task of cultivating the Polish culture and language during migration should come straight from the heart, so it is not "worth" to cultivate Polishness. If the Polish message is sent to a child from the bottom of our heart, it will certainly turn out to be a unique “gift that will be appreciated and used in adulthood. In the context of supporting parents and other relatives in this task, the role of the Polish diaspora school cannot be overestimated.
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By the way, this autumn the media campaign will begin: Children's Information Campaign - “Who are you? I am pleased to be involved in it as part of the expert council. The Children's Information Campaign for the Maintenance of the Polish Language in Exile is addressed to Poles all over the world (both in the country and abroad). Currently, KID is in the stage of intensive preparations, the first results are coming soon.
Michał Nielub: How is the problem related to identity manifested in children brought up abroad?
Stella Strzemecka: The adaptation process that immigrant children go through in the course of their lives does not happen effortlessly. It requires a lot of work from them. Just like us adults, so also children, in the course of their lives, experience many dilemmas (including linguistic, identity and peer) dilemmas that require them to work through them. Research shows that the awareness of being a child of immigrants raises a number of identity questions. Due to the fact that children are currently in the early stages of the dynamic process of identity construction, it is worth talking to them about who they are (or who they feel). We should not be afraid of family conversations about identification dilemmas, although this is an extremely delicate and extensive issue.
Everyday life is an inexhaustible source of experience, therefore one conversation about identity will not exhaust this issue. We are changing, which is why this is a topic (and also our family mission) for years. It is worth getting to know and understand each other better every day. It's amazing how much we can learn from each other: children from parents, parents from children, children from grandparents, grandparents from children, and so on. Willingness to get to know each other combined with an attitude of openness, curiosity, respect and acceptance can bring incredible results. Provided that they are authentic and systematic. Let us not forget that "family" is our great strength.
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Michal Nielub: There are many cases of families migrating with their children. As a result, they basically grow in two environments - Polish and Norwegian. Are there any benefits associated with this fact?
Stella Strzemecka: Of course, there are a number of potential benefits of growing up in the transnational (Polish-Norwegian) world. Children and young adults with whom I interviewed mentioned their high intercultural competences (including greater openness, mindfulness and empathy towards people and themselves), or the possibility of becoming a bilingual, and thus bicultural person. They grow up to be great Polish-Norwegian ambassadors and adaptive experts because they have gone through it themselves. I learned a lot from my smaller and bigger interlocutors. They showed me their world, for which I am grateful. Migration changed their lives and they changed mine.
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Michał Nielub: The decision to go abroad to find gainful employment is often made when our children are actually teenagers. What is more advantageous for them then - for example, leaving only the father and staying in the country with the mother, or the departure of the whole family?
Stella Strzemecka: It can be different. The decision to migrate internationally is made at different stages of children's development. It all depends on the life situation of a given family. Sometimes a few-year-olds already remembered that their parents lived "there". I know cases in which children from time to time, on a wave of great longing, pack their backpacks because they wanted to visit a parent working in Norway. Others, in turn, impatiently counted down the days to his arrival. Research shows that one of the most valued values for Polish families in Norway in the context of the private sphere is "being together" - regardless of whether it is in Poland or Norway.
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Michał Nielub: A fundamental question that all people who decide to emigrate ask themselves. To go anyway, try to make a life in Poland?
Stella Strzemecka: The decision whether to emigrate or stay in the country should be discussed together, including children in the decision-making process (early enough), so that they can get used to the topic. When planning a migration conversation, it is worth thinking about creating a list of potential emotional and material "gains" / "opportunities" and "losses" / "barriers", and on this basis, after careful consideration, decide. How many families, so many life stories, opportunities, plans, expectations and dreams, and thus the approaches to migration.
Everyone has to answer the question: "To migrate or not to migrate?" in your own circle. If the decision is positive, remember that migration is a turning point in human life. It is a "turbulent transition" for adults, especially children. Migration is a large family project that you should prepare for before leaving. Any, even the smallest, preparations aimed at getting to know the potential country of residence better before departure (related to language, culture or the functioning of the most important institutions) will certainly pay off on migration.
