What does patriotism mean today?
Can patriotism mean different things to different people? Can we feel at home in more than one place? What makes a city or a country start to feel like our own?
We invite people with migration experience to join a series of storytelling workshops at the Museum of Warsaw.
Together, we will explore what patriotism can mean today – through stories about belonging, home, memory, important places and personal values.
There is no single answer to the question of what patriotism is. We are interested in your perspective, your experiences and your story.
Our starting point will be the Museum of Warsaw’s “The Things of Warsaw” exhibition. We will explore selected objects and the stories connected with them, and use them as inspiration to reflect on our own experiences and relationships with places.
What will we do?
We will work in a small group during a series of workshops at the Museum of Warsaw.
Together, we will:
– explore the “The Things of Warsaw” exhibition and choose objects that speak to us,
– talk about what patriotism, belonging and home can mean today,
– look for connections between the history of Warsaw and our own experiences,
– learn how to turn a memory, idea or personal experience into an engaging story,
– work with voice, body language and presence,
– develop our own stories step by step,
– practise telling stories in the museum space.
You do not need any previous experience in storytelling or public speaking. The workshops are designed as a space to learn, experiment and develop your story together with others.
What will you gain?
During the project, you will:
– learn how to build a story that keeps your audience engaged,
– discover ways of talking about personal and meaningful topics,
– gain more confidence in speaking in front of others,
– practise using your voice and body when telling a story,
– discover Warsaw through the stories hidden in museum objects,
– meet other people living in Warsaw and hear different perspectives,
– create your own original story,
– have the opportunity to share your story with an audience at the Museum of Warsaw.
The project is also an invitation to reflect on your own relationship with Warsaw, your place of origin and the places that have become important to you.
The project will end on 7 November with a special public event at the Museum of Warsaw.
During the event, participants will lead the audience through the exhibition along a route created especially for the project. At different points along the way, each person will share their own story.
This will not be a traditional museum tour. Instead, we will create a walk made up of different voices, memories, experiences and ways of thinking about Warsaw, belonging and patriotism.
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
The workshops are intended for people with migration backgrounds for whom Warsaw has become a new home.
Applications are open via the application form until 28.09.: https://forms.gle/cJjS6ZUh3z6rCrTFA
Selected participants will be contacted by email.
The course will run from 1 to 29 October 2026 and will include 4 workshop sessions.
The sessions take place from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM on the following dates: 1 October, 8 October, 22 October, and 29 October.
The workshops will be held in English.
Meetings will take place at the main building of the Museum of Warsaw – both in the “The Things of Warsaw” exhibition and in the museum’s education space.
For more information, please contact the project coordinator:
Monika Michałek: [email protected]
WORKSHOP LEADER
Monika Michałek is Deputy Head of the Education Department at the Museum of Warsaw, an experienced Warsaw city guide and a heritage interpretation trainer with Interpret Europe.
She is a graduate of the postgraduate programme Art History. Interpretations at Collegium Civitas.
Her work focuses on education for children and adults, storytelling and heritage interpretation. She is especially interested in finding engaging, personal and alternative ways of telling stories about history, places and people.
Żródło materiału: Polskie Forum Migracyjne
