EDUCATORS
Katarzyna Banasiak – group coordinator
I’ve been working in Ponton Group since 2014. I do it because I value the holistic approach to sex education, which stresses responsibility and mutual respect in personal relationships, as well as assertiveness and the ability to draw boundaries.
So far, I have been (among others) conducting workshops, answering teenagers’ questions on the forum and on Facebook, educating people during music festivals, such as Open’er Festival and Woodstock, as well as I have been representing the Group in the media, during scientific conferences and panel discussions.
I’m currently completing my MA studies at the SWPS University. I’m studying law. I plan to take a course in coaching and psychology training.
If I have free time, which happens rarely, I devote it to dance, Japanese calligraphy and baking.
Aleksandra Józefowska
I graduated from the University of Warsaw, where I studied pedagogy, as well as gender studies (study devoted to cultural and social gender identity). I was extremely impressed by the course about the relationship between a mother and a daughter, taught by Agata Araszkiewicz. My MA thesis was about the sexuality of the figure of the mother in selected texts.
I completed a course in coaching and psychology training at the Intra school and postgraduate studies in clinical sexology at WSFiZ. I’m currently undergoing training at the Intra school to become a psychotherapist.
I’m a sex educator and a coach. In 2002, I created Ponton Group affiliated with the Federation for Women and Family Planning, and I’ve been coordinating its actions for 16 years, until the end of 2018.
Apart from cooperating with Ponton, I also give sex education and psychosocial competences classes for teenagers and adults.
For my work with young people, I was nominated for the title of the “Polish Woman of the Year 2006” (by “Wysokie Obcasy”, a section of Gazeta Wyborcza) and the title of the “Woman Who Is Changing the World” (by SHAPE magazine), as well as I was rewarded by ELLE magazine.
The beginnings of my work as a sex educator were linked to my work for women and feminism. The feminist perspective on the world has encouraged my reflection on human sexuality, very stereotyped, which e.g. makes girls entirely responsible for sex. I believe we should promote the idea of equality between women and men, as well as work on encouraging partnership among young people.
Knowledge about what kind of changes the body goes through during puberty, awareness of sexual rights, ability to protect your boundaries in an assertive way, awareness of dangers in cyberspace and ability to use the Internet in a safe way: these are the competences that young people should have in order to safely and responsibly reach adulthood.
I consider it very important for sex education to be comprehensive. I don’t think about merely presenting information about contraception or genitals. In my opinion, it is crucial for Ponton Group to undertake activities aimed at building awareness and promoting such concepts as tolerance, assertiveness, co-responsibility, respect for differences and others’ needs.
You can read more about me in an interview on the www.ngo.pl website.
Personally, I love pigs and piglets in all their forms except for a dish. 🙂
Alina Synakiewicz
I graduated from the Nicolaus Copernicus University, where I studied pedagogy and I specialized in family education and sex education. I’ve been a feminist since I can remember. The thing that I consider a breakthrough in the process of shaping my world view is a book by Danuta Sękalska, entitled “Kobieta wyzwolona?”. I read it when I was in the eight grade of primary school and I thought it would be a book about… sex, but it was about the history of feminist movement in the USA.
Then it all happened fast. I read voraciously “The Second Sex” by Simone de Beauvoir, “Nikt nie rodzi się kobietą” by Teresa Hołówka, “Fear of Flying” by Erica Jong and other feminist classics. As a result, I wrote a MA thesis entitled “Femininity – masculinity: the pitfalls of dualism and emancipation attempts”, which used some elements of philosophy, arts and pedagogy.
I work in Fundacja Feminoteka. I’m responsible for the projects about counteracting violence against women. I used to work at school and teach ‘Family Life’ classes for some time. I’ve been working in Ponton Group since 2004. I like teaching teenagers sex education classes very much. I believe everyone, regardless their world view, has the right to thorough scientific knowledge about their body and health.
I’m the author of a self-help book for young people entitled “Jak dojrzewać i nie zwariować” [How to reach puberty without going mad], as well as a co-author of the report entitled “Dość milczenia. Przemoc seksualna wobec kobiet i problem gwałtu w Polsce” [No more silence. Sexual violence against women and the problem of rapes in Poland].
I’m engaged in libertarian movement, human rights protection and punk rock. I’m a supporter of freedom of people in arts as well as in politics and society. I haven’t eaten meat since I was 14, for ethical reasons.
I like good food, good films, good books, good company and good parties.
My dream: going to South America.
Paulina Wawrzyńczyk
I’ve always been interested in sexuality and I think all teenagers should have access to such knowledge. Sex education must become a real school subject and be taught by competent people. What I find particularly important is shaping an attitude of equality, preventing violence because of someone’s sex, gender identity or sexual orientation.
I joined Ponton Group in 2006 and I’m still here. 🙂 Over all those years, I’ve been answering questions on the forum, taking part in street happenings, writing articles for our website and Facebook account, representing Ponton in the media and during conferences. Since 2017, I’ve been working as a sex educator in London. I go to schools, conduct workshops with teenagers and adults working with young people. I’m so happy that my job is also my passion.
In my spare time, I travel, read and cook.
Agata Kozłowska
I’m a psychology and philosophy graduate. I studied at the University of Warsaw. I completed also postgraduate studies in clinical sexology. Currently, I’m writing my PhD thesis at the Institute of Philosophy of the University of Warsaw. I’ve been working in Ponton Group since 2006. In the future, I would like to be a sexologist and a therapist.
In my spare time, I read voraciously and if it’s possible, I sail (on the lake or sea, using everything that I can).
I’m interested in body in all its aspects. I would like to live in a country where everyone is treated with respect, regardless their beliefs, appearance, sexual orientation or behaviour.
Finka Heynemann
I joined Ponton Group only after I turned 18 because I remembered how much I had learned during the Ponton workshop in my middle school. 🙂
I graduated from the Faculty of Polish Studies at the University of Warsaw, where I studied speech therapy. I used to teach Polish in middle school for a couple of years. Currently, I work as a natural language processing linguist, which means that I teach various devices how to speak.
I still love working with kids and teenagers, as well as writing, so in Ponton, I’m most willing to go to schools and edit texts. Recently I’ve also started counselling via Facebook and taking care of our website. I believe sexuality is an extremely important aspect of human life, so we need decent sex education.
Apart from Ponton Group, I’m engaged in many pro-women and feminist projects. I’m also a big fan of Star Trek and the leader of TrekSfera, an association of Star Trek fans. My everlasting smile and very colourfull clothes make me easily recognizable. 🙂
Olga Połowianiuk
I joined Ponton Group in 2018 because I believe sex education is extremely important and necessary for young people. That’s why I want to help in spreading knowledge of human sexuality.
In Ponton, I’m mainly responsible for the forum, where I answer questions asked by young people.
I graduated from the University of Warsaw, where I studied applied linguistics. I am trained to work as a teacher, translator and interpreter. I work as a translator in a corporation. My dream is to translate literature. I love books and yoga.
Antonina Lewandowska
I’m studying sociology at the College of Inter-Area Individual Studies In the Humanities and Social Sciences of the University of Warsaw. My scientific research is focused on counterculture and alternative culture and, of course, sexology in terms of society. I’ve been working in the field of sex education since… Since I can remember because it was always me who answered my friends’ questions. In a way this is why, in 2014, I joined the emerging group of young educators “Te Tematy”, which focused on peer sex education. I joined Ponton Group in 2015 in order to develop in this direction because while working with my peers, I’ve seen with my own eyes that we lack decent sex education in Poland so much.
In Ponton, I’m mainly responsible for international collaboration. I take part in conferences, projects, competitions and training courses. I often represent Ponton Group in the media. Whenever I slow down for a while, I try to go back to school and conduct some workshops because I believe we can’t change anything without laying the groundwork. I also write articles and I’m an activist on the national level.
Thanks to working in Ponton, in 2017 I was a representative during public consultations at the Health Committee of the Sejm, concerning the return of prescriptions for the morning after pill. In 2018 at the European Parliament in Brussels, I delivered a speech about sex education in Poland.
If it comes to my private life, I love old rock songs, cats and cooking, and I would die for another trip. If you can’t find me anywhere and I don’t answer calls, I’m probably reading or I’m at the cinema. Or maybe I’ve already drowned in a cup of my favourite tea.
Magdalena Zimecka
Psychologist, sexologist, sex educator and sociotherapist. I’ve been collaborating with Ponton Group since 2007. Since that time, I’ve taken part in street happenings, I’ve been answering to teenagers’ questions on the forum and I’ve been a helpline volunteer.
I love volunteering in Ponton because it makes me feel I do something important and I have a real impact on people’s attitudes, as well as I can broaden their knowledge of sexuality (in all of its dimensions), which is a very important aspect of our life.
I love travelling and reading books. I have a fan page concerning healthy lifestyle.