wojtek, Autor w serwisie Fundacja Dom Kultury

W Kratkę 10.

W Kratkę 10. – a jubilee issue of a magazine created in prison

Graphics: Anna Majcher

We have begun work on the 10th, jubilee issue of the art-social magazine “W Kratkę,” created by women serving prison sentences together with collaborating artists, educators, and editors from outside. The project is carried out by the Fundacja Dom Kultury at the Warsaw Grochów Remand Prison and the External Unit in Warsaw-Bemowo.

“W Kratkę” has been created since 2013 as a result of regular cultural education and editorial work. Each issue is the outcome of several months of collective effort – from the first texts, through editing, to graphic design and publication. Thanks to the support of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage under the “Magazines” programme, the magazine is now published regularly each year.

Work on each issue begins in March with writing and editorial workshops. The texts are authored by incarcerated women, who develop their language, communication, and creative skills during the sessions. The editorial process is led by Agata Maczkowska – a journalist, teacher, communication trainer, and actress with the Wolandyjski Theatre, who serves as editor-in-chief of the issue. The overall project is coordinated by Justyna Domasłowska-Szulc, president of the Fundacja Dom Kultury.

From June, the graphic design phase begins. The illustrations and visual identity are developed by artists from the Department of Graphic Design at SWPS University in Wrocław, working together with graphic design students under the supervision of Dr Małgorzata Jabłońska and Dr Piotr Szewczyk. The online publication and digital archive of the magazine are managed by Małgorzata Brus.

The completed issue will be released in autumn – first in a digital version, then in print. In November, it will be distributed to prison libraries across Poland, thanks to cooperation with the Office of the Director General of the Prison Service, as well as to readers outside prison.

Each issue of “W Kratkę” is created by new authors and contributors, although some return to take part in subsequent editions. As a result, the magazine remains a living, evolving editorial project – a space for work, dialogue, and building connections between the prison environment and society.

All issues of the in a grid

“W Kratkę” – The Only Magazine of Its Kind in the World

Since 2012, a unique journalistic and artistic editorial team has been operating in the Warsaw-Grochów prison. The editorial meetings bring together an average of 20 incarcerated women and people from the outside world: journalists, writers, teachers, visual artists, and students of journalism, graphic design, and communication. The aim of these meetings is not only to prepare the next issue of “W Kratkę” but also to explore fundamental questions about the significance of culture and art and their social roles. A crucial aspect of the project is also the social reintegration of incarcerated individuals through active participation in cultural life.

A Unique Collaboration of Art and Incarceration

“W Kratkę”, published as part of cultural education initiatives by the Warsaw-based Fundacja Dom Kultury (House of Culture Foundation), benefits from a comprehensive graphic design, made possible through collaboration with lecturers and students from the Department of Graphic Design at SWPS University. This partnership has been ongoing since 2021. The magazine stands out due to its thoughtful and original graphic concept, developed under the artistic direction of Dr. Małgorzata Jabłońska and Dr. Piotr Szewczyk, the creator of the magazine’s layout. Their contribution ensures that “W Kratkę” is unique—not only among prison publications but also within the realm of artistic magazines. The project also provides students with valuable experience, as they create illustrations for each issue as part of their professional training.

A Magazine That Unites Different Perspectives

The magazine holds significant appeal for a wide audience, including socially engaged artists, educators, psychologists, social activists, and, most importantly, incarcerated individuals themselves. Its high-quality design and publishing standards also make it attractive to art enthusiasts. Thanks to the collaboration between Fundacja Dom Kultury and the Director General’s Office of the Polish Prison Service, the printed version of the magazine is distributed to prison libraries across Poland, while the digital edition is available to the general public.

Since 2022, “W Kratkę” has expanded its editorial team to include male inmates from the Wołów Prison, followed in 2023 by incarcerated men from the Warsaw-Białołęka Detention Center. This development has broadened the range of topics covered in the magazine and enriched the diversity of writing styles and perspectives.

Education and Creativity in Prison

Producing “W Kratkę” is not only about editing articles but, above all, about intensive cultural education. Participants engage in workshops that serve as the foundation for their written work. Their contributions are then published, helping to disseminate knowledge about culture both within prison walls and to the outside world.

„We know from bitter experience that life in prisons too easily fades into obscurity, becoming invisible and, to outsiders, somewhat unreal. (…) But deprivation of liberty should not mean deprivation of respect, visibility, and a sense of purpose. And this is what ‘W Kratkę’ is about: dignity in a difficult—perhaps the most difficult—situation in life,” wrote Agata Czarnacka in the editorial of the magazine’s 8th issue.

International Recognition

The project has gained recognition not only in Poland but also on the international stage. “W Kratkę” and Fundacja Dom Kultury participated in Jenny Brockman’s Entanglement 4 #Melody in Kassel, as part of documenta 15. Artists engaged in the foundation’s prison projects, including Małgorzata Jabłońska, Piotr Szewczyk, and Józek Gałązka, contributed to this prestigious event. The initiative was curated by Antek Burzyński.

A Changing Editorial Team

The magazine has different editors-in-chief over time, and the prison editorial team evolves as well—female inmates complete their sentences, are released, or are transferred to other facilities. However, the foundation of “W Kratkę” remains unchanged: regular cultural education, which ensures the continuity of this exceptional project.

More than just a magazine, “W Kratkę” is a creative space where incarcerated individuals and artists collaboratively explore the essence of culture, art, and humanity—regardless of their circumstances.

In a Grid – On Beauty

The special edition of “W Kratkę – On Beauty” was published thanks to a grant from the YES Foundation.

The Dom Kultury Foundation cooperates on an ongoing basis with the Detention Centre in Warsaw Grochów and the Detention Centre in Warsaw – Białołęka, as well as with the Department of Graphics at Wrocław’s SWPS University, in the persons of Dr Małgorzata Jabłońska and Dr Piotr Szewczyk, and their students, in creating the ‘W Kratę’ magazine.

Dr Małgorzata Jabłońska

Dr Piotr Szewczyk

An amazing publication by Małgorzata Jabłońska of the Graphics Department at Wrocław’s SWPS University dedicated to the process of creating “In a Grid” from a graphic designer’s point of view.

The authors of the publication are Paulina Woźniak and Mateusz Antczak.

Co-financed by funds from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Fund for Promotion of Culture – state purpose fund.

Prison Vegetable Garden

From a Prison Vegetable Garden to Independence

At the Warsaw–Grochów Remand Prison, in the External Unit in Warsaw–Bemowo, we are launching the pilot project “From a Prison Vegetable Garden to Independence” – an initiative that combines education, working with nature, and the development of social competences among incarcerated people. The garden is being implemented in close cooperation with the Prison Service. The project is carried out by the Foundation for Culture House in partnership with the Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development of the Polish Academy of Sciences, within the programme “Idea Incubator 3 – support for the development of social innovations in the field of social inclusion”, implemented by the Shipyard Foundation.

This initiative is part of a broader process of identifying and developing new solutions in the area of social inclusion – from early-stage ideas, through testing, to the dissemination of the most effective models.

About the project

The project involves creating a model vegetable garden within a penitentiary setting. The garden will serve as a space for learning, cooperation, and building responsibility. Participants will gain practical horticultural skills, learn the principles of ecological cultivation, and develop teamwork and planning abilities.

The programme has both educational and practical dimensions and is based on regular work in the garden, combined with preparatory workshops. It includes planning crops, plant care, basics of food production, and reflection on healthy lifestyles and independence.

As shown in the pilot programme, working with plants strengthens a sense of agency, reduces stress, and allows participants to see tangible results of their work – which is crucial in the process of social reintegration .

Why a garden?

People in prison often experience isolation, tension, and a lack of control over their lives. This project responds to these challenges by creating a space for action, shared responsibility, and relationship-building. Working together in the garden supports the development of social skills, cooperation, and a renewed sense of purpose.

At the same time, participants acquire concrete vocational skills that can be used after release – both in employment and in everyday life .

Social innovation

The project is developed within the Idea Incubator programme, which aims to support innovative solutions in the field of social inclusion. Two incubation cycles will be carried out, and the most promising ideas will receive financial and substantive support for testing and development.

In addition, selected solutions will undergo an acceleration process, and the 10 best social innovations will be disseminated as scalable models that can be implemented elsewhere.

“From a Prison Vegetable Garden to Independence” contributes to this process as a new approach to rehabilitation – based on work, relationships, and real experience of change.

Partnership and team

The project is coordinated by Beata Matusiak-Bulak from the Foundation for Culture House. The innovation is developed by Ruta Śpiewak and Adam Czarnecki from the Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development of the Polish Academy of Sciences – researchers working at the Institute of Rural and Agricultural Development of the Polish Academy of Sciences and specialising in social farming and its applications across Europe.

This combination of practical experience and academic expertise creates a strong foundation for developing a solution that can be expanded and implemented in other penitentiary institutions.

No One Is Left Behind

No One Is Left Behind – Creative Meeting of Theatre Practitioners Working in Prisons

The Dom Kultury Foundation is implementing the project “No One Is Left Behind”, aimed at developing and exchanging practices of cultural education in prisons through theatre and artistic activities. The project brings together the experience of organisations from Poland, Italy and Ireland and focuses on working with Prison Service staff and incarcerated people.

The main element of the project is a two-day meeting to be held in Warsaw on 23- 23 September 2026. Participants will include cultural and educational officers working in units under the Regional Inspectorate of the Prison Service in Warsaw, as well as educators and artists from partner organisations.

The programme includes workshops, creative work and a panel discussion devoted to the exchange of experience in cultural education and artistic work in prisons. The workshops will be led by an international team of trainers and artists, including representatives of the Italian organisation CCO – Crisi come Opportunità, which has long been implementing educational and artistic activities in juvenile detention centres and communities at risk of exclusion.

An important part of the project are also activities carried out directly in Warsaw prisons. Alongside the meeting, workshops for incarcerated people – stand-up and theatre-based – will be conducted in cooperation with the Kobietostan Association and the Association of Creative Initiatives “Windą w bok” (Klub Komediowy).

The project will culminate in a stand-up performance developed jointly by the workshop participants. The event will be open to the public and recorded. The recordings, along with materials from the panel discussion, will be published on the Foundation’s website as a practical resource for those working in the field of cultural education in prisons.

The project is implemented in international partnership with CCO – Crisi come Opportunità (Italy), Education Services to Prisons within the City of Dublin Education and Training Board (Ireland), the Kobietostan Association and the Association of Creative Initiatives “Windą w bok” (Klub Komediowy).

Funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage under the National Centre for Culture programme SYNERGIE. 2026 Edition.

Reading Workshops in Prisons

Graphics: Klaudia Borawiak

“Reading Workshops in Prisons” is a reading development programme implemented by Fundacja Dom Kultury in 2026 in five prisons in the Warsaw district. As part of the project, we will carry out cycles of workshops based on working with literature related to the Warsaw Uprising — memoirs, non-fiction and historical studies.

The project will involve over 100 incarcerated men in:
– Warsaw-Białołęka Remand Prison,
– Warsaw-Grochów Remand Prison,
– Warsaw-Służewiec Remand Prison,
– Radom Remand Prison,
– Grójec Remand Prison.

In each facility, a cycle of 6 sessions will be delivered.

The project responds to concrete needs: limited access to books, lack of reading habits, and difficulties in working with texts. Literature becomes a working tool here — a starting point for discussion, analysis and structuring knowledge.

The Warsaw Uprising is a topic that is strongly present in prisons and evokes intense emotions. Participants often feel a strong connection to it, but this is not always supported by structured historical knowledge. In many cases, their understanding is based on informal narratives, simplified accounts or popular legends rather than formal education or engagement with primary sources.

For this reason, we work directly with texts: we read, analyse, compare different perspectives and organise facts. The workshops are led by experienced educators who provide historical context and support participants in working with texts.

The project is addressed to men, as they most frequently identify the Warsaw Uprising as a subject that genuinely interests them.

As part of the programme, we deliver historical lectures, discussions of books, authors and literary genres, analysis of selected text excerpts (including Białoszewski, Bratny, Kamiński, Davies), workshops focused on reading comprehension and working with texts, creative writing workshops (short forms inspired by memoirs), as well as performative readings and sessions combining text with Uprising songs.

The workshops are led by:
– Piotr Prasuła (Museum of Literature),
– Marcin Miros (Warsaw Uprising Museum),
– Jerzy S. Majewski (miastarytm.pl),
– Dr Paulina Potasińska (Polish Language Foundation),
– Adrian Drapich(National Library),
– Kinga Kosik-Burzyńska (Klub Komediowy Theatre).

The project continues our long-term work in prisons. Each group participates in a full cycle of sessions, which allows for a gradual introduction to reading, building core text-based competencies and developing knowledge in a structured way. This model enables participants to move from first contact with a text, through understanding, to their own interpretation.

The project is funded by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage under the “Reading Promotion” programme.

Subsidized with funds from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Fund for Promotion of Culture – state purpose fund

Concerts in Prison

Honorary patronage of the project titled “Inclusive Contemporary Music – Concerts in Prison: Minister of Culture and National Heritage

Honorary patronage of the Honorary patronage of the project titled “Inclusive Contemporary Music – Concerts in Prison: Director General of the Prison Service

Inclusive Contemporary Music – Concerts in Prison

We are launching a new project titled “Inclusive Contemporary Music – Concerts in Prison”, which has received funding from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage under the Accessible Culture programme, financed from the Culture Promotion Fund.

For the first time, the music of the distinguished American composer Morton Feldman will be performed in a prison setting. As part of the project, we will organize two four-hour concerts of the piece Crippled Symmetry (1983) at the Warsaw-Grochów Remand Prison. The event will be attended by over 200 incarcerated participants—women on one day and men on the other.

The concert will be performed by a trio consisting of Ewa Liebchen (flutes), Emilia Karolina Sitarz (keyboards), and Magdalena Kordylasińska-Pękala (percussion)—musicians long associated with the contemporary music scene and with the performance of 20th- and 21st-century repertoire.

Before the concert begins, we will meet with the participants for a short introduction. We will talk about Feldman’s music, its notation, and ways of listening to it. Participants will also be encouraged to create graphic scores—visual representations of their impressions and observations while listening to the music.

The project brings an artistic event to a place where contemporary music concerts do not normally take place. A prison is a demanding environment—with its own acoustics and the everyday sounds of institutional life—and the audience typically has little or no contact with this type of music. For many participants, this will be their first encounter with contemporary music performed live.

Selected fragments of the concerts will be recorded and made available online, and will also be shared through the prison’s internal radio system so they can be replayed for incarcerated listeners.

The project is implemented in cooperation with the Polish Prison Service, in particular with the Warsaw-Grochów Remand Prison and the District Inspectorate of the Prison Service in Warsaw.

The 2026 project was co-funded by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund.

In a Grid 9.

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Warsaw Uprising – Prison Strategy Game

Graphics: Wiktor Lingo

“Warsaw Uprising – Prison Strategy Game” is an innovative educational and cultural project addressed to a group of 20 incarcerated men. The goal of the project is to foster social inclusion through artistic and educational activities, as well as to create an original strategy game inspired by the realities of the Warsaw Uprising.
The game, which will remain in the prison’s recreation room, will serve future inmates of the Warsaw-Służewiec Remand Prison as an educational and creative tool.

The project program included a series of interdisciplinary workshops combining historical knowledge, model-making, art, and teamwork.

1. Historical Lectures

The series of workshops began with educational meetings conducted by Marcin Miros, an educator from the Warsaw Uprising Museum.
Participants learned about the course and significance of the 1944 events, the fate of civilians, and the crucial role of the Powiśle Power Plant — a site that supplied electricity to the fighting city for 36 days.

2. Model-Making and Art Workshops

Under the guidance of Waldemar Petryk, a visual artist, and Krzysztof Nessel, a model-maker and co-author of the project, participants created a scale model of the Powiśle Power Plant and hand-painted figurines representing soldiers, civilians, and medical personnel.
The workshops developed focus, precision, and teamwork skills while also having a therapeutic and integrative character.

3. Designing the Strategy Game

Based on the completed model and figurines, the participants – with the support of the instructors – developed the rules of an original strategy game inspired by the Warhammer 40,000 system, yet adapted to the historical context of the Warsaw Uprising.

From the outset, the game was conceived as an educational and reflective tool – it does not focus on military victory but rather on cooperation, strategy, decision-making, and understanding consequences.
Its message is anti-war and humanistic, encouraging dialogue about responsibility, solidarity, and the human cost of conflict.

A comprehensive game manual was created, which also serves as a guide to good practices – it can be used in other penitentiary facilities as a model for educational and artistic activities. The rules were written clearly and accessibly, enabling future participants to replay and further develop the game.

In addition, character cards and weapon cards were produced, carefully designed in terms of both content and graphics. Each card contains detailed descriptions of skills, equipment, and missions, all reflecting the historical realities of the Warsaw Uprising with respect for the facts and those who lived through them.

All graphic designs – including boards, cards, symbols, and the visual identity of the game – were created by Wiktor Lingo, a graphic design student at SWPS University in Wrocław, who gave the game a coherent and distinctive visual style.

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4. Game Test and Summary

The final playtest allowed participants to evaluate their work and experience history through interactive engagement.
The completed model, figurines, and finalized game manual were donated to the prison’s recreation room so that future groups of inmates could use them in educational and creative activities.

Through this project, a replicable model of educational and artistic practice was developed, one that can successfully be implemented in other penitentiary institutions.

The graphic materials accompanying the project were also designed by Wiktor Lingo, a student of graphic design at SWPS University in Wrocław.

Photo: Archive Fundacja Dom Kultury

The project was implemented by the Dom Kultury Foundation with funding from the Minister of Culture and National Heritage under the program of the National Centre for Culture: Culture – Interventions. 2025 Edition.

How to Work Effectively with Young People – Training for Educators Working with Youth

Graphics: Alexander Bidermann

Erasmus+ Project

How to Work Effectively with Young People – a Training Course for Youth Educators

Between 12 and 15 January 2026, a four-day training course entitled “How to Work Effectively with Young People”took place. It was addressed to people working with young people in various contexts: educational, social, and cultural. The training was the culminating point of a ten-month educational project, previously prepared in an online format. It was organised in cooperation with ETP Slovensko, an organisation with which we have been working in partnership for several years.

The project was implemented within the Erasmus+ KA153-YOU (Youth Participation Activities) programme, which supports non-formal education, learning through experience, and the active participation of young people in social life.

From the very beginning, the project focused not on “ready-made solutions” but on inspiration. Our aim was to present participants with a variety of places, methods, and approaches to working with young people—ones that can later be creatively transferred into their own professional practice. All activities were designed to spark curiosity, encourage asking questions, and support participants in finding their own paths in educational work.

Day 1 – Monday, 12 January 2026

The training process began in the evening during a shared dinner at Jabłonna Palace

Introductory workshops created space for the first meeting of the entire group, mutual acquaintance, and an introduction to the themes of the training.

That day also featured a guest lecture by Sean Carolan, an intern at the Fundacja Dom Kultury and a student of International Relations and Development at Aalborg University in Denmark. His talk on Roma communities in Ireland became a starting point for discussions on intercultural education, social sensitivity, and the role of the educator as someone accompanying young people in their development.

Day 2 – Tuesday, 13 January 2026

The second day took the form of an intensive study visit and was one of the strongest points of the programme. The morning was spent at the Warsaw-Grochów Remand Prison, where participants became familiar with the realities of educational work in a penitentiary institution and took part in communication workshops. The sessions highlighted how crucial creativity, attentiveness, openness to others, and the willingness to devote time and attention are in working with young people.

The study visit was led by Staff Sergeant Iga Kuśmierek, a cultural and educational officer at the Warsaw-Grochów Remand Prison, while the communication workshops were conducted by trainer Agata Maczkowska.

In the afternoon, the group visited Zachęta – National Gallery of Art,
where artistic workshops based on working with exhibitions and contemporary art took place. It was a time for conversations about interpretation, dialogue, and using culture as an educational tool. The workshops, referring to contemporary migration and multiculturalism, were led by curator and artist Taras Gembik.

Day 3 – Wednesday, 14 January 2026

The third day was dedicated to combining knowledge with experience. At the Copernicus Science Centre, participants visited an exhibition and took part in the educational laboratory “Microplastics: Small Particles – Big Consequences”. The activities demonstrated how to talk with young people about responsibility, ecology, and contemporary global challenges in an engaging and accessible way, using science and hands-on experience.

Next, the group visited the Nożyk Synagogue, where they were welcomed by Chief Rabbi of Poland Michael Schudrich. He spoke about the history of the Jewish community in Poland, its contemporary life, and the role of home, tradition, and community in building social bonds. The day concluded with a meeting focused on intercultural education at the Jewish Community Centre, run by the JCC Warsaw Foundation.

These experiences became a starting point for discussions on memory, identity, intercultural dialogue, openness to otherness, and mutual support in educational work.

Day 4 – Thursday, 15 January 2026

The final day of the training took place at the Centre for Ecological Education,
which operates within the structures of Warsaw Municipal Forests, near the Młociński Forest. Outdoor activities demonstrated the enormous educational potential of nature and how effectively it can be used in work with young people.

Observing nature, carrying out independent activities using specialist equipment, and learning about local fauna and flora—despite the cold, wintry weather—became an important part of the learning process. It was also a time for calmly closing the entire training process through conversations, summaries, and sharing what each participant would take forward into their future work.

From the outset, we were guided by one main goal: to inspire. To show that working with young people can—and should—be diverse, flexible, and based on relationships. We wanted to encourage participants to experiment, search for their own methods, and have the courage to step beyond familiar patterns.

The aim was not to “teach everything”, but rather to spark curiosity, provide impulses for further development, and demonstrate that non-formal education truly works when it is grounded in experience, dialogue, observation, and mutual trust.

The project was implemented thanks to funding from the European Union under the Erasmus+ KA153-YOU programme, which supports initiatives aimed at improving the quality of youth work and developing educators’ competences.

Finally, we would like to sincerely thank the following venues for providing delicious meals at affordable prices: Bar MiR,
Bar Studio, the Palace Restaurant at Jabłonna Palace,
and Bistro u Lekarzy.

Photo: Archive Fundacja Dom Kultury