Deputy Press Attaché Celebrates American Day in Szczecin

1 December 2009

Deputy Press Attaché Celebrates American Day in Szczecin

American Day Trivia Competition Winners

Deputy Press Attaché Virginia Harris travelled to Szczecin on Tuesday, November 24th, to celebrate American Day at the Youth Palace in Szczecin.  The event was sponsored and arranged by the Young Learner’s Resource Center, where young learners can study English and the United States.

The students of the Youth Palace were treated to a presentation on the history of the United States, and then displayed their knowledge in a U.S. trivia competition.  Trivia questions tested their knowledge on topics ranging from US geography and history to current events and the 2008 Presidential election.  The U.S. Embassy Representative presented opening remarks, and then participated on the judges panel, along with Malgorzata Pokorska, Director of Palac Mlodziezy.  After the competition, the students showed off pictures that they drew of America, and had lunch with the speaker, talking informally about life in the United States.

The Young Learners Resource Center in Szczecin opened on February 3rd, 2009, and is one of seven in Poland. Young Learners Resource Centers are a cornerstone of Mission Poland’s English teaching program. In the three years since the first YLRC opened in Warsaw, the program proved to be an invaluable resource for Polish teachers of English, who draw on the materials and methodologies supported by the centers, located in several cities throughout Poland. 

The YLRCs fulfill a critical need for qualified English teachers in Poland and promote knowledge of the United States’ history and culture through American teaching materials. The centers introduce books from U.S. publishers that are unknown or unavailable in the local teaching market. Each Resource Center has a “processing corner” where teachers can use a unique die-cut machine to prepare their own materials. The YLRCs provide a venue for teachers to share their syllabi with other teachers, thus creating an opportunity to exchange ideas and establish networks.  All resources are free of charge.