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There are moments in life which often stay with us forever. The return, after 24 years, to the “Biskupiak” secondary school in Lublin, which I attended from 1994 to 1998, was just such a day, to which I will return very often.

I was invited to give a talk about my journey, the work with the Polish community as well as the reasons why I decided to stand in the local elections. My presentation, which took place in the school auditorium, and which was attended by about 200 students, was a truly wonderful experience. There were questions; some easier than others on the role of Monarchy, Polish Saturday School, immigration or the process of becoming a Councillor. I spoke in both Polish and English, which was quite extraordinary. I was impressed by the very good level of English of Polish students.

It was a truly beautiful return to the past, full of emotion and positive energy.

My youth school experience shaped me as a person, however most importantly it helped me to discover a huge “community activism bug”. That was my aim; to help the younger generation to identify their passions, develop their interests and believe in their enormous potential. Once again, I felt really strongly a desire to “grow” young people, help them to feel enthusiastic about a particular topic or subject. It is so important to create opportunities, which encourage the next generation to take an active role in decision and policy making. Every conversation, even the simplest one, can truly transform lives. We can never underestimate our ability to influence young minds.

It was also quite interesting that many Polish schools participate in a number of the EU Programmes e.g. Erasmus +. I once again realised that many education related initiatives, due to the Brexit vote, have been taken away from many children and students in the UK. Do we talk about it often enough? I don’t think so.

Nevertheless, it is quite funny that as a Pole, I had an opportunity to promote the UK, talk about Welwyn Hatfield and Welwyn Garden City in Poland.

* Michal Siewniak is a Lib Dem activist and councillor for Handside ward, Welwyn Hatfield.