Children Participate!

Warsaw has rapidly become a place where ‘everyday multiculturalism’ is actively practised. More than 12,000 children from Ukraine and over 3,000 from Belarus attend schools in the capital; in public spaces we hear Polish spoken with an accent more frequently than at any time in the last 80 years. Polish, Ukrainian and Belarusian cultural circles in Warsaw are very active, yet they more often operate in parallel than intersect. There is a lack of data that would help describe and better understand the styles, needs, and challenges associated with the participation of children with migration experience in Warsaw’s cultural life. As a result, it remains difficult to understand the role culture can play in supporting harmonious coexistence in a multicultural city and in counteracting second-generation effects.

The 2025 study was the first in Poland to focus specifically on the cultural participation of Ukrainian and Belarusian children with experience of migration.

1. Qualitative research (June–December 2025, with Badania i Działania)

Between June and December 2025, together with the company Badania i Działania, we conducted:

• an analysis and mapping of cultural offerings in Warsaw — those of Polish, Belarusian and Ukrainian cultural entities — available to the studied group;
• a literature review on the situation of children and young people with migration experience, and on second-generation effects;
• two group interviews with children of Ukrainian and Belarusian origin with experience of migration, currently living in Warsaw;
• 10 in-depth individual interviews with Belarusian and Ukrainian parents who have lived in Poland for at least a year since 2020;
• 14 in-depth individual interviews with representatives of Belarusian, Ukrainian and Polish cultural entities offering events aimed at Belarusian and/or Ukrainian children living in Warsaw;
• one group interview with instructors who work with non-Polish children at Warsaw’s cultural centres;
• two group interviews with teachers from state primary schools where Ukrainian and Belarusian children make up a considerable proportion of pupils.

2. Participatory photoand diary-based research project (November 2025, with the Ochota Theatre)

In November 2025, together with the Ochota Theatre, we carried out a photographic and diary-based research project with children from migration and refugee backgrounds, who reflected on how they spend their free time in Warsaw.

Outcomes and public programme (December 2025 – April 2026)

• On 5 December 2025, we presented the results of this stage of the research at WOK Lab, launching a round-table discussion among people connected to the topic, each bringing a very different perspective.
• The photo exhibition created by children from Ukraine and Belarus — showing how they spend their free time in Warsaw — was on display at WOK Lab until 5 March 2026 and then at the Ochota Theatre until 16 April 2026.
• We took part in a panel discussion, ‘Creating a place. How to support young people with migration experience?’, at the Ochota Theatre on 11 March 2026, attended by migration researchers and people who work with young people day to day.
• On 13 March 2026, the Ochota Theatre premiered the play “You’ve Got Something in Your Teeth” (directed by Liuba Ilnytska), inspired by the findings of our study.
• As a summary of our 2025 research, we presented the ‘Children Participate!’ report, which outlines the study’s key activities and findings. The report is available here.

The 2025 study pointed to a clear next step. To say anything firm about Ukrainian and Belarusian children specifically, we need to understand how children and young people in Warsaw engage with culture in general — a baseline against which the participation of migrant children can be read. The first phase had no such control group. For this reason, in 2026 we are broadening the scope to examine the scale, geography, practices and forms of cultural participation among children and young people living in Warsaw.

The analysis will draw on the following components:

1. Art and research competition (April–June 2026)

Aimed at pupils in Years 4–8 at primary schools in Warsaw, the competition asks participants to photograph locations and describe activities related to their engagement with culture. It aims to: explore the types, practices, and venues of cultural activity among pupils in Years 4–8; examine the barriers to and drivers of participation; define the role of institutional culture in the lives of young people in Warsaw; identify the influence of others on the choice of venues and activities; and analyse the emotions associated with particular venues and cultural experiences. The competition will be launched in April, with a submission deadline in mid-May 2026, and results announced in June 2026.

2. Field research, with Maria Grzegorzewska University, APS (May–June 2026)

The activities will take place during Children’s Day events organised by public and commercial organisations at various locations across Warsaw. They will include workshops in the form of an outdoor game, during which children create stories about their own cultural experiences, working in concentric circles outward from their homes, through their neighbourhoods and districts, to the city as a whole. This will enable the mapping of the ‘proxemics’ of cultural participation.

3. Research on cultural practices, with SWPS University (March–June 2026)

This research will use qualitative methods alongside analysis of existing data. Its main aim is to explore how young people aged 16–19 engage with culture, examining practices such as reading, watching films, and listening to music.

4. Research on Ukrainian and Belarusian cultural circles in Warsaw (April–September 2026)

This analysis of the cultural offerings created and organised by members of Warsaw’s Ukrainian and Belarusian communities will give a better understanding of the scale, geographical scope and diversity of events and activities.

5. Research on institutional participation (August–November 2026)

This quantitative and qualitative study investigates the scale, frequency, practices, barriers, and enabling factors involved in children and young people’s participation in institutional culture in Warsaw.

6. Presentation of findings at the Cultural Education Forum (November 2026)

The results of all 2026 components will be presented at the Cultural Education Forum in November 2026.