The Day of Good Meetings connected residents across Poland

On June 27, the Polish Red Cross organized Integration Picnics titled "Good Meeting Day" in several cities across Poland. These events united residents around the ideas of integration, safety, and active leisure, showcasing that collective actions build stronger and more open communities.

The Nationwide Integration Picnics "Good Meeting Day", organized by the Polish Red Cross as part of the project "Together Towards Independence", are now behind us. The events symbolically aimed to kick off the summer, creating a space for resident integration, promoting safety and a healthy lifestyle, and building relationships in local communities.

The picnics were planned simultaneously in seven cities: Warsaw, Bydgoszcz, Wrocław, Lublin, Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, Łódź, and Gdańsk. Due to record high temperatures, in consideration of participants' safety, the events in Łódź and Gdańsk were postponed to another date. In the remaining cities where events could proceed as planned, the organizers ensured the safety of participants by providing access to drinking water, shaded resting areas, and solutions to increase comfort during the heat.

Safety and education in the climate of integration

The picnic program combined education with active recreation. Participants could learn about the activities of the Polish Red Cross, visit the information point of the "Together Towards Independence" project, take part in first aid demonstrations, workshops, animations, and numerous activities promoting health and safety during the summer.

Each event had its local character. In Warsaw, at Sowiński Park, first aid demonstrations using adult, infant, and dog mannequins were very popular, along with craft workshops, sand painting, and free blood pressure and sugar level measurements. In Bydgoszcz, participants could visit a children's corner, take part in a treasure hunt, see a presentation of an evacuation backpack, and learn the principles of providing first aid to people and animals.

In Lublin, the picnic was not only an opportunity for fun but also a reminder of the rules for safe leisure during the summer. Organizers emphasized the tremendous involvement of volunteers, thanks to whom participants could enjoy numerous workshops, competitions, and first aid demonstrations. Meanwhile, in Wrocław, family animations, booths showcasing the activities of PCK, the PCK Search Office, and the Senior Club, as well as integration and recreational areas were prepared. In Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski, the program was enriched with consultations regarding legalizing stays in Poland, legal workshops, and integration meetings for children, teenagers, adults, and seniors, showing that integration also means access to knowledge and practical support.

The "Together Towards Independence" project is implemented by the Ministry of the Interior and Administration and the Polish Red Cross. It is funded by the European Union through the Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund (AMIF) 2021–2027 and the state budget. Its aim is to support social integration, active participation in local community life, and to strengthen the independence of project participants.

We thank all residents for their presence, and volunteers, rescuers, and employees of the Polish Red Cross for their commitment and for creating a safe space for spending time together. We look forward to participants from Gdańsk and Łódź during the picnics, which will take place on new dates.