About Foundation
Everything starts with the simple question "Why not?"
Szymon Niemiec is the founder of The Equality Parade which was the first Polish parade for sexual minorities. He is a gay activist, journalist, photographer and minister and has worked his entire adult life for others. His social projects, shared with homosexual, bisexual and transgender people started when Mr. Niemiec asked himself the question "Why not?".
He organized a few friends and created the first gay parade in Poland against great opposition. Szymon also established and managed a cultural association and advocated political legislative dupport for initiatives for freedom and equality.
In January 2008, after many months of work with Western friends the formal establishment of the foundation "Friends of Szymon" was created to aide in reaching the needs of the community socially and politically.
The creation of a legal foundation allows the organization to solicit assistance from others willing to contribute in helping build Poland as a country free from any type discrimination and non-democratic practices.
The "Friends of Szymon" Foundation in a non-governmental organization, without business relations, who invite to cooperate, artists, journalists and other people of good will, with strong ideals of freedom and human rights as its priority.
Our goals:
According to article 3 of our Charter our goals are:
- Uniting activism against discrimination of Polish minorities;
- Promoting an open civil society and protecting ideas of democracy within Poland;
- Promoting political and social information and policy ideals about tolerance of people who are under discrimination
- Assisting in establishing scholarships and anti-discrimination programs to aide sexual minorities in education, housing, politics and culture diversity
- Propagation programs encouraging equality socially and politically
How we work?
Our Charter allows us to advocate the following:
- Lobby for all minorities;
- Co-ordinating and providing civil legislation projects;
- Organizing cultural events: film exhibitions, theater shows,etc;
- Establishing sports and recreation events;
- Promotong conferences and seminars and symposiums;
- Communications, publishing, and informing Polish citizens and worldwide via internet and press work as to accomplishments and obstacales.