In recent years, especially since 2014, we have observed an unprecedented increase in the number of migrants in Poland, which is also reflected in the school community. Every year the number of migrant students grows, and with it the challenges faced by Polish schools. One of the responses of Polish legislation to these difficulties are intercultural assistants who, working in schools, support migrant students, their parents and teachers. They are also a kind of bridge connecting the Polish and migrant communities. In this article, I refer to the concept of intercultural opening, which is about building inclusive communities and institutions (including schools) for everyone, regardless of origin, nationality or language of communication. The aim of this article is to present the concept of intercultural opening as one of the antidotes to the challenges of the increasing number of migrants and cultural diversity, and the role of intercultural assistants in the process of intercultural school opening. In the first part of the article, I present the situation of migrant children in Polish schools. I refer to the statistical data and the legal framework which determine the education system of migrant children in Poland. The second part contains the concept of an intercultural opening of the school and its characteristic features, while the third one presents the role and tasks of an intercultural assistant in the process of intercultural opening of the school. The last part of the article is a summary.

Solutions for the integration of children and youth in Cracow’s schools after the outbreak of war in Ukraine. Conclusions from the pilot study

The article presents the conclusions of a pilot survey study conducted in Cracow in September 2022. The author makes a diagnosis of educational activities undertaken in the municipality of Cracow, in the period from February 25 to June 30, 2022 (in the first four months from the outbreak of the war in Ukraine). She confronts them with the conclusions of in-depth interviews conducted with experts in the field of integration. Solutions regarded as “good practices”, such as additional Polish language lessons, psychological and pedagogical assistance, educational departments and intercultural assistantship, are rated the best. However, children and young people with refugee experience have little chance of learning the language, culture and geography of their country of origin. We can also indicate a few critical moments of the integration process (so-called rich points) that generate tensions in intercultural communication. These include ambivalent attitudes towards migrant children, youth and their parents. On the one hand, representatives of the majority of society show empathy and provide real help, on the other hand, they accuse migrants of being demanding and indecisive. The most difficult situation is currently faced by young people who do not know the Polish language and are forced to take exams in this language at the end of subsequent stages of education. This age group is particularly vulnerable to marginalization. The conclusions from the study also indicated areas requiring further, in-depth evaluation.