KGHM Academy for parents and students from the Copper Belt

We protect, we teach, we care - KGHM encourages cooperation in and promotion of pro-social programs and training for residents, NGOs, and schools in the Copper Belt. All initiatives subsidized by the company will be conducted within the KGHM Academy.

The opening of the KGHM Academy is an excellent opportunity to sum up previous achievements. Since 2020, more than 150 initiatives and programs have been implemented, such as the “School for Parents and Educators,” “Leader 100,” “Treasure Archipelago,” and “Power Star.” All this was done for and with the residents of the Copper Belt in mind. To date, about 40,000 people have benefited from those projects. The activities were carried out in more than 30 localities in the Dolnośląskie and Lubuskie Provinces.

“We help discover and seek the best in the people of the Copper Belt. As a leader in the mining industry, we demonstrate that pro-social activities are an extremely important part of our development strategy. Good neighborly relations and involvement in local communities are the goals of the company, which we are successfully pursuing. The establishment of the Academy is the best example of this,” said Mirosław Kidoń, the Deputy CEO for Foreign Assets of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A. and the company’s acting Deputy CEO for Development.

From now on, all prevention programs, workshops, and pro-social activities will be organized under the name KGHM Academy. The activities cover the cities of the Copper Belt, but also Chojnów, Chocianów, Krotoszyce, and cities in the Lubuskie Province, including Sulechów, Wschowa, and Szlichtyngowa.

“The synergy of local and regional government, businesses, and NGOs means much greater benefits for the residents. A good example of such cooperation is the implementation of joint educational, preventive-health, and local community integration programs. With KGHM’s support, residents of the Polkowice municipality improve their parenting skills by participating in the School for Parents and Educators program; in the Treasure Archipelago they learn about the dangers of the modern world and how to avoid them, but also build identity and local ties, e.g., during the Family Polkowice event. We can act separately, but together means more, better, and more effective,” said Łukasz Puźniecki, the mayor of Polkowice.

“The project to raise the educational competence of parents and teachers, despite its many years of implementation, continues to attract the undiminished interest of the residents of Legnica. This is, of course, due to the needs and challenges of increasingly aware parents and the times in which we live. After several years of workshops, hundreds of families from Legnica have received the super mom and super dad certificates. We are proud of this,” added Ewa Szczecińska-Zielińska, the director of the Promotion and Social Communication Department of the Legnica City Hall.

In the coming weeks, intensive activities are already planned for elementary school students, teaching staff, and parents, among others. The “School for Parents and Educators” is a nationwide program aimed at preventing problematic behavior in children and adolescents and raising the educational competence of parents and teachers. In the organization of the workshop, KGHM cooperates with Głogów’s Open Doors Association, the Imelda Association, and the Association of Large Families 3+ in Legnica.

“Thanks to the appreciation of the role of preventive programs by KGHM Polska Miedź S.A., NGO’s can develop their activities and provide support to even more residents of the Copper Belt. In addition, the business partnership opens up local governments to cooperation with local NGOs, so that their joint activities benefit, among others, students and teaching staff of schools throughout the region,” added Anna Mazurkiewicz of the Open Door Association in Głogów.

KGHM wants to constantly modify the program by supplementing it with, among other things, activities related to children’s safety and promotion of responsible behavior in water and in the mountains.

The “School for Parents and Educators” program takes the form of training courses (a total of 40 teaching hours), and the group size is 10-12 people. A valuable educational element is the exchange of parenting experiences between the participants and the so-called homework, i.e., the practical application at home and outside in the relationship with the child of the skills acquired during the classes.

The KGHM Academy also includes the “Treasure Archipelago” project, which is a universal prevention program intended for elementary and high school students and aimed at reducing problematic behaviors, such as alcohol and drug use, early sexual behavior, and peer violence. The parents of the participating students and the school’s teaching staff also participate in the program.

The KGHM Academy can also implement projects that involve strengthening of the self-esteem among the youngest residents of the Copper Belt (“Power Star”), as well as initiatives related to discovering and developing the potential among students (Leader100).

Partnerships with local communities are the result of KGHM’s sensitivity to the needs of the environment in which it operates. The company builds good relations with the residents, the local authorities, and NGOs. The company supports local social, cultural, and quality of life improvement initiatives. To operate effectively, KGHM incorporates social, cultural, and economic elements into its projects.

The company focuses on charitable activities, preventive health care, popularization of sports, as well as support for culture and science. KGHM employees are also highly involved in the implementation of social programs, taking part in numerous volunteer campaigns.