For many years, Agora's media and Agora Foundation have initiated and supported social and charitable activities. Exemplary nationwide social campaigns executed in 2009, include: "My Narkopolacy” (We Polish drug addicts), "Leczyc po ludzku” (Humane treatment) and special web site
Podarnik.Gazeta.pl successfully collecting financial resources for casualties of Haiti earthquake. Additionally, plebiscite - "Mom friendly firm” organized by Agora's magazines awarded new employers. These are only few examples from the whole range of different initiatives undertaken in 2009.
Gazeta Wyborcza
Year 2009 in "Gazeta Wyborcza" was abundant not only in political and sports events but also numerous social campaigns and patronage activities on local and national levels.
Together with its partners and Agora Foundation "Gazeta Wyborcza" started a campaign
"My Narkopolacy" (We Polish drug addicts),
"Polacy Odwagi" (Poles be courageous) and
"Leczyc po ludzku" (Humane treatment). The first one presents the subject of modern addictions, the second encourages changes in eating habits and losing weight and the third one recollects patients rights. "Gazeta Wyborcza" continued its campaign
"Polska biega" (Poland runs) encouraging Poles to run several kilometers and marathon distance!
In 2009 "Gazeta Wyborcza" celebrated its 20th birthday and Poland celebrated 20th anniversary of regaining the freedom - on June 4th "Gazeta's editorial" office with "Gazeta's" readers proposed the
toast for freedom and recalled, in "Gazeta", the development of Polish democracy and economy.
For a consecutive time "Gazeta Wyborcza" fulfilled dreams of sick children - thanks to advertising action carried out with Toyota "Gazeta" collected money for sick children in hospices and for Fundacja mam Marzenie (I have a dream Foundation).
"Gazeta" published texts on crucial social issues, inter alia, editorial cycle "Higher School of Shame" devoted to the condition of Polish high education or articles by
Adam Wajrak about The Tatra mountains.
"Gazeta" is also engaged in social activities locally, in given cities. Warsaw edition of "Gazeta" organized a competition "Create Warsaw" - project which wins the competition may become a part of city's program aiming at winning the title European Culture Capital 2016, in Opole "Gazeta" fought with illegal waste dumps, and "Gazeta" in Lublin collected over 21 thousand signatures in action supporting the idea of "Fast railway to Warsaw".
Lat Year, in the action entitled
Santa Claus Factory organized by "Gazeta Wyborcza" in Wroclaw, Agora Foundation and Film Center Helios, 1200 children from the poorest families participated. The organizers collected also about PLN 115 thousand for local hospital.
As always "Gazeta" was a patron of numerous cultural events - from Madonna or U2 concert through Opener Festival to film festival Era New Horizons.
Metro
In 2009, "Metro" focused on social - civic activities and tried to involve its readers in those activities.
On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the first free election in Poland, "Metro" organized
"Round Table 2009", which aimed at selection the most important objectives for Poland for the next 20 years. The action included: week - long editorial cycle with experts and readers voicing their opinions, debate "Round Table" with the participation of the representatives of media, science, non-governmental organizations and associations of employers and e-voting executed with the Association Young Poland (nearly 19.000 registered participants) selecting the most important objective for Poland for the next 20 years. The project was awarded by the jury of the international competition Word Young Reader Prize 2009, it was also presented by chief editor of Metro during World Young Reader Conference in Prague in September 2009.
"Metro" participated in a debate on Internet piracy. The subject was discussed in articles published in the newspaper, the readers participated in a competition to design an anti - piracy or pro - piracy sticker in "Metro", the newspaper organized also a debate on piracy, inviting, inter alia, Kazik, Muniek Staszczyk and Jurek Owsiak (polish artists and activists) to voice their opinions.
Together with the Helsinki Human Rights Foundation and Amnesty International "Metro" protested against the death penalty collecting signatures on petition submitted to politicians and published a special edition of newspaper devoted to the death penalty.
„Metro” became also a partner, together with the Internet service
Swistak.pl , of a Christmas charity auction organized by Santa Claus Foundation. During the auction participants bid for exclusive gifts from Polish sportsmen and sportswomen. The income from the auction - PLN 4 500 shall be used for the purchase of sport equipment or financing sport activities for children from family orphanages. During the auction one could buy such items as T-shirt with the signature of Tomasz Majewski, a basketball with the signature of Marcin Gortat or cap signed by Tomasz Adamek.
Magazines
The most important social project organized by magazines published by Agora is the plebiscite
"Mom friendly company", which awards employers helping young people to combine professional career with home and family duties. In 2009, our magazines "Poradnik Domowy" (Housekeeping) and "Dziecko" (Child) organized 5th edition of the plebiscite. Mrs. Maria Kaczynska, wife of the President of Poland, took a patronage over the project for the consecutive time.
Internet
Last year, Agora's Internet segment was engaged in numerous social projects - for example our blog platform supported the Foundation ”Hear Africa” (
uslyszafryke.blox.pl), local services promoted Stefan Batory Foundation in its action "You have a vote”, encouraging people to participate actively in social life. Our services supported also "Itaka Foundation” and distributed emails informing about the project Zaginione Dzieci ("Lost children”).
Gazeta.pl and Polish Humanitarian Organization (POH) carried out a unique project creating a service
Podarnik.Gazeta.pl . Thanks to that service people can contribute money to any of the POH's aid programs concentrating on the those in need. Since December 2009 Podarnik enabled donations to such actions: "Two dinners” - program of supplying additional nutrition to children in Poland, "Learning how to read and write” supporting access to education, inter alia, in Afghanistan, "25 litres of potable water” providing access to potable water in South Sudan and Palestinian Autonomy, "Chicken” and "Fruit tree” - projects for the benefit of people in South Sudan, as well as "First aid set” insuring immediate help for casualties of natural disasters and armed conflicts. In January 2010, the web service enabled donations for suffering in Haiti - till February thanks to Podarnik additional PLN 850 thousand was paid in to POH's accounts.
Agora as one of the co - creators and important players in Polish Internet, undertakes actions focused on observation and propagation of changes caused by Internet. Supporting the idea of elimination of all of the barriers in using Internet Gazeta.pl announced a competition for the projects of web service without barriers. The competition was organized under the patronage of the portal Gazeta.pl and service
GazetaPraca.pl . In 2009, an Internet Academy with Gazeta.pl was started - a cycle of lectures dedicated to Internet and marketing was organized at Warsaw University for the group of over 100 people.
AMS
In 2009 AMS merged two projects - "The gates of the country" and
"AMS for integration" - activities focusing on integration of disabled persons. The fifth edition of "The Gates of the country" was entitled "City without obstacles" and was devoted to the subject of availability and friendliness of Polish cities to the disabled people.
As the year 2010 was announced the year of Fryderyk Chopin, the ninth edition of the poster competition: "The Gallery of Poster" organized by AMS was also related to Chopin. The winner in a most interesting way promoted on its poster connections that Fryderyk Chopin had with Warsaw. Posters participating in the competition illustrated the motto: "Fryderyk! Come back to Warsaw!" and they can be seen on the citilights in the largest Polish cities.
In 2009, AMS organized over 20 social campaigns on its panels, inter alia: the campaign 1% of your tax deduction for Stowarzyszenie Przyjaciol Integracji (Association of Friends of Integration), Fundacja Aktywnej Rehabilitacji (Active Rehabilitation Foundation), Fundacja Marka Kaminskiego (Marek Kamiński Foundation), image building campaigns and campaigns propagating sport activities for the disabled persons - for example European Fencing Championships on wheelchairs or The day of the Paralympic Games Participant organized by Polish Paralympic Committee (PKAR). Panels at the disposal of AMS were also used for campaigns promoting integration of mentally disabled people and volunteer work and safety on the roads. In 2009 AMS was awarded with the title Honorary Patron of Paralympic Sport for its long - term engagement in promotion of sport for the disabled.
Radio
Agora's radio stations eagerly presented social, civic or ecological subjects (for example in Saturday editions of the program "Conversations about helping" in radio TOK FM) and were engaged in charitable activities.
In December, radio TOK FM, for the second time organized an auction of the Christmas tree ball with Dalajlama's signature. The money from the sales of the tree ball were given to SYNAPSIS Foundation helping people with autism.
Supporting XVIII Final Wielkiej Orkiestry Swiatecznej Pomocy (WOSP), Radio TOK FM organized three auctions with the following attractions to bid for: participation in one of the News services in Radio TOK FM, co - hosting the last edition of the program by Cezary Lasiczka and Wojtek Olszak entitled: "Woobie Doobie" and a copy of the book "Make love long and healthy" with author's signature. Radio TOK FM collected PLN 14 thousand for WOSP dedicated to treatment of children with cancer.
Radio TOK FM was a media patron of numerous pro - social activities, inter alia the project
Widzialni.eu (Visible.eu), conference „City without obstacles” organized within the action "The gates of the country” or the action Family for Family helping the poorest families in Poland.
Agora Foundation
In 2009, Agora Foundation engaged itself in many events. The Foundation supported its partner organizations, helping, inter alia, sick and disabled children, publishing "Zeszyty Literackie" and X edition of Literary Award NIKE.
Thanks to the programs run with the 13 specialized organizations (for example: Foundation for Children "Help on time, Hospice Foundation, Foundation "Mam marzenie [I have a dream Foundation] Batory Foundation), Agora Foundation helped sick and needy, donating money for education purposes and for projects leveling out opportunities for those disabled and neglected.
Thanks to the Foundation over few hundred free advertisements appeared in "Gazeta Wyborcza" supporting public collection of money for those in need, and other media comprising Agora Group, inter alia magazines and internet services, published 44 different advertisements of charity institutions. Agora Foundation organized also a collection and delivery of necessary items, for example to schools destroyed during floods and to social day-rooms.
Activities of Agora Foundation, especially those executed together with "Gazeta Wyborcza" as social actions for example Polska biega ("Poland runs") and Leczyc po ludzku ("Humane treatment") are closely followed by Poles.
