We've completed seven exceptional international online lessons, which we conducted on September 29th and 30th, directly from the Polish Pavilion at the EXPO in Osaka, Japan. Over 51,000 participants – students and teachers from primary and secondary schools in Poland, as well as Polish diaspora schools from around the world – participated in the events, which were organized, among others, as part of the official delegation of the Polish banking sector. A huge success was the lesson with Polish astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski.
Student cooperatives, their principles of operation, and the celebration of the UN's International Year of Cooperatives. Saving and investing, along with the rules that govern the global market. An inspirational debate on how to find ideas for personal and career development, what's important when planning your professional future, why it's worth saving, and what saving has to do with realizing your dreams. These were some of the topics discussed by the instructors on the first day of our presence at EXPO 2025.
The first lesson organized in cooperation with the Polish Bank Association, "Teamwork pays off, or student cooperatives at the start – the UN International Year of Cooperatives", was inaugurated by Dr. Tadeusz Białek, President of the Polish Bank Association, and Krzysztof Karwowski, Chairman of the Polish Bank Association Council and President of the Cooperative Bank in Szczytno, and the classes were led by Anna Dranikowska, coordinator of the education department at the Greater Poland Centre for Social Economy.
„"Financial Multiplayer – From Piggy Bank to Large Investments and the Global Market" was the topic of the second session, prepared in collaboration with Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK). The session was inaugurated by Jarosław Dąbrowski, Vice President of BGK, and led by Professor Witold Orłowski, who introduced participants to key economic issues.
Finance sector leaders Joanna Erdman, president of the Cashless Poland Foundation, Joanna Seklecka, president of eService, and Agnieszka Wachnicka, vice president of the Polish Bank Association, participated in the inspirational debate "Who Will I Be in the Future? – Work That Shapes Me and a Better World." The women shared their experiences with career planning and development.
The first day of the EXPO concluded with a joint lesson with PKO Bank Polski. The lesson, "Mission Saving – First Steps to Fulfilling Dreams," was inaugurated by Tomasz Pol, Vice President of PKO BP, and Aleksandra Andrusiewicz and Krzysztof Michalski, experts from PKO BP, discussed saving methods and strategies.
The second day was filled with incredible, cosmic energy, delivered by Polish astronaut Dr. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski. His classes attracted a record-breaking audience of over 43,000 students and teachers! The second Pole in space and the first on the International Space Station, he spoke about his experiences, recruitment into the European Astronaut Corps, preparations for the IGNIS mission, and his time on the ISS.
The lesson plan for the day also included a lesson organized in cooperation with Bank Pekao SA, "KaKeiBo – The Japanese Art of Saving with a Polish Twist," led by Paweł Nowak and Marek Grabiwoda, experts from Pekao SA, and the final lesson, "Design Thinking. Change the World Your Way," prepared in cooperation with mBank. Aleksandra Gren, member of the Supervisory Board of mBank, opened the lesson, and Emilia Kot and Katarzyna Kajszczak, experts from mBank, introduced the principles of design thinking.
We would like to thank our partners, presenters and, above all, the participants – students and teachers – for their commitment and presence during these exceptional meetings.
