MISSION
Our mission is to help people achieve the greatness to which they are destined. We provide support to all those who have the dream and courage to make the world a better place.
Hence our motto, which reflects the idea of our activity to the fullest: “We open windows where doors are closed.”
WE OPEN WINDOWS
WHERE DOORS ARE CLOSED.
- Create places for meetings and open dialogue between representatives of high and popular cultures
- Discover and promote talent
- Break barriers and build bridges between representatives of culture, business, science, people of various orientations, political views or religions
- Broaden horizons through shared knowledge and experience
- Promote an attitude of mutual respect.
The performance of Polish b-boys in front of John Paul II in 2004 became a worldwide phenomenon, widely commented and transmitted by 56 TV stations.
“[...] the image of God the Creator finds its reflection in the human-creator. Today, I repeat those words in front of representatives of the Foundation who aim to promote a creative lifestyle, especially among young people. [...] An artistic talent is God’s gift and those who discover it in themselves also discover a certain duty: they know that this talent cannot be wasted and must be developed.”
HOW DID IT ALL BEGIN?
The idea to create the CTN Foundation was born spontaneously in 2002. Marek Ratajczak, one of the initiators of the Foundation, left his workplace in a financial institution for an hour... and never came back. In Warsaw’s Old Town, he met break dancers who were performing their amazing skills. Then came the question: why do we live in such hermetic environments?
Known director Krzysztof Zanussi or philosopher Leszek Kołakowski, or Radio Free Europe correspondent Jan Nowak-Jeziorański may not have been b-boys fans, but on the other hand, why don’t break dancers watch Zanussi’s movies or attend Kołakowski’s lectures? Why are we so self-contained, limited, prejudiced? Interest in people and curiosity about the world should push us into new and different environments. Youth is a state of mind, a world without barriers, with respect for everyone, regardless of their views, orientation, education or material status.
Marek Ratajczak directly asked Władysław Bartoszewski, Jan Nowak-Jeziorański, Leszek Kołakowski and Krzysztof Zanussi why the cultural world of young people holds no interest for them. Leszek Kołakowski wrote back: “[...] as for me, I wanted to be a circus performer, but, unfortunately, my skills did not allow me to. I consider the idea to organize meetings of people of high and popular culture to be extremely important and invigorating.” The responses of Jan Nowak-Jeziorański, Władysław Bartoszewski and Krzysztof Zanussi were surprising: “We do not attend break dance shows, but we are open and curious.”
This curiosity gave birth to the idea of establishing the Foundation, initially perversely named the Centre of National Creativity. The initiative’s purpose was to facilitate meetings between people with different life experiences, literally “from conductor to cook.” Władysław Bartoszewski became the first president of the Council of the Foundation, and Jan Nowak-Jeziorański, Krzysztof Zanussi and Leszek Kołakowski became its founding members.
“[...] as for me, I wanted to be a circus performer, but, unfortunately, my skills did not allow me to. I consider the idea to organize meetings of people of high and popular culture to be extremely important and invigorating.”
“We do not attend break dance shows, but we are open and curious.”
