Project team

Name: Ján Smatana
Organization: Center for the support of informal education
Email: johny (at) cenef (dot) sk
Position in the project: project author, expert, technician

He works as a project manager, methodologist, lecturer and technician. He is a member of several expert and working groups dedicated to the topics of informal education and youth work. He graduated in the field of artificial intelligence, so working with people complements knowledge from the technical field. He coordinated several projects focused on informal education.


Name: Ester Surovčík
Organization: Brontosaurus Movement
Email: souvenirs (attachment) brontosaurus (dot) cz
Position in the project: project coordinator (CZ), expert

Graduated in History of Art from Masaryk University in Brno. She currently works in the organization as the coordinator of Monument Actions and is dedicated to informal education in the form of experiential, volunteering events to help monuments. In the past, she worked as a producer and dramaturg of music and sports events and festivals. In addition, you can meet her as an operator in a cafe in Brno, where she manages one of the branches. She doesn’t like stereotypes, but loves variety, management and new challenges that make sense.


Name: Marcin Rechulicz
Organization: Stowarzyszenie Czajnia
Email: marcin.rechulicz (behind) interior (dot) pl
Position in the project: project coordinator (PL), expert

President of the Czajnia Association, animator and coordinator of volunteering within the association. He has many years of experience in the management of an NGO, author of several publications in this field, trainer of NGO management, NGO networking and cooperation of local governments with NGOs, advisor to local governments in introducing the “cooperation model” with NGOs. The initiator of the entry of the Czajnia Association into partner networks, i.e. of local partners LOS, V4, ODL, Federation of Local Funds, initiator of the foundation of the Cross-Border Cooperation Fund. Graduate of the PAFF Leaders Program. Member of the board of directors of the Federation of Community Foundations in Poland, coordinator of many programs implemented within the organizations. Initiator and animator of cross-border cooperation of the association and coordinator of cross-border projects (financed from the V4 and RITA programs). Initiator of the creation of mini-grant programs implemented by the Czech Republic Association for non-governmental organizations and informal groups, such as the Activator, the Grant Ambulance and the Cross-border grant program. Principal of Stanisław Kostka Starowieyski Secondary General School in Łaszczów.


Name: Dagmara Verešpejová
Organization: Center for the support of informal education
Email: dada (at) cenef (dot) sk
Position in the project: project coordinator

He has been engaged in informal education for many years. She participated in the projects: (Un)safe in the network, Critical thinking in practice and It’s time to (in)form, which focused on the issue of critical thinking. He works in the organization CeNef and actively cooperates with the organizations eRko-HKSD and RMPK. In the past, she worked in the organization Iuventa – Slovak Institute of Youth in the position of regional expert researcher of the Komprax National Project – competences for practice. She studied pedagogy and social work in Prešov. She is an example of good practice in time management, as she divides her time between family, lecturing, administering programs and educational projects, volunteering, hobbies and a good cup of coffee with friends.


Name: Anna-Maria Zwyrtek
Organization: Brontosaurus Movement
Email: zwyrtek.am (at) gmail (dot) com
Position in the project: expert, methodologist

Freelance arts manager with a focus on production, representation of artists, marketing and management of cultural organizations. A graduate of the University of Economics in Prague.


Name: Peter Smatana
Organization: Center for the support of informal education
Email: psmatana (at) gmail (dot) com
Position in the project: analyst, developer

He graduated from the field of artificial intelligence at the Technical University in Košice, with which he also cooperates for a long time in research and development projects, as an analyst and implementer of software solutions. He also participated in the development of several commercial projects. His portfolio of projects is mainly in the field of culture, education, financial market and policy modeling. It designs and implements complex solutions, but its main domains are knowledge representation, natural language processing and search. He cooperates externally with the organization CeNef on technical solutions.


Name: Júlia Balážová
Organization: Center for the support of informal education
Position in the project: expert

He sees the attractiveness of informal education in the power of the experience, which goes through several senses in parallel, which naturally develops the complex skills of a person of the 21st century. Her many years of experience as an animator brought her to informal education and the study of other alternative forms of education, when she participated as a lecturer and project coordinator in the creation of methodologies and educational projects of the Prešov Region Youth Council and Iuventa. Within the framework of the topics, it deals with the development of social skills, education and training for human rights, as well as the activation of youth. At work, he uses his artistic and linguistic-literary education and regularly broadens his horizons by participating in various educational courses at home and abroad. Ever since she became a mother, she has been “enchanted” by the principles of respectful education and Montessori pedagogy.
What does not pass through the “senses” will not remain in the mind. (J. Locke)


Name: Marcin Piotrowski
Organization: Stowarzyszenie Czajnia
Email: marcinpiotrowskiradio (at) gmail (dot) com
Position in the project: expert

Sociologist, cultural animator, journalist, specialist in city marketing. Municipal adviser, chairman of the committee for Promotion, Culture and Tourism of the Lubaczowski District Council. Director of Folkowiska, one of the best festivals in Europe. Creator and coordinator of numerous social campaigns such as “I’m from the countryside”, “Global aba” and promotional campaigns such as “Nezabudky – satisfaction”. In 2016, he was awarded the title “Outstanding Pole” in Ireland with the Teraz Polska award and the Statue of the Marshal of the Subcarpathian Province for special activity in the field of tourism development and promotion.