FOUNDATION
THE JO KAMINSKA FOUNDATION
Jewellery has the potential to influence human lives, create jobs and through different projects change the life and the future of the artisan communities all over the world. Alongside the ethical principles of Jo Kaminska Jewellery production, the idea of a charitable foundation was born. The Jo Kaminska Foundation was established on 3rd November 2012. Its main purpose is to promote environmental awareness, with the main emphasis on plastic pollution, through different types of workshops, art activities for children and teenagers and beach cleanups . It is done through work on the grassroots level. This way we are able to involve local communities to work together towards better future for them and for the planet.
In doing so, Jo Kaminska will not only be furthering economic development through her jewellery business, but also providing added value to the local communities where the gemstones and pearls for Jo Kaminska designs come from.
Teachers’ Trainings
The JK Foundation is organizing teachers’ trainings offering activities that combine different forms of Art with information about environmental hazards – especially about plastic pollution. During the 6 hour workshop teachers are taught in an interactive way how to use the activities in the classroom. The training includes also theoretical part during which a lot of information about plastic pollution is presented. We also brainstorm about what can be done to reduce the use of plastic in the local communities. The programme offers a lot of visual materials, songs and films that can later be used by the teachers during their lessons. A special group was created on Facebook – Eco Nations – where all the materials used during the training are published.At JKF we hope that the ideas of reducing and in the end eliminating plastic pollution will hopefully flourish in the local communities and eventually spread through the grassroots of different communities.
The programme consists of different activities all related to different forms of Art. At JKF we believe that Art is one of the most important aspects of life. If we expose young people to it, we will stimulate their creative thinking, which will be very beneficial for them and their communities on many different levels in their future.
The first workshops – Sri Lanka 2013
The first series of workshops took place in Sri Lanka in 2013. We chose this country on the first place, because most of the stones used in Jo Kaminska jewellery come from here and secondly because we can still prevent many environmental disasters from happening here. In one year Jo Kaminska Foundation trained teachers from 162 schools from the Southern Province of the island and the region of Ratnapura. The programme combines visual art forms with oral art forms such as story telling and debates. All of them greatly stimulate imagination and will help the students to be able to express their ideas and learn how to look for dialogue when looking for solutions. Story telling is also a very useful tool to preserve and disseminate national and local heritage especially in a country like Sri Lanka that suffered the atrocities of civil war for 25 years. It also gives a great opportunity to involve different generations, particularly the elders, in community life.
More information about plastic pollution with slieds, films and interesting articles you can find on our facebook profile
- Jo Kaminska Foundation: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Jo-Kaminska-Foundation/490210161009478
