Polish by birth and African by heart, Jakub brings to UCD Innovation Academy his intercultural perspective on transformative education geared towards the common good and justice for all. Between 2010-2022, he lived in Johannesburg, South Africa, where he was originally sent as a volunteer of Fidesco, a French NGO dedicated to international solidarity. For over a decade, he worked as an academic in the fields of Ethics, Philosophy and Religion.
The diversity that he encountered in South African society (coming from a much more homogenous Polish context) has enabled him to accept various layers of his own identity and become ever more appreciative of the differences that make our communities so rich and resourceful. Apart from his academic work, he has been involved, as an activist, in several civil society-driven initiatives. These included fighting institutional racism in the higher education sector as well as promoting equal rights for women, LGBTQIA+ people and refugees.
Working as a Facilitator at the UCD Innovation Academy allows him to integrate his academic interests, particularly those in environmental migration and human trafficking, with a personal passion for diversity, sustainability and social justice.
“Joining the UCD Innovation Academy after years of working in the ‘mainstream’ academic environment felt like being freed from a straitjacket. With the emphasis on action-based, experiential learning methods and radical collaboration, I have been given wings to fly from what felt at times like an ‘ivory tower’ down to earth where the very real problems of our planet and our communities cry out for innovative approaches and transformative solutions.
In the Academy, the constant cross-pollination of ideas among the fantastic team of educators and entrepreneurs goes hand in hand with a deep sense of solidarity and mutual care. Empowering our students to realise their full creative potential and play their role in shaping the future of our planet and society, is a passion that we all share.”