An update from the Consulate - February 2021

https://www.plindetroit.pl/passports?fbclid=IwAR1AONRMQFzzG8NJKUt2pBDEq7t0cLNXd3Gss2C2jNVK3-d3aBtC9e17p64

Polish passport renewals for Michigan residents are handled exclusively by the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Chicago.  The office of the Polish Consulate in Detroit is not authorized to renew Polish passports or make any appointments. Also, there are no planned visits to Detroit by the Polish Consulate in Chicago for passport renewals. Please directly contact the Polish Consulate in Chicago for passport matters.
Recently, the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Chicago has changed its procedures to make appointments for passport matters, effective from February 16, 2021 until further notice, as follows:
Appointments for visits are now made only by directly calling the Chicago Polish Consulate by phone at: (312) 608-9229, Monday to Friday from 11:00 – 15:00 (Central Time), or 12:00 – 16:00 (Eastern Time). Booking appointments at the Chicago Polish Consulate is free of charge. Arranging passport visits via the e-Konsulat system is suspended until further notice.
NOTE: The Polish Consulate Chicago DOES NOT ORDER AND DOES NOT CONTRACT WITH ANY EXTERNAL ENTITIES IN MATTERS INVOLVING PASSPORTS, VISAS, LEGAL AND CITIZENSHIP. It will no longer be possible to arrange passport visits through external entities.
The telephone number (312) 608-9229 is to be used only to arrange visits for passport matters. Callers with other matters are asked to use the phone number provided on the main website of the consulate: https://www.gov.pl/web/usa/konsulat-generalny-rp-w-chicago  The office does not respond to text messages and voice messages.
ATTENTION:

• by calling the number provided, you can only arrange an individual passport visit for a specific day and time;
  
• visits for minors are arranged by parents or legal guardians;
  
• calls from restricted numbers will not be answered;
  
• it is not possible to book a passport visit by calling another phone number of the Consulate;
  
• all previously arranged dates of passport visits remain valid;
  
• the appointment system  via www.e-konsulat.gov.pl continues to operate in respect of visa, legal and citizenship matters;
  
• all visitors of the Consulate can be admitted only after a prior appointment has been made and in compliance with COVID-19 sanitary guidelines and regulations;
  
• the procedure for making appointments in other cases requiring the immediate intervention of the Consul remain unchanged.
  

The Piast Institute is accepting applications for a Americorps VISTA (Volunteers In Service to America) position for its “Education and Reduction of Opioid Use Initiative” program directed at the area’s senior citizens, immigrant, ethnic and racial groups. The duties include focusing efforts on increasing the awareness of the dangers of opioids and prevention of opioid use disorders and the impact on their lives and their community.

Applicants must be 18 years of age and have basic computer skills, excellent writing and speaking skills and ability to work with the public in general and youth in particular.  Knowledge of a foreign language is a plus.
         
VISTA members receive a monthly stipend, health insurance and a grant for tuition or a monetary bonus after one year of service.  For more information please contact Virginia Skrzyniarz, CEO/Co-Founder at (313) 733-4535 or skrzyniarz@piastinstitute.org.

If you like this lecture and others like it, please consider supporting the Piast Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. This way Piast Institute is able to provide you and many others with other event opportunities and lectures on Polish traditions and history. 
The Piast Institute is a national research center devoted to Polish and Polish American affairs founded in 2003.

More information can be found on the page Polish Language Classes. 

​The Piast Institute is pleased to announce that is has been awarded a 2020 Drug Free Community Grant (DFC) for the Hamtramck Drug Free Community Coalition (HDFCC). The Coalition joined 94 other coalitions that received an additional five years of DFC Grant funding. 
 
The DFC Grant is for a total of $625,000 spread equally over a five-year period. The Institute must provide a 100 percent match for the award to the HDFCC.
 
The purpose of the grant is to:
 

1. Establish and strengthen collaboration among communities, public and private non-profit agencies; as well as federal, state, local, and tribal governments to support efforts of community coalitions working to prevent and reduce substance use among youth.
2. Reduce substance use among youth and, over time, reduce substance abuse among adults by addressing factors in a community that increase the risk of substance abuse and promoting the factors that minimize the risk of substance abuse. 

 
Piast Institute CEO/Co-Founder, Ms. Virginia Skrzyniarz noted, “We are not powerless against the challenge of drug use among young people here in Hamtramck. Research shows that prevention is the most effective tool we have to reduce the terrible consequences associated with drug use among youth. This funding will allow HDFCC to help place more young people on the path toward success and enable them to live healthier and safer lives.”
 
For more information, please contact Piast Institute at 313-733-4535 or by emailing info@piastinstitute.org.

Piast Institute i dr Dominik Stecuła z Colorado State University informują o rozpoczęciu drugiego cyklu badania ankietowego Polish Americans Today. Piast Institute to uznany na szczeblu krajowym think tank zajmujący się sprawami polsko-amerykańskimi, a także jedno z dwóch centrów informacyjnych powszechnego spisu ludności (CIC) w Michigan.
 
Będzie to już druga edycja Polish Americans Today, która zgromadzi dane demograficzne, społeczne, gospodarcze i polityczne oraz inne informacje o Polonii w Ameryce. Pierwsza edycja wyników badania, pod kierunkiem nieżyjącego już prezydenta emeritus, dr Thaddeusa Radziłowskiego i Dominika Stecuły, została opublikowana w 2010 roku w formie książki, która również jest bezpłatnie dostępna na stronie internetowej instytutu (www.PiastInstitute.org).
 
Publikacja doczekała się kilku nakładów i cieszy się popularnością zarówno w Stanach Zjednoczonych, jak i w Polsce. Jednak pomimo całego wysiłku włożonego w zgromadzenie danych, wciąż potrzebne są nowe informacje w celu pogłębienia wiedzy o naszej polonijnej społeczności. Stąd Piast Institute przeprowadza pod kierownictwem CEO, Virginii Skrzyniarz, i dr Dominika Stecuły, kolejny cykl badania, które dostarczy najnowszych informacji na temat Polonii. Mamy nadzieję, że obecna ankieta zaowocuje wydaniem zaktualizowanej publikacji, która będzie zawierała aktualne informacje dostępne dla badaczy, naukowców, organizacji społecznych i wszystkich zainteresowanych Polonią.
 
„Wartość tego badania nie jest czysto akademicka, ale ma wpływ na nasze zrozumienie tego, kim jesteśmy jako społeczność i dokąd zmierzamy”. powiedział dr Dominik Stecuła.
Dostęp do ankiety można uzyskać, klikając w link: www.polishamericanstudy.com. Ankieta jest całkowicie anonimowa i można pominąć pytania, na które respondent nie chce udzielić odpowiedzi. Podane przez Państwa informacje będą traktowane jako poufne. Ankieta jest dostępna tylko w języku angielskim.
 
Jeśli mają Państwo jakieś pytania, prosimy o kontakt z Piast Institute  na email info@piastinstitute.org lub telefonicznie pod numerem 313.733.4535. Można również wysłać wiadomość e-mail na adres: dominik.stecula@colostate.edu.
 
Pragniemy Państwu podziękować za zaangażowanie w sprawy społeczności polonijnej i udział w tym ważnym projekcie Instytutu Piasta. 
 
Podpisali, 
Członkowie Polsko-Amerykańskiej Komisji ds. Badań Polonii
Virginia Skrzyniarz, CEO and Co-Founder of Piast Institute
Dominik Stecuła, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Political Science, Colorado State University
Alexander Clegg, Polish American Affairs, Piast Institute
Malgorzata Tulecki, Executive Director, Piast Institute
Dylan Siwicki, CIC Intern, Piast Institute
Marzanna Owinski, Polish Cultural Programming, Piast Institute
Grzegorz Fryc, President of Gram-X Promotions

         The Piast Institute along with Dr. Dominik Stecuła of Colorado State University announce the initiation of the second volume of its Polish Americans Today Survey. The Piast Institute is a nationally recognized think tank focusing on Polish and Polish American affairs as well as being the only Census Information Center (CIC) in the state of Michigan. 

         “The value of this work is not purely academic, but it has implications for our understanding of who we are as a community and where we are headed.” said Dr. Dominik Stecuła. 

          This survey can be easily accessed by following this link: www.polishamericanstudy.com. The survey is completely anonymous and you can decline to answer any question that you do not want to answer by skipping it. The information you give will be kept confidential and will not be linked to you in any way. This survey is only available in English.

        If you have any questions, please contact the Piast Institute at: info@piastinstitute.org or call 313.733.4535. You can also send an email regarding questions on the survey to: dominik.stecula@colostate.edu.
Thank you for serving the Polish American community and voluntarily participating in this important survey by the Piast Institute. 
 
Signed, the Polish American Survey Committee Members

                             Virginia Skrzyniarz, CEO and Co-Founder of Piast Institute
​                            Dominik Stecuła, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Political Science, Colorado State University
 ​                           Alexander Clegg, Polish American Affairs, Piast Institute
​                            Malgorzata Tulecki, Executive Director, Piast Institute
​                            Dylan Siwicki, CIC Intern, Piast Institute
​                            Grzegorz Fryc, President of Gram-X Promotions
                            Marzanna Owinski, Polish Cultural Programming, Piast Institute

​As you well know October is Polish Heritage Month and we are delighted to recognize some of the programs and groups that have helped sustain and grow the Polish American culture. Polish language classes, Polish scouts, dance groups and camps, and Fraternal Organizations, not only give us pride in our heritage but give new generations an understanding of their past. It is with these activities in mind that we not only celebrate Polish Heritage Month but that we share with you Piast Institute’s exciting plans for future growth of Polonia.
 
With your help we are about to launch a Capital Campaign, our first since acquiring this building in 2008, to renovate three areas of our building to support and grow our programs and give the youth and community a safe and welcoming place to gather. This effort will be in three phases.
 
The first phase involves the renovation of our current conference room, where we have traditionally held all of our events, including lectures, seminars, community meetings and dignitary and consular visits. In light of Covid-19 we believe this will allow us to accommodate different needs and offer safe distancing, and additional technology giving the Piast Institute and the community the opportunity to have a multipurpose space for individual or group activities. Changes would include new technology, a new floor, and ADA compliant furnishings that can be reconfigured and disinfected easily.
 
The second phase of our campaign involves renovating an unused portion in the back of our building which was originally used as a garage. We would be maintaining the original brick walls while adding utilities and equipment. This would allow us a second space with a café atmosphere for artists to display, music to be heard and community groups to gather. We would be excited to bring in emerging Polish American artists, poets, musicians and writers to display and share their work. Piast has been promoting the arts and culture of Polonia for years but has lacked the space needed to truly highlight these programs.
 
The third phase of this renovation involves preserving and protecting our archives. For many months now we have been blessed with a college intern that has begun the arduous task of sorting and cataloguing the papers, artifacts, and rare books that were Dr. Thaddeus C. Radzilowski’s legacy which is housed on the second floor of our building. The archives also contain extensive materials from the libraries of Dr. Edward Martin, Mr. Bruno Nowicki, Mr. Stanley Nowak, Mr. Joseph Kalenkiewicz and the Pieronek family. Unfortunately, this space is in desperate need of repair and updating. It is our goal to make it a useable space for historians and students who want to do research. Though the structure is solid, it has not been updated since 1958 and needs new walls and mechanics. We are most concerned about preserving the historical documents, housing them in a controlled environment, and making them accessible to a new generation of learners.
 
We believe that this Capital Campaign will give us the opportunity to support the groups and organizations that are the pillars of our heritage as well as grow our youth involvement in the community. Polish Americans have a rich culture that needs to be shared. It is important that we have a place that says “come in, so we might share and learn together” and Build a New Polonia for the 21st Century.
 
We hope that you will support this campaign financially and join us in preserving the heritage that our parents and grandparents loved and cherished. If you would like to view more details of our plans, please call our office and schedule a visit.