Agata Etmanowicz

Vice-president of Impact Foundation, co-establisher of Poland Without Barriers Foundation, trainer, Lodz

From 2002 until 2007 she was working for the Polish Ministry of Culture. She was: coordinating the Culture Contact Point (CCP) responsible for running the European Community Programme Culture 2000 in Poland and later, Programme Culture 2007-2013. 

She was also appointed by the Ministry as a negotiator in the Council of the European Union - Cultural Affairs Committee and in the Audiovisual Working Group as well as a member of the of the Culture 2000 Management Committee, Culture (2007-2013) Management Committee. 

She was also coordinating European programme in the field of civil society: Europe for Citizens Programme Committee and was a member of Management Committee of the Programme. 

In the years 2008-2009 the Ministry appointed her as an expert to the Working group on maximising the potential of creative and cultural industries, in particular that of SMEs within the frame of Open Method of Coordination). 

From 2004 to 2009 she was also cooperating with private multidisciplinary artistic centre Fabryka Trzciny in Warsaw, being responsible for project management, fund-raising and co-ordination of international co-operation (among other responsibilities she was appointed as a delegate to two European Networks: Trans Europe Halles and Culture Action Europe).  

From 2009 shes a vice president of Impact Foundation based in Warsaw (promoter of the audience development concept in Poland and co-ordinator of international River//Cities Platform). 

Since the beginning of 2011 she cooperates with Fabryka Sztuki (the Art Factory) in Łódź being responsible for:

-international cooperation (shes a delegate to European networks: Culture Action Europe and Trans Europe Halles and manages Engine Room Europe on behalf of Fabryka Sztuki);

-developing the programme for Art_Inkubator institution of support, acting not for profit, which aim is professionalization of culture and creative sectors; 

Shes also a co-establisher of Poland Without Barriers Foundation working towards elimination of both architectural and mental barriers, enabling people with disabilities normal functioning in society.

Since 2012 she also works as volunteer for Warsaw Wheelchair Rugby Association and Foundation of Active Rehabilitation. 

She cooperates with a number of organisations at national and international level and runs projects with them. She also consults projects for organisations and public bodies in Poland and abroad. 

She was also evaluates and asses projects (lately for Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture). 

She works as a trainer conducts workshops and lectures on European Unions policies, projects funding, project management, international cooperation, creative and culture sector, audience development, Eastern Partnership and lately also customer service in relation to people with disabilities in Poland and other European countries (EU and outside EU Eastern Partnership, Balkans and Russia). 

From 1999 she regularly publishes articles and is an author/co-author of few book publications mainly in the field of: European cultural policy, civil society, audiovisual policy, employment procedures in European institutions, European instruments against drug trafficking, European projects management and obtaining grants, European volunteering, European support for lifelong learning. 

Recently was named one of 25 young Polish leaders as part of the project 25/25 (25 young leaders of change for the next 25 years of Poland) organised by Teraz PolskaFoundation and supported by the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy.