MICROPOLIS TEAM

Danish Team

Susanne Juhl Paaske

Susanne Juhl Paaske

The key person involved in the project will be Susanne Juhl Paaske, General Manager of Middelfart Volunteer Center. Cand. Scient. Soc. (International Development Studies) and B.A. (Cultural Studies). She has expertise in project coordination, teaching, pilot work implementation, and course planning. Previously she has had a variety of coordination and evaluation tasks regarding e.g., Nord Plus, Erasmus, InterReg and the European Solidarity Corps. Current member of the FRISE (Voluntary Centers and Self-Help in Denmark), The Volunteer Group in
the Municipality of Middelfart and board member The Council for Vulnerable in the Municipality of Middelfart. Former member of the Cultural Council in Svendborg. Deputy chairman of Samarbejdsforum Odense – à la Volunteer Council (January 2013-January 2015). Member of the Odense Sustainability Council (January 2013-January 2015).

Kamilla Krogh Uttrup

Kamilla Krogh Uttrup

Cultural Consultant at Middelfart Culture & Library, part of the cultural centre KulturØen. Responsible for developing and curating a diverse cultural programme spanning talks, concerts, theatre performances, and other live events, as well as leading selected cross-sector initiatives.

Member of the Visual Arts Council and Project Manager for the Art Programme at the local community hospital, working at the intersection of art, health, and public space. Founder and organiser of the mental health festival “Sindssyg God Søndag” and co-organiser of the documentary film festival Middelfart:DOX. Contributor to the cultural programme of the annual Climate People’s Meeting (Klimafolkemøde), attracting more than 40,000 visitors each year.

Works strategically with climate action, sustainability, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, integrating these priorities into cultural programming and civic engagement initiatives.

Hans Jørgen Vodsgaard

Hans Jørgen Vodsgaard

Chief Executive for Interfolk, Cand. Phil and Mag. Art. (History of ideas). He has expertise in project coordination, desk and field research, pilot work implementation, curricula and course planning, and evaluation and quality assurance – in a Nordic-Baltic and European civil society context. He is also author of articles, reports, and books in the field of liberal adult education and participatory arts and voluntary culture in a civil society context.

Founder and board member of the Danish NGO Network for International Project Work. Former Secretary General of the National Adult Education Association, SFOF; consultant in the Association of Folk High Schools in Denmark; teacher at Ry Folk High School, principal of Snoghøj Folk High School and Uldum Folk High School, project leader at Askov Folk High School, and research leader for Nordic European Academy.

Polish Team

Małgorzata Smoczyńska

Małgorzata Smoczyńska

Project main leader, author and coordinator. Working as EU-projects creator and coordinator for Wawerskie Centrum Kultury. Soft skills trainer with NVC and zen coaching background, creator of The School of Leaders – entrepreneurial studies for women, Successful Women Academy (one of the biggest women self-developement organizations active in years 2009-2016) and more than 20 workshops connected with self-developement and management skills, author of psychological articles for Coaching Magazine, experienced organizer of events and conferences, passionate in travelling and creating networking and developement opportunities.

Jan Różacki

Jan Różacki

Event Manager, Producer, and Talent Agent with an M.A. in Acting from the Lodz Film School and a B.A. in Economics from Kozminski University. He has extensive experience in end-to-end film and television production coordination , including work for major platforms like Netflix. Within the current project, he is responsible for the production of interview-based video content and managing social media communication.

As the Head of Promotion at the Wawer Cultural Center, he spearheaded digital strategies that achieved a tenfold increase in social media engagement and views within a single year. Jan also serves as the Vice-President of the Talent Agent Association, where he works on improving legal frameworks and market regulations within the industry. His expertise combines technical film-set management with a proven track record in building digital communities and high-impact promotional partnerships.

Marzenna Szymańska

Marzenna Szymańska

Educator, art entrepreneur and photographer. She is teaching photography at Wawerskie Centrum Kultury.

Together with her students she created a photographic community “FotoFalenica” that is involved in many artistic and cultural events in our district. They organize exhibitons and open air photographic activities, among others. Each week they have classes in Wawerskie Centrum Kultury Filia Falenica, led by Marzenna. However the community is much bigger, not only students from WCK participate in it.

Marzenna is also responsible for inviting interesting photographers to WCK. She organizes lectures and exhibitions which promote Polish photography to our community in Wawer. She is involved in many other local groups, together they make Wawer a better place 🙂

Joanna Boczkowska

Joanna Boczkowska

A cultural animator, singing instructor, and administrative employee at the Wawer
Cultural Center. During her 3.5 years as a cultural animator, she has created several projects, such as book readings for preschool children, combined with art and music activities called “Motylki Książkowe” (“Book Butterfly”), and a concert series called "Wsłuchaj się w…"
(“Listen to…"), which aims to promote various musical genres among the local community. She runs a vocal section, where she teaches singing to children and
young people. She is involved in all projects carried out at the Marysin area in
Wawer.

She is a trained vocalist, political scientist, and specialist in social communication and
public relations. In her private life, Her three greatest passions are music, Scottish
culture and history, and the sea. She is a lover of animals, travel, chocolate, and
Italian cuisine.

Milena Bajer

Milena Bajer

Milena Bajer is an animator and director of one of the community centers at the Wawerski Cultural Center. She is also a volunteer coordinator and creator of educational projects, including “Sztuka z Bliska” (Art from Close Up), a social innovation supporting dependent seniors in their homes. She runs a Local Activity Center and promotes local community development.

Swedish Team

MILAD

MILAD

Milad is an Activity manager at Tamam Lund and Tamam Malmö, as well as the Meeting Place Coordinator for the project Youth-Driven meeting place (Frizone) in Genarp. Tamam works to create inclusive meeting places, organize meaningful leisure activities, and ensure equal opportunities for everyone, regardless of their background or circumstances. Through his work, Tamam contributes to encouraging youth participation and civic engagement. Tamam and Hemgården work closely together to achieve synergies.
NUY

NUY

Nuy has been part of Hemgården for about a year, after first joining as an intern. Through her experience, she has become familiar with the daily work and the needs of the community. She is trained in youth work and has a background in youth worker education, with a focus on supporting young people’s development, communication, and group activities. Nuy is passionate about creating a safe and inclusive environment where individuals feel seen, heard, and valued.
CHRISTOPHER

CHRISTOPHER

Christopher has been an integral part of the Hemgården team since 2019. With a background in sound engineering and psychology, he facilitates the centre’s music activities. Through a DIY-based approach, he supports young people in expressing themselves whether in the rehearsal rooms, in the studio, on stage or at Hemgården’s jam sessions.
ANGELA

ANGELA

Angela is very passionate about international relations and how they are based on the relationships between individuals, organisations and nations. She believes in giving young people the tools to better their chances in life as well as in life long informal learning. Angela has extensive experience in organising international exchange projects and has been managing the centre since 2017. She is dedicated to networking and is a board member of the Lund Integration and Inclusion Council and the Euro Mediterranean Federation of Socio-Cultural and Neighbourhood centres.
KNUT

KNUT

Knut started at Hemgården as an intern in 2018. Since then, he has worked on an hourly basis and was offered a full-time position in 2022. He has a qualification as a youth recreation leader, and since then he has worked with various DIY projects with young people by offering our visitors opportunities to find an active leisure time and connect with like-minded individuals.  At Hemgården, he does everything from supporting young people through music, to teaching them how to learn skateboard, organizing nature activities such as going fishing. He also built a wall for graffiti workshops so that young people could explore and practice their interest in graffiti.