#IW22 #FreedomGames #IgrzyskaWolnosci #ZielonaNiepodleglosc #GreenIndependence
Each year, Atlas Network’s Templeton Freedom Award Prize Program, generously sponsored by the Templeton Religion Trust, honors and rewards outstanding projects by our partners across the world through both the flagship Templeton Freedom Award and five Regional Liberty Awards. The latter each offer a prize of up to US$10,000 and recognition on stage at the applicable Regional Liberty Forum. Fundacja Liberté! (Poland), won the 2022 Europe Liberty Award for their annual Freedom Games event.
Since 2014, Fundacja Liberte! has held their two-and-a-half day Freedom Games event to create a space for liberty-minded individuals to gather and discuss the challenges and opportunities ahead for classical liberalism. Held in Lodz, Poland, the organizers were forced to innovate in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and move the event online. The organizers realized the potential of a hybrid format, and in 2021 Freedom Games were streamed online, in addition to meeting in-person. Working in conjunction with other Atlas Network partners, like-minded organizations, local and global businesses, and the city government has allowed Fundacja Liberte! to reach a global audience, with last year’s event reaching over two million online participants. They look forward to building on their success and learning experience during this year’s Freedom Games event in October.
We are pleased to announce that the 2022 edition of Freedom Games is to be held on October 14-16 in the EC1, Lodz. The leading theme of this year’s forum is to be “Green Independence”.
ABOUT THE FORTHCOMING EDITION
Russia’s attack on Ukraine brought the European sense of relative security to an end. Geopolitics is back in all its brutality, and so the mobilization of the entire free world is needed to help the attacked, independent, European state. Ukraine must survive, because if Kyiv is deprived of the right to selfdetermination, the world order will erode, and the chaos of war will probably spread to more countries and regions.
The war is a wake-up call for the entire free world, which must be ready to defend its freedoms and values in a military way. It is also the last call for a green transformation that will make democratic countries independent from the supply of energy resources from authoritarian countries. Today, green transformation is green independence, our climate and ecological goals are aligned with the geopolitical ones like never before.
The challenges of green transformation and development require consistent and long-term action across political divisions. It is necessary to be mindful of environmental protection – protect forests, fight smog, eliminate inhumane methods of intensive animal farming – and, as a result, stop climate change. These tasks should not be governed by political preferences. Still, the biggest challenge awaits Poland in the field of energy transformation and moving away from coal-based energy – a process that requires extensive investment.
Developed Western societies are privileged over the countries that joined the industrial and capitalist revolution later. The ‘yellow vests’ protests demonstrated that even in wealthy France there is a potential for a radical opposition to the costs of green transformation. Therefore, it is crucial to reconcile the possibility of sustainable development with responsibility for our planet. Lack of growth will lead to a zero-sum game, in which the strongest will win – and the weaker will likely rebel against the rules imposed on them.
Forcing radical lifestyle changes – such as an absolute ban on meat consumption or using cars – will likely backfire and be met with opposition that will actually slow down the fight against climate change instead of accelerating it. For this reason, environmentally friendly actions and those counteracting climate change must obtain a permanent democratic mandate that will not give populists any arguments.
Undoubtedly, carrying out such significant changes without universal public approval will not be effective.
At the same time, capitalism must come to terms with the fact that climate change is real. For the market to continue to flourish, action is required from companies, consumers, and governments. However, one should approach the challenges we face rationally. While the idea of zero growth may perhaps seem acceptable for highly developed societies (such as the Netherlands or Norway), it is difficult to imagine that this plan would be approved by the people of Egypt or Somalia. It also seems unthinkable to accept the idea of stagnation in the Polish society. If green ideas cannot be reconciled with a system that allows people to dream and work for a better future, they will be pushed to the margins of politics by other narratives that offer such an opportunity. Such a state of affairs can only exacerbate the processes that are already leading to catastrophic climate change.
We have a duty to craft such a narrative about fighting climate change that has the potential to win over the majority of the population. The ideology that presents itself as the only right one always causes resistance, and in unfavorable conditions, a social reaction can lead to disastrous consequences. Therefore, we should not be asking whether we need growth, or a free-market and law-abiding capitalist economy that is most effective in combating poverty and making citizens richer. Instead, the question is how to reconcile our economic goals with the fight against the climate crisis. The introduction of clean and available new technologies constitutes a rational path that could eventually lead us out of the crisis.
Environmental demands must be enshrined in the broadly understood modernity and aspirations of Poles and be presented as an opportunity, not just sacrifices. To achieve this goal, we need to appeal to our shared values and interests. Most importantly, we cannot wait for a social change to just happen. By remaining passive we will condemn ourselves to impossible sacrifices and destroy the competitiveness of the Polish economy. Therefore, an action plan must be drawn up – one that shall identify not only expert solutions, but also sociopolitical ones.
How to accelerate the road to green independence? We will try to answer this question during the 2022 Freedom Games.
The online broadcast from the 2022 Freedom Games will be available via the website www.igrzyskawolnosci.pl/ and social media – no fees or registration required.
This year’s edition of Freedom Games will take place in a hybrid format, which is why we have also prepared an offer for people who value personal participation in events, networking, and interaction with the speakers.
The pass provides the participant with:
The pass provides the participant with:
We have great news for all fans of podcasts! From now on, you can not only watch Freedom Games, but also listen to sessions online – in the car, on the way to work, or as part of the evening relaxation! Look for us on Soundcloud and Spotify. Check it out!
At the moment, all sessions are available in Polish.
The presented folder is a post-Freedom Games report on the world after the COVID-19 pandemic. It consists of a set of analyses and diagnoses, concerning, among others, climate, education, culture, or economy.
The reports were prepared by specialists in their fields: Weronika Michalak, Tomasz Kamiński, Olga Brzezińska, Daria Hejwosz-Gromkowska, Tomasz Kasprowicz, and Rafał Szymczak, whose speeches we had a chance to hear at the end of the 2020 Freedom Games.
We believe that this kind of a summary that brings together the struggles to date, but also points out the future challenges in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic may indicate specific ways of action, will allow us to see real threats, and shall give us hope that appears on the horizon of change.
We are pleased to present you the summary folder of Freedom Games 2020.
It was an unforgettable three days of debates, meetings, and panel discussions – this time for the first time online! This edition of Freedom Games posed a unique challenge for us, the organizers, which is why we would like to thank you very much for being with us in front of the screens and for the virtual support that motivates us every day and helps us believe that our work is meaningful – ultimately, the event gathered 798,026 viewers across all platforms!
Once again, we thank all the partners of the Freedom Games 2020 and everyone who was involved in their organization.
The Freedom Games 2020 program “A Post-Pandemic World” is now available on our website!
Get ready for two and a half days of talks with people of culture, business, and public life about democracy, economy, human rights, education, and environmental protection during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. We would like to remind you that this year, Freedom Games are moving to virtual arenas, and that participation in the forum is free and does not require registration.
Our website now also offers the “Make your program” function, thanks to which you can plan your own personalized path of Freedom Games, consisting only of the events that interest you! Instructions on how to do this may be found in the “PROGRAM” tab.
WHERE TO FIND STREAMING ONLINE? Links to individual sessions will be available on the Freedom Games website in the “PROGRAM” tab. They will appear in the description that you will see after clicking on the tile with the event you are interested in.
The event, held for the seventh time, is an interdisciplinary cultural and intellectual forum. Organized with the goal of offering a creative space for meetings of people of culture, business, and public life, it is an arena for discussing the most important challenges faced by Western societies in the 21st century.
Due to pandemic restrictions, this year, the forum will be held online. The organizer will make available on its website www.liberte.pl five channels on which it will be possible to follow live broadcasts, including two channels with simultaneous Polish/English translation. Selected streams will also be shared via social media.
