Regarding to our 20th birthday – Interview with Orsolya Polgárné Fekete

We did an interview with one of our Association’s important partner, with whom we cooperated in many programs and events. In the interview with Orsolya Polgárné Fekete we can see a little deeper into the school student governments, also we cloud get know how a student government helper teacher sees the KÖZ-Pont. In the future we will do interviews with KÖZ-Pont people, read those too.

1. When and how did you get in touch with the Centre Youth Association?
In the 2009-2010 school year I got in touch with the Association. When we participated with my students in a spring general meeting by the joint invitation of the Children and Youth Student Self-Government of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County and the Centre Youth Association. My purpose was that time to helping the Student Government’s work to build relationship with the cities and count’s secondary schools, students, and DMSP teachers. Since the initial steps our life is intertwined with many threads without the all of the completeness some things: the joint organizing of the County Sports Days, or in the past years always the guest rapporteurs, the co-workers of the Association or the ESC volunteers on our career orientation day participates, but regularly our students are participating on the trainings and IKSZ activities too.

2. How long have you been in the teaching profession?
I have started in the 2002-2003 school year, currently it’s the 18 th school year on the track.

3. What made you choose this profession?
I loved always my chosen professions the Hungarian language and the history. Excellent teachers helped me in the acquisition of my knowledge all in primary and secondary school. In part, then, at their instigation. Otherwise for that I lie to deal with people and specially with kids. I never forget my first practiced lesson at a practicing school, I knew that time, I made a good decision about my future.

4. Since when you helping your school student self-government?
I became a part of the Sipkay’s education team in charge of organizing spare time activities. I found the common voice very easily with the leader of the class teacher working community I considered a mentor to this day with the responsible for the youth protection. My early wing trials for example the school sparrow camps, school beginner inaugurations and the school events organizing and implementation, the sparrow newspaper editing happened in their guidance. I remember how big experience the preparations meant, often afternoon conversations, then the smiling faces in connection with an event, positive feedbacks. After these it wasn’t a question, that in September of 2005 I undertook the ask of the student self-government helper teacher’s role.

5. What do you think what is the task of a student government helper teacher?
Based on the dry facts the school student government’s operation support. As a part of the board of education and with this providing the communication channel among the board of the school, faculty members (current faculty members) and the student government. The preparation of the meetings, the participation on those, the helping in the decision making. The student rights and ensuring the enforcement of rights within the scope of DÖK. Spare time activities and programs organizing in study time and through on that (with special sight of the one non-teaching day’s program’s also known as the student day’s organizing). In real everything what needed besides the education. I like to talk to students, I measure the demands on that what could make a little more colourful the grey weekdays. But over the years they can turn to me with anything maybe this is why I became during the years everybody’s “Orsi nénije”.

6. Why do you like to deal with the student government?
I always loved the overload. I have never run away from the plus tasks. I love the challenges and today these responsibilities and XXI. projected on the students of the 20th century – I think it is even more so. If I want to be fully selfish then for that because it keeps me young in the company of the children the mind can’t get lazy, the body neither... always have to be on the top and have to keep up with the newer and newer grades students, youth and with the values and with ideas.

7. Which is your dearest memory with the school student government?
The sparrow camps. I loved this event always. It was interesting to take the Zemplén’s one of the most popular youth accommodation with a unit of bus unknown children. On the 3 days long event laughing, sleepily, get know the students by jokes of the older ones. These were always very good parties.

8. What was the biggest challenge for you while helping of the student government?
In the past years stay alive the DÖK and that, to see it as a privilege they belong to the school’s student leaders. Unfortunately, the today’s students’ interest or near the growing disinterest it isn’t an easy task all the time.

9. Who would you recommend the school student government?
For those who have unnecessary energy near the more and more burdensome classes and requirements. For those who has opinion and they aren’t rest to tell that, who can represent their fellow students. For those who are open to the new things, to build new relationships. And for those who are community people because the DÖK obviously a team game.

10. Outside the student government you coordinate in your school community service too. What kind of experiences do you have in connection of this? How your students live the 50 hours?
In the beginning, the program affected with the power of surprise but somehow, they accepted it easily, in fact I take the risk the students enjoyed it. At the beginning I was on charge of only for one grade, so the thing’s organizing was more transparent to and sometimes I could accompany them to some activities. Now with 17 classes on 4 grades it’s almost impossible. But I am glad about the good we could build a good host organization connection system during the years the students came to us like they know they were informed about our website, what is this thing and where they would like to spend. So far, we have never had a student at us, who haven’t got the graduation certificate because of the missing IKSZ.

11. Which literary work would you compare the Centre Youth Association?
I think it isn’t exaggeration I could compare the Association’s work to Defoe: Robinson Crusoe novel. As the protagonist of the novel on an uninhabited island created the opportunity of the civilization and the life’s, so the Association creates the framework of the DÖK work and opportunities in the county.

12. Which are those three words, which you would describe, would characterize the Centre Youth Association?
Reliability, professionalism, diversity.

13. Which is that program of ours, in which you participated in?
I were on more of your general meetings I were there with the students and I participated on one of your further training (Social sensitization and community service experimental implementation in primary and secondary schools)

14. Which is your dearest memory in connection of the Association?
The Run in the Light! event series. For organizing of this event, I was very proud of you, because you draw the attention with it to a really important thing. Once of a time I participated in a preparation, in a center of a big conversation we cleaned the outdoor theatre in Nyíregyháza, to everybody can enjoy better the program. There is another one which I was very happy about with the Snail Award in recognition of my institutional activity and DÖK helping work in the 2009-2010 school year and my pleasure got doubled when we won it in 2017-2018 with second time.

15. From your school how many student government member, SZSZBGYIÖK member do you remember? Could you tell one-two thoughts about them?
Several people were staff members at you: Kinga Ágoston, Vivien Somogyi, Tamás Incze, Tímea Hajzer. In the board membership of I remember correctly Viktória Csintalan, Anett Fórizs, Márk Korláth got into. Who I have information about: Kinga is a psychology student in Debrecen and a fiancée, she plans her wedding, organizes. Tamás after graduation he prepared to work in Switzerland, I don’t know that the pandemic how crossed out his counts. Anett will take her final exam at us after the 3 years professional course; Márk after the graduation he continues his studies in professional training at us too. Timi Timi is also studying in Debrecen on community organization faculty (she was successfully “infected” the most with being a DÖK member).

16. What do you see, did you see in those students who were in the SZSZBGYIÖK, what kind of skills could they get at the Association?
Absolutely they became opener, more burdensome, more interested and experienced people. A lot of them they mention with pleasure the DÖK past and in that the Association too. That is a special pleasure, when they further learn in a profession, which based on this kind of activity.

17. Your school participated actively in the event called Run in the Light! Sport and Family Days for several years. What kind of feedbacks did you hear from the students, how did they live this program?
They participated willingly in this event either in Nyíregyháza or in Debrecen. At first maybe at the beginning they were afraid of the task because of stereotypes, but then the living and the feedback were positive.

18. In 2009 you got the Snail Award in the Student Assistant Educator of the Year category. How did it feel?
I have mentioned it at the most memorable moments too. It is always a pleasure for me if people admit my work, although I would have done what I did then regardless of the Award.

19. Look to the future what idea would you have, what our Association could implement, to give more opportunities to the youth?
I think you do not need advice… for me your traditional events, trainings absolute fits to my demands. I wish you strength and perseverance and more 20 years for you!

20. If you have to recommend the Association or the county student government, what would you say to a youngster, why should join to us?
Over the years, I feel like you have become a family. So, someone who joins to you not just learns, develops, experiences, but all of this they can do these in a pleasant friendly atmosphere. You can provide the appropriate outlook on life for a lot of times clueless youth. Thanks for that.