Alicja Derkowska (Poland)

Alicja Derkowska is the founder, former president, and a current board member of the Education Society of Malopolska (MTO). MTO is a Polish non-profit organization that instills democratic values by promoting a democratic school environment, innovative teaching methods, and responsible citizenship.  

Derkowska has received numerous awards for her work in educational reform. In 2004, she was granted the POLCUL Award by the Jerzy Boniecki Foundation in Australia and awarded the “For the Future of the Children of Europe” prize from the Future of Europe Association in Hungary. In 2010, she received a the National Education Commission Medal – a Polish award for outstanding contributions to education and upbringing given by the Ministry of Education. Additionally, in 2011, the president of Poland acknowledged her contribution to the development of the country’s “Third Sector.”