Our history

Thanks to the support of the Foundation's strategic partner – Neo Energy Group – the Motivational and Preventive Center opened a new office in Katowice.
It is under the patronage of none other than Dr. Ben Furman.

In 2023, our work was recognized by the European Brief Therapy Association (EBTA). The ULICA Foundation received the prestigious Award for Excellence in Solution Focused Practice.

The Foundation implements projects based on solution-focused tools and approaches, teaching competencies and empowering young people. Thanks to the efforts of the Foundation and the Dr. Ben Furman Center, children and youth in difficult situations receive systemic support. Through individual programs, they rebuild their self-esteem, and through group programs, they rediscover a sense of community.

In 2023, Dr. Ben Furman became a substantive partner of the Foundation. Since then, the Foundation's Center has begun training professionals working with children and youth using the Kids’ Skills and Skillful Group methods.

The outbreak of the war in Ukraine moved the Foundation's youth, who created the "ONLY PEACE" Manifesto, emphasizing peace as the highest value and a mission for us all.

In the Letter of the Ambassadors of Peace, they encourage their peers and adults to fight for peace every day. Ambassadors of Peace are young leaders who promote peace and reconciliation, building bridges between generations by utilizing the experiences of seniors who have lived through wars and conflicts.

Their message is clear: peace connects us all and requires our collective care. Thanks to the support of MEP Łukasz Kohut, the youth's message reached all of Europe during a public hearing at the European Parliament.

The pandemic changed the world of strength and power as we knew it, forcing us to seek new solutions. We wondered why some children cope better while others sink into depression or addiction.

In response, we established a center that conducted research on mental resilience, which proved to be the key to supporting children and youth. Schools offering help became a sanctuary of sensitivity, creativity, and community for them.

Since then, we have been developing tools to support teachers, educators, psychologists, and foster parents on the front lines of the children's world. 

For years, we have been creating projects with the youngest in mind—children and youth. Their goal is to show them a different, more beautiful world that appreciates them, regardless of where they come from, what they think of themselves, or how others judge them.

In our work, we help them regain a sense of agency and community. We teach them how to look at themselves through the lens of their own resources and strengths. Together, we have discovered our power, becoming Ambassadors of the ImPossible.

After returning from the expedition, the young participants decided to share their story to inspire their peers to become Ambassadors of the ImPossible—people who have the courage to dream of a better life and a better world, and who, through their actions, show that regardless of their situation, they make the effort to change it.

Being an Ambassador of the ImPossible is an attitude of courage, determination, and a readiness to push one's own boundaries—for oneself and for others.

In 2012, with support from the company Fortum, we organized the "From the Slag Heap to Scandinavia" expedition.

The programs were aimed at youth from impoverished Silesian families, often at risk of marginalization. We cycled 800 kilometers, reaching the North Cape, the northernmost point of Europe.

Struggling along the way with wind, cold, and fog, we found the strength within ourselves to overcome the next few dozen kilometers each day, the next few negative thoughts, and the next few difficult days.

26 dreamers set off from Katowice to Nepal to conquer their own personal summit. The "From the Slag Heap to the Himalayas" project has become a symbol of courage, pushing one's own boundaries, and an inspiration to turn the impossible into the possible—both for the participants and for the thousands of children and youth whom the ULICA Foundation helps to discover their own inner strength.

During the expedition, the group of young people overcame their physical and mental limitations to visit their peers at the highest school in the world (3,440 m above sea level) in Namche Bazaar, and later reached even higher, five thousand meters above sea level. At the foot of the south face of Lhotse, we paid tribute to the memory of Jerzy Kukuczka, Rafał Chołda, and Czesław Jakiel—Polish mountaineers who lost their lives while pushing their own limits in 1989.

Adrian Kowalski – a visionary, social innovator, and member of the ASHOKA International Organization. Passionate about working with children and youth, he infects others with his energy and belief in dreams, teaching them how to make the seemingly impossible a reality.

The beginnings of Adrian Kowalski’s work as the founder and president of the ULICA Foundation date back over three decades. Even during the era of communist Poland, as one of the few social workers, he provided aid to children in difficult life situations and their unemployed parents, working in the country's poorest cities and neighborhoods. With unwavering commitment, he has consistently supported those most in need of help and hope, laying the foundations for the future mission of the ULICA Foundation: systematically strengthening mental resilience and building a sense of agency and community among children and youth.