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The Foundation for the International Youth Meeting Centre in Oświęcim is the oldest German-Polish institution of extracurricular education, active in the field of culture of remembrance.

The goal of the Foundation is to conduct educational and cultural activities through the IYMC in Oświęcim, preserving in memory the effects of the criminal ideology of German Nazism, of which Auschwitz and the Holocaust have become symbols, as well as taking action for the benefit of an open civil society and understanding between nations for peaceful coexistence.

The IYMC conducts international seminars and youth exchanges, study trips, workshops, conferences, meetings, public debates, organizes exhibitions, concerts, literary meetings, and performances.

During the 30 years of its existence, the IYMC has become an important point of reference for young people from all over the world, looking at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Site as one of the most spiritually disturbing places in human history. The IYMC offers its Guests the opportunity to reflect on the moving experience that they have brought from the Memorial, gives the opportunity for silence and various interpersonal contacts. It creates an atmosphere of openness and tolerance, and above all opens up the possibility of talking to survivors, former prisoners of the camp.

The Foundation is one of the oldest and most appreciated institutions of Polish-German cooperation and European dialogue. It has been awarded many prestigious distinctions, including the Pro Publico Bono Award in 2008 and the Polish-German Award in 2014.