The History of the International Janusz Korczak Association (IKA or MSK in Polish)

Activity

Since 1978 the International Korczak Association has been organizing, co-organizing, helping to organize and patronizing hundreds of events focused on children's rights and the heritage of Janusz Korczak and Stefania Wilczyńska.

IKA is a federation of national Korczak committees and circles. It brings together dozens of organizations from 6 continents. We work to popularize the activities and working methods of Janusz Korczak, including editing and translating his works.

One of the important achievements of the IKA is the establishment of an academic research institute named after Janusz Korczak. This project was carried out in the form of the UNESCO Chair "The UNESCO Janusz Korczak Chair" operating at the Academy of Special Education in Warsaw (The Maria Grzegorzewska University).

History

The International Korczak Association was inaugurated on May 31, 1978, when the International Committee for Celebrating Janusz Korczak's 100th Birthday was established.

Half a year later, the Committee was transformed into the International Association of Janusz Korczak (IKA/ MSK); its first chairman was Jerzy Kuberski, then the minister of education in Poland.

The first scientific conference organized by IKA was held in October 1978 in Warsaw and focused on the life and work of Korczak. Other international conferences also took place in Israel, Germany, Austria, Russia, Ukraine, Belgium, the Netherlands, Japan and Switzerland. For many years, the president of the IKA was Batia Gilad, elected for the first time in 2007. Since 2018, Marek Michalak is the chairman.