Poland’s preparations for MOVE Week from October 7-13 are well under way and Angieszka Garbacik is the person behind the ever-growing effort to get more people in her country active.

Agnieszka Garbacik is one of seven MOVE Week National/Regional Coordinators in charge of promoting MOVE Week, the European week of sport and physical activity, in their country or across several countries in their area. MOVE Week Coordinators are the vital links that pull individuals or organisations (MOVE Agents) on board to stage activities during MOVE Week.

It is a big task which relies on community support and enthusiastic organisers who know how to inspire people to be active or want to try new ways to get their communities moving.

Part of the MOVE Week Coordinator’s challenge is finding those MOVE Agents, and Agnieszka describes the strategy for Poland – which is gaining momentum as rapidly as October is approaching.

“In Poland MOVE Week is based on the idea of involving sports animators as MOVE Agents. Everyone who wants to be a part of MOVE Week has to register on our website and takes part in a special contest. This contest lasts until the end of August. We have also added our first flagship event to our website. It’s a nationwide Cooper Test and we’re talking with other organisations about few more flagship events in the largest cities,” she says.

Agnieszka is based in Warsaw at Volunteers for Sport, a Polish foundation that aims to promote volunteering in grassroots sport, and is well aware of the challenges in getting people involved in all aspects of sport for all. But she is optimistic that MOVE Week will spark attention for grassroots sport in Poland and leave an imprint on its people’s lifestyles.

“The most important thing for me is to leave some kind of mark in Poland after MOVE Week. To show people that there is a way for everyone to be active. I believe that MOVE Week 2013 can be a first little step towards social change in the physical activity area,” she says.

Read more about MOVE Week’s National and Regional Coordinators at nowwemove.com

Find out how to get involved in MOVE Week in Poland (in Polish)