SUPRASL

Training Institute &

Project Incubator

The Suprasl Training Institute

and Project Incubator Empowers, ​Trains and Supports Young ​Orthodox Leaders to Create ​Projects that impact the Church ​and Communities



Realising Dreams

Building Community

  • Do you have a project that you have been ​dreaming to implement but just don't know where ​to start?


  • Do you see a need in your local community and ​have an idea to address it but lack the resources ​to do so?


  • Do you want to meet with other Orthodox Youth in ​an atmosphere of creativity and service?




Then Suprasl is for you.

We will give you the tools you need to take your ​ideas from vision to action.


Our Goals

The Goals of the Suprasl Leadership Institute are:

  • Foster cooperation, creativity, unity, and ​volunteerism among Orthodox young people ​around the world.
  • To provide the mentorship and training youth ​need to develop the necessary skills to create ​projects that will make a difference in their ​local communities and globally.
  • To bring together Orthodox youth of different ​ethnic, national, linguistic and social ​backgrounds to encounter each other, ​exchange experiences and ideas.
  • To empower participants in their own ​communities by equipping them with the tools ​needed to serve.

Our Model

Challenge the ​Process

Model the Way

Set a good example for others ​by practicing what you preach ​and leading by example. This ​involves being kind and ​respectful to others, and ​acting in

accordance with Christian ​values and beliefs.

"In all things showing yourself ​to be a pattern of good works; ​in doctrine showing integrity, ​reverence, incorruptibility" ​Titus 2:7


Create positive change ​by challenging the status ​quo and looking for new ​and innovative ways to ​achieve your goals. Take ​risks and try new things, ​even if they may be ​uncomfortable or ​difficult. Stay true to ​your values and mission ​as a Christian ​community, and ​communicate the ​reasons behind your ​decisions to others.

"So He said, “Come.” And ​when Peter had come ​down

out of the boat, he walked ​on the water to go to ​Jesus."

Matthew 14:29:


Inspire a Shared Vision

Share a vision that is meaningful and ​inspiring, and encourage others to ​contribute their own ideas and ​perspectives. This means setting goals and ​objectives that align with your values and ​mission as a Christian community, and ​communicating this vision to others in a ​positive and motivating way.

"Now the Lord spoke to Paul in the night by a ​vision, “Do not be afraid, but speak, and do ​not keep silent" Acts 18:9


Enable Others to ​Act

Empower others by ​creating a culture

of collaboration and ​teamwork. Go from plan ​to action by ​encouraging your team ​to implement ideas ​while keeping a friendly ​environment where ​everyone feels ​respected.

"For as the body is one ​and has many ​members, but all the ​members of that one ​body, being many, are ​one body, so also is ​Christ." 1 Corinthians ​12:12


By practicing these habits ​consistently, young Christian ​leaders can improve their ​leadership skills and create a ​positive impact on their ​community. The leadership ​challenge emphasizes the ​importance of ongoing learning ​and growth as a leader.

Encourage the ​Heart

Show appreciation for ​the hard work and ​dedication of your ​peers, and acknowledge ​their accomplishments ​and successes. This ​creates a sense of ​community and ​belonging that inspires ​others to be their best ​selves.

"First, I thank my God ​through Jesus Christ for ​you all, that your faith is ​spoken of throughout the ​whole world." Romans ​1:8


Course Content

We've designed the Suprasl Training Institute and Project Incubator to teach young leaders how to ​identify need, and take creative projects from vision to action. Our team will guide paticipants step-by-​step through the process of creating projects that make a difference and give practical guidance to ​implement them.


We welcome you to bring your vision and ideas to Suprasl, but we also invite young leaders

who are looking for a place to develop ideas.


In Suprasl you will learn:


How to use Design Thinking to identify solutions

● Presentation skills

● How to create an action plan

● How to assess & deploy resources: human, material, financial

● Teamwork /Team building, building consensus, team management, delegating work & conflict ​resolution

● Project promotion and reporting for maximum multiplier effect (social media, web design, email ​marketing, video)

● Finances: fund raising, fund management, accountability

● Evaluation techniques

● Project management

The Facility

The Suprasl Youth Leadership Institute is a collaborative effort with the Akademia ​Supraska (Suprasl Academy) at the Monastery of the Annunciation in Suprasl, Poland. ​The Academy is a professional conference center with five conference rooms, an ​auditorium, a restaurant and accommodation for 85 people . The center is equipped ​with simultaneous translation equipment, WiFi and modern audio/visual equipment. It ​is within walking distance to sports fields and the Suprasl river which provides ​opportunities of swimming and kayaking.

Our Team

Gabriela Pipirig

Gabriela is a professional trainer and project manager. She ​works with EU Institutions in Brussels, Belgium. She is originally ​from Romania and served for many years in ASCOR, the ​Romanian Orthodox Student Organisation in Romania

Father Konstantin Dojic

Protodeacon Konstantin is a member of the Serbian Orthodox ​Church. He is responsible for the management of development ​projects for the Serbian Orthodox Church in Montenegro and ​has over 15 years experience working with the United Nations, ​the European Union and other governmental and non-​governmental organisation.

Izabela Senderacka



Izabela is a professor at the Bialystok University of ​Technology. She holds a PhD in Economics and Philosophy ​and has done postdoctoral work at Stanford University's ​Science - Management - Commercialization Programme. ​Izabela specializes in Design Thinking in the corporate

and non-profit world.

Piotr Mihalczuk

Piotr is the Chief Growth Officer at Lingaro, an IT Services ​and Consulting Company. Piotr has done postgraduate work ​at Stanford University and is a graduate of the Berlin School ​of Economics. Piotr has more than 20 years experience in ​training leaders in the corporate and NGO world. The son of n ​priest, Piotr participated and helped lead international pan-​Orthodox youth events with the Fellowship of Orthodox ​Youth in Poland and Syndesmos.

History of the Leadership Institute

The Suprasl Leadership institute has its beginnings in the youth ministry work of Archpriest John ​Matusiak and the institute itself is a realization of his desire for the establishment of a permanent ​international training center for Orthodox youth and youth leaders.


In 1991, Fr John organised an Orthodox Summer School in the suburbs of Moscow. Having led ​pilgrimages to Russia since the late 1970's, Father John became well known to the bishops, clergy ​and lay leaders in the Orthodox Church in Russia during the Soviet Period. When the Church in ​Russia began to open in the early 1990's the need for youth ministry and youth education became ​critical. Father John began working with a group of high school and college students in Moscow who, ​for years, had been learning about their Orthodox faith in secret meetings in an apartment. In 1990 ​Father John traveled to Moscow and began working with these students to mold them into the first ​generation of youth leaders.


That initial meeting led to what became an annual ​Summer School and a series of training courses that took ​place throughout Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Poland ​between 1991 - 2002. In 1994 Father John established ​the Suprasl Summer Institute, a ten day program in the ​summer that brought young people from around the ​world together to learn more about their faith, ​encounter one another, and receive training to be ​leaders in their local context. The program took place at ​the Monastery of the Annunciation in Suprasl, Poland. ​Father John's long term goal was to establish a ​permanent training center for Orthodox youth. With the ​establishment of Suprasl Training Institute and Project ​Incubator this goal is now coming to fruition.


Father John saw a need to train young people to be the now of the Church, not just the future. In a ​an essay on youth ministry published by Syndesmos, the World Fellowship of Orthodox Youth, ​Father John wrote, "Youth must not only be ministered to but they must be encouraged, trained and ​allowed to minister to others as living expressions of their faith and belief in Jesus Christ."

This encouragement and training is what the Suprasl Institute aims to do.

I consider Fr John one of my teachers who changed my faith ​and my relationship to the Church. He came to Lviv in 1998 to ​lead a training course. During that course he told us incredible ​things and testified about his faith. I was a young student of the ​theological seminary. He was the first priest in my life who ​showed the image of an active priest who is not afraid of ​challenges and is truly free.

Fr Andriy Pinchuk, Ukraine



Father Eric Tosi, New York, USA

Father Hildo Bos, Amsterdam, ​Netherlands

Contact us

Suprasl: A World Fellowship of ​Orthodox Youth


Director: Archdeacon Joseph Matusiak

Tel. +48.575.017.895

Email. jmatusiak@suprasl2022.org

www.suprasl.org



The Suprasl Leadership Institute and Project Incubator is made possible in ​large part by a grant from the Orthodox Vision Foundation and is a ​collaborative effort with the Akademia Supraska