We look forward to welcoming you from July 15…

1st International Societal Resilience Forum

28 October 2026, Olsztyn

Organised by:

By way of introduction

Motto: Social resilience is the strength of a community in times of crisis – Public Benefit Committee: https://www.gov.pl/web/pozytek/odpornosc-spoleczna–sila-spolecznosci-w-sytuacjach-kryzysowych

We are honoured and delighted to invite you to a truly exceptional event: the 1st International Societal Resilience Forum. It is one of the very few scientific, educational, training, and practical initiatives—if not the only one—that brings together people from all walks of life and professions.

Security is an area that affects every individual, regardless of their position, role, or material status. To remain creative and active, we need a sense of calm and confidence in the predictability of events. Each of us requires a degree of certainty and peace of mind when planning our daily lives—or at least the assurance that we will be able to respond appropriately and rationally to emerging threats. This is precisely the purpose of our Forum. It aims to build awareness of what we can do to avoid being caught off guard by situations that may disrupt our safety and well-being. It seeks to teach us how to respond rationally and how to develop habits that strengthen our resilience and preparedness.

We therefore encourage you to transform fear and anxiety into awareness. Awareness is built through knowledge, situated within the complex context of what is commonly referred to as Cognitive Warfare—a phenomenon to which we are all continuously exposed, whether we realize it or not. One fact is beyond dispute: in a world of growing threats—from armed conflicts and hybrid operations enhanced by artificial intelligence technologies, through natural disasters, to infrastructure crises—the resilience of a state begins at the personal level, with the individual and their family.

This raises an important question: what can be done to strengthen the sense of security of that “individual citizen,” whose feeling of safety fundamentally influences our professional activities and even our leisure time? We naturally seek to place risky, uncertain, or chaotic situations within a framework of probability—of success or failure. We want to understand those proportions. Only then are we prepared to take risks. We want to KNOW what threats we may face.

Our distinguished speakers will strive to broaden your awareness and highlight the importance of vigilance and community engagement. Wherever real threats generate uncertainty and concern, the Forum aims to provide knowledge about protection and preparedness as a valuable safeguard of security. Let our shared motto resonate as a principle we take deeply to heart: “To teach and empower society to think independently and critically.”

This leads to another question: How? We have the tools, educational and training materials, researchers, lecturers, and trainers. Most importantly, we have a unique target audience—our society itself. Reaching people with the right message in an era dominated by social media and increasingly sophisticated artificial intelligence presents a challenge of historic proportions.

This raises another important question: Does artificial intelligence strengthen social resilience, or does it weaken it? Artificial intelligence is already influencing social resilience in many areas. Paradoxically, it can both support and undermine it. AI performs exceptionally well where its operation is based on data, numbers, mathematical models, and the analysis of vast amounts of information. In such domains, its ability to process data rapidly can provide valuable support, including during crisis situations. However, social life is not made up of numbers alone.

When emotions, uncertainty, time pressure, conflicting interests, and complex, multi-layered dilemmas emerge, an algorithm ceases to be a sufficient guide. In such moments, qualities that cannot be encoded into software become essential: common sense, experience, intuition, responsibility, and the ability to remain calm and balanced under pressure. This is precisely when the human being becomes indispensable. A person who knows that a decision must be made and that responsibility for its consequences must be accepted activates deeply rooted survival mechanisms. Instinct awakens—the primal ability to assess threats, adapt, and act. This instinct is one of the foundations of social resilience.

If, however, we begin to rely uncritically on AI to provide ready-made answers, we may gradually lose our own vigilance. We may weaken our ability to think independently, assess situations, and make decisions. In doing so, we risk eroding our natural social resilience. Therefore, it is worth remembering one fundamental principle: AI is a tool. Powerful, useful, and increasingly indispensable. But it is not a mentor, a conscience, or a substitute for human judgment. Technology should support people, not relieve them of the responsibility to think. Because in moments of genuine challenge, the safety and security of society will not be determined by an algorithm. They will be determined by people—their character, responsibility, courage, and ability to act despite uncertainty. Let us use AI wisely. Let us not surrender to it those qualities that make us human.

We warmly invite and encourage you to participate actively in the Forum. We hope that your unique investment—eight hours of your valuable time—will prove worthwhile, enabling you to gain new knowledge and identify potential shortcuts on the path toward a greater sense of security and resilience. And that, indeed, is priceless.

We warmly invite and encourage you to participate actively in the Forum. We hope that your investment of eight hours of your time will prove worthwhile, leading to the acquisition of valuable knowledge and the identification of practical pathways toward a greater sense of security. And that is truly priceless…

The Organisers

Organisational and technical matters:

1. Current information about the Forum will be available on a dedicated webpage of the IRSE Foundation, via a link or QR code (planned launch: July 15, 2026).
2. Registration of Forum participants will be conducted through a dedicated system designed to facilitate the collection and processing of data. The registration link or QR code will be available from July 15, 2026.
   Registration will be available at: https://fundacja-ibies.org/i-miedzynarodowe-forum-odpornosci-spolecznej/

3. All participants, after the conclusion of the sessions, will have access to an evaluation survey. Completion of this survey will be required to generate a personalized certificate of participation, including signature blocks of the Forum organizers.
   The satisfaction survey will be available at: https://fundacja-ibies.org/i-miedzynarodowe-forum-odpornosci-spolecznej-ankieta-satysfakcji/ (active after the event concludes).
4. During the Forum, a formal inauguration of the Polish-language version of the NATO e-learning course on resilience will take place, translated from English

Statistics reflecting the structure and instructional design:

• 193 graphics included across the course (diagrams, pictures, and images).
• 120 interactivities integrated throughout the modules (including flashcards, timelines, sorting activities, accordions, and hotspots).
• 35 Multiple case studies and thought-provoking discussion tasks embedded within the interactive learning activities.
• 32 final test questions in total, consisting of multiple-choice, multiple-answer, type-in, and matching activities, summarising all core themes.
• 127 knowledge-check questions distributed inside the modules, helping participants stay focused and continuously summarise key learning points.
• A feedback and satisfaction survey included at the end of the course as required for certificate generation after successful completion of all themes.
• The estimated time to complete the full course approx. 18 hours