Today we say farewell to our friend Waldemar on his last journey...

We lost a wonderful man, a good colleague, a great visionary and an idealist, and a dear friend.

Most of us did not know Waldemar very closely – unfortunately! Those who knew, and had the honour to be his friends, can tell what an interesting person he was. Sometimes not very easy to communicate with, leaving the wrong impression of being rigid and strict, and always provocative, he in reality was friendly, helpful, warm, generous, and hospitable. You just needed some time to get close to him to learn it. No time left for this now...

Waldemar was definitely one of the most prominent figures in the international voluntary movement, in which he was involved for almost 30 years. He contributed his skills, knowledge, and experience to developing voluntary service around the world. He especially helped a lot the development of international voluntary service in Eastern Europe, where he came from, and it is hard to imagine the Alliance of European Voluntary Service Organisations without him!  He was always very curious. Perhaps he was the only person in Alliance who new so much about all of our member organisations. And it was not just idle curiousity - behind this there was a strong wish to share knowledge, to advise, and to help. To many of us he was a Teacher whom we now have lost...

Waldemar was a very honest person, a man of his word. And he had his pride. He could not tolerate injustice and was always ready to fight it. He tried to be fair, but was not always treated in a fair way. He needed respect and recognition, and he had it.

Waldemar was always at the forefront of new technologies, also he was bravely developing pilot projects in new areas. He was a visionary, and he did have good visions. The last very interesting talk we had with him two months ago was about our Alliance, its development and future, the areas where he felt special concern. He had very sharp mind, a lot of excellent ideas and wisdom. Now we can only regret about not using his potential fully...

Without any doubts he was a very reliable and serious partner for many of us. But first and most of all he was a unique, very strong character, a great person, and a good friend. And this is the way we will remember him.

The Alliance was very much his Family, and we lost one of our Family members.

Today, sending Waldemar on his last journey, we have no words to express our sorrow about his tragic death.  We just grieve... 

Aleksandr Kurushev 
President of the Alliance, Friend  

Warsaw, 23.06.2006

Comité  de  Coordination  du  Service  Volontaire  International

Vermont , Paris , June 20^th 2006-06-20

On behalf of The Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service (CCIVS) at UNESCO, I am writing to express our sympathy to the family of Waldemar Korycki and to the members and staff of his organization, FIYE.

Waldemar was a pillar of voluntary service for over a quarter of a century.  He is known for his “no-nonsense” approach to general administration and was a true champion of efficiency.  My personal relationship with him goes back to the “communist” days of the early 80’s when he worked with OHP.  Even in those difficult times, he was instrumental in moving thousands of volunteers between the countries of the Soviet Union and opening doors with the “West.”  He was always abreast of the latest computer technology, one of the first union based organizations in Warsaw to have a computer, as I recall.  He helped develop the software currently in use by the Alliance .  We will always remember his unique teaching style. He could make anyone break into a cold sweat when he growled back at questions about his software. 

Waldemar appeared really hard on the outside, but his heart was warm and really young. He enjoyed communication with young and old.  His passion for International Voluntary Service was deep rooted.  In the late 80’s, his efforts, along with those of Kemal Abiska, saved CCIVS from a serious financial crisis. He was well known internationally, from Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas , as he attended most of the meetings of the various voluntary service networks, ICYE, CCIVS and the Alliance over the years.

Personally, I remember him most walking on the beach in Morocco , in the “mountains” of Belgium and at countless technical meetings throughout the many years he was involved as a key figure within voluntary service circles.  I had the misfortune of being his roommate in Berlin .  Although he was such a computer wizard, he was even more skilled at snoring.

We will be mourning his absence and lifting a glass in his honor for some time to come. He was a very passionate person, a dedicated father and good friend.  Although he was stopped from his singing in the middle of his song, we will all remember what he gave to our movement and the countless lives he touched in such a positive way.

Sincerely,

Peter Coldwell

Director of VFP-USA & Vice President of the Americas of CCIVS