Following a two-year interval caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the Kőrösi Csoma Sándor program supporting diaspora Hungarians, and the Petőfi Sándor program for small ethnic Hungarian communities in the Carpathian Basin are restarting, the state secretary in charge of policies for Hungarian communities abroad said.
Árpád János Potápi announced at a press conference that applications are encouraged from Hungarians over the age of 20 with no criminal record who are dedicated to the Hungarian nation and have experience in organizing communities.
In the 2022/2023 round of applications, a total of 75 people will be given scholarships from the northern hemisphere under the arrangements of the Kőrösi Csoma program sending young Hungarians to teach diaspora communities around the world, he said. Additionally, 50 people will be offered scholarships under the arrangements of the Petőfi program.
The State Secretary recalled that the Kőrősi Csoma program, launched in 2013, provided 661 scholarships for those working in 29 countries.
Through the help of scholarship holders, Potápi said, new Hungarian communities have been discovered, Hungarian weekend schools and scout groups have been established, online educational materials have been created, Hungarian-language newspapers have been founded, and more people have started learning Hungarian.
Meanwhile, according to Potápi, 308 people have taken part in the Petőfi program since its 2015 launch.
As part of the program, he said Hungarian Days and poetry recitation competitions were held in the Carpathian Basin, and the One-Day in Folk Costume initiative was launched, adding that communities in the Carpathian Basin had been strengthened everywhere.
The State Secretary expressed hope that not only Hungarian organizations abroad, but also scholarship holders would benefit from the program. All those who returned home claimed the program strengthened their love of their homeland and their Hungarian identity, Potápi said, based on the feedback he has received.
Featured photo by Tibor Illyés/MTI
