Hollywood actor, writer and director Jesse Eisenberg has joined a Polish-American humanitarian and educational mission supporting Ukrainian children affected by the war. Rather than attending film premieres or promoting his latest production, the two-time Academy Award nominee is working as a volunteer, leading creative workshops and helping document the project.

The initiative is being organised jointly by Poland’s Folkowisko Humanitarian Foundation and the US-based Campfire Project, a group bringing together actors, directors, educators and creative professionals from New York. Campfire has previously organised educational missions in countries including Greece and Moldova, as well as in Africa.

More than 80 Ukrainian children are taking part in the current programme. Artists, psychologists and therapists from Poland, Ukraine and the United States are conducting workshops in theatre, photography and other forms of artistic expression. The activities are designed to give children a safe environment in which to express their emotions and cope with the psychological consequences of growing up amid air-raid sirens, missile attacks and displacement.

Eisenberg’s participation is not limited to a symbolic appearance. He is directly involved in the workshops and is also contributing his experience as a filmmaker. According to the organisers, footage from the mission will be used to produce a film documenting the situation of Ukrainian children and the role that art and international cooperation can play in helping them deal with wartime trauma.

“This is a beautiful Polish-American-Ukrainian bridge of cooperation,” Marcin Piotrowski of Folkowisko told Polish media. He emphasised that Eisenberg had joined the project as a genuine volunteer rather than as part of a promotional campaign.

The actor’s involvement was announced by Piotrowski on social media and subsequently confirmed by regional Polish media. The mission is expected to form part of a broader cooperation programme lasting at least two years. Polskie Radio Rzeszów

Before travelling to Ukraine, members of the mission spent two days in Gorajec, a village in south-eastern Poland’s Podkarpackie region and the home of the Folkowisko association. Eisenberg learned about the organisation’s humanitarian and cultural work, visited a historic wooden Orthodox church and met local residents.

He also visited Janina Obirek, a local custodian of folk traditions known for preserving regional songs and stories. Together with his family and other volunteers, Eisenberg fed Polish horses and visited a gathering of historic vehicles.

The actor described Gorajec as a community of artists and a safe haven offering hope to the surrounding region. Piotrowski said Eisenberg’s quiet and informal manner made a strong impression on local residents.

“He is very modest, without any celebrity behaviour — very quiet and completely normal,” the Folkowisko representative said.

The humanitarian mission also has a personal dimension for Eisenberg. His family has Polish-Jewish roots, with ancestors connected to the areas around Krasnystaw and Szczecin. His relationship with Poland became particularly visible during the production of A Real Pain, a film he wrote, directed and starred in. The story follows two American cousins travelling through Poland in search of their family history and confronting the legacy of the Holocaust.

In March 2025, President Andrzej Duda formally granted Eisenberg Polish citizenship. The actor described the decision as an extraordinary honour and has since continued visiting places associated with Polish history and his family’s past. Office of the President of Poland

During his recent stay, Eisenberg visited Białystok and the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk. His journey through Poland has therefore combined personal exploration with practical humanitarian involvement.

Eisenberg received his first Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network. He earned a second nomination in 2025 for the original screenplay of A Real Pain. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

For the organisers, however, his international fame is less important than his willingness to work directly with children.

“We need people who want to give children hope, their skills, energy and heart,” Piotrowski said. “For us, this is an enormously important gesture.” Elubaczow.com