Description
Residents of rural areas in Poland have no access to free legal and citizen’s rights advisory services provided in a simple, comprehensible language, close to their place of residence. The objective of the project is to empower vulnerable groups by providing them with better access to information about their rights. About thousand residents of rural areas in Zielonogórski district will be able to benefit from free assistance of lawyers in Mobile Consultation Centres. Additionally, to better tailor the support to client needs, clients will be offered help of special assistants and experts to implement Personalized Action Plans developed together with the adviser. The facilitator will provide citizen animation to encourage the community to be more active in local initiatives. The project partner (Lubuskie Area Social Prevention Association) will provide assistance of specialists after the project closure.
Summary of project results
"The ever-increasing intricacy of law and its impact on daily life has resulted in the frequent inability of citizens to resolve their own issues. Lack of support breeds passivity and problem accumulation, resulting in reduced life quality and poor social activity, particularly in rural areas. Their residents rarely use legal aid (40% of all persons not using any legal aid are rural area inhabitants - 'Users and Non-Users of Legal and Civic Counselling', Institute of Public Affairs, 2013). Rural area residents in the Zielona Góra county suffer of a particularly disadvantageous situation (high unemployment rates, poor access to free of charge legal or psychological aid). The long-term project goal was to encourage local residents to resolve their issues and participate in public life; legal and civic aid and civic animation were applied to that end. Mobile Civic Counselling Offices were set up in co-operation with the local government and resident representatives in the Zielona Góra county. Assistance was provided (1,011 legal/civic aid, 298 psychological aid cases). Sixty-seven cases were resolved with the help of civic assistants and of individual activity plans drafted jointly by clients and their counsellors. Participants of meetings with animators improved their social competencies, furthering social integration and action to assist local communities. Residents and their local representatives attended i.a. 4 local (bailiwick) budget meetings, gaining capacity to file proposals for 2016 local budgets and make a real impact on their reality. Field work by animators, assistants, and lawyers (participation in local events, individual meetings) helped establish co-operation with local institutions (bailiffs, non-governmental organisations, aid and cultural centres, etc.) capable of reaching project beneficiaries (836 residents of the Zielona Góra county). The Partner made it possible to provide beneficiaries with comprehensive psychological and psychotherapy assistance."
Summary of bilateral results