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Description
Since 2015, Chojnicki District has been the only one in Pomorskie Voivodeship without a District Council for Non-governmental Organizations. According to the voivodeship-level research it was the district with the lowest level of collaboration between its citizens and NGOs and the lowest overall level of civic engagement. Currently, according to the data from the District Office, there are 280 organizations registered in Chojnicki District, however many of them remain inactive. According to our research, low engagement of the NGOs in the region is a result of a lack of regular initiatives from already existing organizations, low collaboration between them and little knowledge and skills in securing financing and managing an organization of individuals who are already active. These factors result in a low civic engagement of the citizen of the district and their low involvement in the work of already existing organizations. We will address these problems by engaging already existing organizations and citizens of the Chojnicki District in collaboration on methods for organizing local initiatives. Representatives from interested organizations will create a collaborative team that will participate in eight initiatives being realized across the district. Together, we will discuss all the stages of preparation and the separate stages of the project. By organizing two visits to neighboring districts we will engage in collaboration with other organizations and exchange experiences. We will also conduct a series of workshops on civic engagement, building of local partnerships and planning of civic initiatives. Based on these actions we will create a model for local engagement – a collection of good practices and ideas for implementation of civic projects, which we will implement by organizing four initiatives in our region. We will also produce radio programs and a guidebook presenting our model and different ways of developing local engagement.
Summary of project results
Until 2015, the Chojnice County was the only county in the Pomeranian Voivodeship that did not have a District Council of Non-Governmental Organizations. Additionally, according to regional research, it was the county with the weakest cooperation between residents and non-governmental organizations, and the lowest level of civic activity. According to data from the County Office, there are 280 organizations operating in the Chojnice County, but many of them are inactive. Our research indicates that the low activity of non-governmental organizations in this region was a consequence of the lack of regular actions by already existing organizations. The individuals already active had a low level of knowledge and skills in acquiring funding sources and running organizations and rarely collaborated with each other. Such a state of affairs translates into low civic activity among the residents of the Chojnice County and their limited engagement in the activities of existing organizations.We reacted to these problems by involving existing organizations and residents of the Chojnice County in joint work on methods of organizing local initiatives. This project was a result of our efforts and further work to increase the activity of non-governmental organizations in the life of the Chojnice County. Representatives of interested organizations formed a project team that participated in eight initiatives implemented in the county. Together, we discussed the stages of their preparation and the course of events. By organizing two trips to neighboring counties, we established cooperation and exchanged knowledge with organizations that are active there. We conducted a series of workshops on civic activity, building local cooperation, and planning social actions. Based on these activities, we jointly created a model of local activity - a collection of best practices and ideas for implementing social projects, which we implemented by organizing four initiatives in our region. We prepared radio programs and a guidebook presenting our model and possibilities for developing local activity.The evaluation surveys show that thanks to the workshops, the participants increased their knowledge on topics related to planning and implementing local initiatives. Due to the implemented initiatives within the project, local organizations could get to know each other better and integrate more effectively.
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