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Description
Over the past years, Poland has transformed from a country with a negative net migration rate to a country attracting foreigners. Out of 725 thousand people with a citizenship other that Polish, over 500 thousand come from Ukraine (source: Polish Social Insurance Institution). The development of active citizenship among new residents is a natural consequence of such trends, however, leaders do not always have sufficient resources and knowledge about how to function in a foreign legal environment. On the other hand, organizations of national and ethnic minorities experience an organizational crisis related to burnout among activists and have both local and institutional potential at the same time (see The Ukrainian minority and migrants from Ukraine in Poland, Association of Ukrainians in Poland, 2019). The project was established in order to combine the potential of both environments. Its aim is to support active citizenship of leaders and minority and migrant organizations in 4 provinces of Poland. Our activities are directed to both registered entities and informal activists. As a result of the diagnosis of the current situation of the environment, a report along with recommendations for local governments will be prepared. We plan to animate partnership for the benefit of minorities and migrants (networking meetings), increase qualifications of NGO staff (training course for minority and migrant animators, individual mentoring for 12 organizations/leaders of informal groups, incubator of initiatives for NGO activists) as well as promote activities and organizations from regions. In order to top out the project, we will organize the Forum of Partnership and Integration of the Coalition of Minority and Migrant Organizations. Cooperation with partners (Our Choice Foundation, Zustricz Foundation, and a branch of the Association of Ukrainians in Poland in Przemyśł) allows us to reach a large group of organizations and groups interested in the project and cooperation.
Summary of project results
In recent years, Poland has turned from a country with a negative migration balance into a country that attracts foreigners. Out of 725,000 people with citizenship other than Polish, more than 500,000 are Ukrainians. A natural consequence of these trends is the development of civic activity among the country''s new residents, but leaders do not always have enough resources and knowledge of how to function in a foreign legal environment. On the other hand, organizations of national and ethnic minorities (Polish citizens) are experiencing an organizational crisis related to activist burnout, while at the same time having the potential of premises and institutionalThe KOMM (Coalition of Minority and Migrant Organizations) project was created to support the social and civic activity of national and ethnic minority and migrant communities in four regions of Poland. In its initial phase, it focused on responding to such challenges as insufficient knowledge among activists about functioning in the third sector, burnout, scarcity of resources or lack of space for small initiatives to get to know each other. After Russia''s aggression against Ukraine, it became a support both for those organizations that, responding to the needs of refugees, increased the reach of their activities many times over, and for newly arrived leaders from the migrant community just starting out in Poland.
The KOMM project conducted a diagnosis of the situation of minority and migrant organizations and identified barriers to their development. Strategic networking meetings for coalition members, a course for minority and migrant animators, mentoring for formal and informal leaders, and an incubator for migrant-minority initiatives were organized. The project concluded with an Integration and Cooperation Forum in Przemyśl.The main products of the project are a situation diagnosis report, participation of 15 people in an animator course (5 training days), mentoring for 12 organizations, support for 15 local initiatives within the incubator, 12 films and the KOMM Partnership and Integration Forum.
The main beneficiaries of the project were minority and migrant leaders and organizations, as well as informal activists, local governments, institutions and informal groups that support migrants.The project increased civic participation among minority and migrant leaders and organizations. Participants gained the competencies necessary to lead their initiatives. A coalition was formed that can strive to activate national minorities and migrants and influence public debate. The KOMM project was successful in contributing to the creation of a nationwide network of minority and migrant NGOs that can act as a strong voice for the environment. The effects of the project are long-term, as participants have gained skills and knowledge that will allow them to continue their work. The changes that have been made and the relationships and contacts that have been established make it possible for the organizations to continue working together and to develop strategies for the coming years.