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Description
The objective of the project entitled “Mazovian Coalition for the dialog between NGOs and LGEs" is to increase the potential and stability of non-governmental organizations in Mazovian Province, including their capabilities to conduct activities in cooperation with local governments, their abilities to shape legal and political environment at both local and regional level, and advocacy activities, by supporting NGOs and officials cooperating with NGOs as well as local governments. The project is an answer to the needs related to the improvement in cooperation between non-governmental organizations and local government entities. As studies show, 82% of organizations in Poland cooperate with local governments, however, only 32% of them deem this cooperation to be close. As indicated in the study by the Mazowia Federation, the situation in Mazovian Province is not different than the average situation in Poland. The problem is related to the lack of not only local cooperation networks of NGOs, which would represent the interests of social entities and provide advocacy services, but even opportunities for NGOs and LGEs to meet and talk about their activities and needs. We plan to conduct 6 local studies and 6 processes developing the cooperation between local governments and non-governmental organizations operating in their territory. Additionally, we will be conducting supporting activities (i.a. training courses, a conference, advisory) for social entities and local governments. Activities supporting officials and local authorities in establishing and developing cooperation with organizations are a vital element of the project. We would like to encourage them to participate in the network of officials cooperating with organization. District Starost Office in Płońsk and the ROSA Federation are project partners. Thanks to them, our activities are rooted locally and we have an opportunity to create and test prototype solutions.
Summary of project results
“Mazovian Coalition for dialogue between NGOs and LGE” is a project implemented by the Mazovia Federation in partnership with the Rosa Federation of Przasnysz (NGO) and Plonsk District (LGE) in the period March 2021 - February 2024. The need for a similar project was developed on the basis of previous research and activities of the Mazovia Federation. The research showed the lack of good cooperation between local government units and NGOs, and without this it is impossible to conduct long-term action plans for NGOs. Hence the idea for the project, which aimed to increase the potential and stability of NGO''s in Mazovia, including their ability to carry out activities in cooperation with LGE, their ability to shape the legal and political environment at the local and regional levels, and advocacy activities, by supporting NGOs and officials working with NGOs and local authorities of LGE in Mazovia.
The project conducted support activities: including training and networking and educational workshops for officials and NGOs in the districts. Officials often stressed that this was the first opportunity to get to know each other in person and exchange experiences. NGO representatives gained knowledge, but also gained courage in dealing with officials - they got to know specific people and the office''s point of view. There was also specialized counseling (60 hours), among other things, support in dealing with local authorities or conflict resolution. This resulted in concrete changes in local communities. An opening debate and a closing conference were organized. The high turnout of officials of various levels (from employees of municipal offices, through cities with county rights and county offices, to the marshal''s office) shows the need for such activities. It was the first time that they were encouraged to participate in such large numbers together with NGO leaders. Another part of the project was research on the quality of cooperation between NGOs and LGEs in the Mazovian voivodeship, which resulted in 6 partial reports on 6 districts from the voivodeship and a summary report including quantitative data.
As a summary of the project, two manuals on cooperation with NGOs were published - for officials (3,500 copies) and for local authorities (2,500 copies). Both manuals were sent to all LGEs in Mazowieckie Voivodeship.
As a result of the project, it was possible to significantly improve cooperation between LGEs and NGOs in the Mazowieckie Voivodeship. This was made possible by raising the knowledge of officials about the specifics and role of organizations, which translates into a better perception of the role of organizations and factors affecting their functioning. On the other hand, the competencies of the organization''s representatives in terms of the needs and standards of LGE operation have been raised.
All this has contributed to an increased interest in jointly developing rules and standards for cooperation between LGE and NGOs.
Ultimately, this could mean not only better implementation of activities at the local level, but also increased stability of the organizations and their ability to carry out activities in cooperation with LGE, shape the legal and political environment and conduct advocacy activities.