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Description
Together with local authorities, secondary schools and NGOs of the Niżański district (Podkarpackie province), we decided to diagnose the level of social involvement in our region. We identified such issues as poor preparation for civic initiatives among young people (little knowledge about volunteering and possible forms of involvement), insufficient financial means (local leaders, as well as schools and organisations claimed they had limited funds for civic enterprises), and little knowledge on social activity (many people willing to take part know little about access to such solutions). We will address these problems by organising a cycle of educational workshops for young people on volunteering, its good practices and examples of how to activate local communities. Then they will utilise newly acquired skills to organise fun activities in local kindergartens and school trips. Volunteers will take part in a meeting devoted to young people’s involvement in public life, attended by a lawyer, psychologist and representatives of a local organisation. Adult inhabitants of the district will be encouraged to join a debate on their region and to meet with local leaders to discuss what is already happening there. Everyone will be invited to take part in a training on planning local initiatives and acquiring funds for such activities. We will organise a socialising event for inhabitants and a competition for initiatives for the local community – supporting the organisation of winning ideas.
Summary of project results
In collaboration with the local government, high schools, and non-governmental organizations from the Niżańsk County (Podkarpackie Voivodeship), we conducted a diagnosis of social engagement in our region. We identified issues such as weak preparation of youth for civic actions (limited knowledge about volunteering and possible forms of involvement), insufficient financial resources (local leaders, schools, and organizations reported having limited funds for civic activities), and limited knowledge about social activities (despite the willingness, many people have little information about accessing such opportunities).To address these problems, we organized a series of educational workshops for young people about volunteering, good practices and examples in this area, and how to animate the local community. They utilized the acquired skills by organizing activities in local kindergartens and school trips. They also participated in a meeting with a lawyer, psychologist, and representatives from a local organization on youth participation in public life. We engaged adult residents of the county in a debate about their surroundings and organized meetings with local leaders to discuss ongoing developments in the county. Interested individuals attended training sessions on planning local initiatives and acquiring funds for activities. We organized integration meetings for residents of the county and a competition for initiatives benefiting the local community – supporting the implementation of the three best ideas. At the end, we organized a concluding meeting for the project, attended by its participants, where the effects and results of the project activities were presented.According to the evaluation surveys, most of the participants increased their knowledge about civic engagement and the benefits of such activities. We observed that they now feel more motivated to take part in social actions.
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