More information
Description
There are few institutions in rural areas that meet young people’s needs or support their activities. This is also the cause of a low level of civic activity (V. Kopińska, 2018 Youth). In the municipality of Zakliczyn, the only CSOs for children are sports clubs and the Chess Association. The services offered by the Community Centre do not focus on activating children, and the Municipal Youth Council is inactive. Although the number of vulnerable seniors is increasing (loneliness, technological exclusion), no Senior Council has been created either.This project addresses the lack of educational, integration, and activation measures for children, young people, seniors, and people with disabilities in the municipality of Zakliczyn.We will conduct a series of social and civic workshops for children in daily support facilities and seniors and people with disabilities (coaching on interpersonal skills and forms of participation in community and civic life). Seniors will produce three editions of the No Obstacles newspaper (subjects taken from workshops and information on options for support for people with disabilities and seniors in institutions of local and greater reach). For children we will organize day camps on development of local identity, and initiate Voluntary School Associations (monthly workshops). We also envisage study visits for seniors to Tarnów (meeting with the Senior Council and Municipal Youth Council), and children to CSOs in Dąbrowa Górnicza and Krakow, the Sejm, and the Centre for Citizenship Education and Ecological Education Centre in Warsaw.36 children (aged 6 – 14) at two daily support centres and 15 seniors and people with disabilities from the Municipality of Zakliczyn will participate.The project will increase the participants’ sense of agency and awareness of possible community and public activities.
Summary of project results
The project responds to the problem of the lack of educational, integration and activation activities aimed at children, young people and senior citizens in the Zakliczyn commune. Children living in the municipality have limited opportunities to develop their civic competences due to their place of residence (rural areas), low material status of families, digital exclusion and lack of local cultural and educational institutions. Among NGOs dedicated to children, there are only sports clubs and a chess club. At the same time, there is a growing number of senior citizens at risk of social exclusion due to living in rural areas, loneliness, emigration of relatives, etc.
The Project Promoter conducted a series of social and civic workshops for children from day-care centres in Filipowice and Gwoździec and for seniors forming a Self-Help Group. Senior citizens produced 3 issues of Bez Barier magazine, which was distributed locally. Half-day camps for children focused on developing local identity were organised, and School Volunteer Clubs were initiated with monthly workshops. There were also study visits - senior citizens met with the Tarnów Senior Citizens'' Council, and children visited the Sejm, the Warsaw Uprising Museum and the Jazdów estate in Warsaw, where the local Open Jazdów initiative is active. A picnic was also prepared to promote the project and integrate the local community.
The project involved 36 children (aged 6-14) and 15 seniors from the Zakliczyn municipality. Thanks to their participation in workshops and meetings, both groups strengthened their sense of agency, developed social and civic competences, increased their knowledge of social activity, especially at local level, and established relationships. Participation in the project has undoubtedly contributed to the greater activity of both children and young people, as well as seniors.