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Description
Organisational Grant - implementation of the submitted strategy.
Our mission: The Federation of Social Organisations in the Warmian–Masurian Province (FOSa) is about people, ideas and actions. We are a federation of organisations supporting individuals and families in difficult life situations as well as their environment. We help communities and organisations to develop, we act as their voice. We initiate and implement effective solutions in the field of social policy and social care. Every person and their potential are important to us. Our vision is a strong and self-reliant society that effectively achieves its goals through activities of independent NGOs; the society in which every person is important and capable of achieving his or her goals in accordance with his or her conscience and individual needs. Our strategic goals are: 1. To strengthen our influence on the creation of public policies, including: - increasing our effectiveness and the effectiveness of the Federation’s member and cooperating organisations in solving social problems, - strengthening intersectoral cooperation for social issues. 2. To strengthen the effectiveness of our activities for the implementation of social change, including: - expanding our actions for strengthening social and civic activity, - increasing the scale and scope of support for people at risk of exclusion and in crisis, - increasing the scale and scope of support for seniors and their families. 3. To increase the professionalisation of our activities, including: - increasing the stability of our human and financial resources. - activating and integrating existing and new member organisations and their representatives. The main beneficiaries of our activities are NGOs from the Warmian–Masurian Province and people at risk of social exclusion. Every two years we carry out a diagnosis of the needs and expectations of NGOs in the region, we conduct advocacy, advisory and educational activities.
Summary of project results
The FOSa Federation is developing in accordance with the assumptions contained in the strategic documents, although it has introduced some modifications during the implementation of the strategy. Responding to the needs and challenges that emerged during the implemented courses of action, FOSa adapted the type of support and the method of providing it to better meet the requirements of recipients and changing external conditions. An example here is, among others, new group of recipients – refugees from Ukraine. At the same time, we continue to support member organizations through training, consulting and assistance in obtaining funds, we are developing the Volunteer Center in Olsztyn and the region, we provide support for older/dependent people and their families through the activities of the Regional Assistance Zone and the Ombudsman for the Elderly, which serve to protect the rights of older people and improving the quality of their lives through various support and social integration programs.
The crisis caused by delays in the release of EU funds has unfortunately resulted in a reduction in the human resources of our organization. Currently, out of approximately 40 people at the beginning of the strategy implementation, 22 remain.
Despite this, FOSa dynamically adapts its activities to changing conditions and challenges, which contributes to the effective implementation of the strategy and achieving the expected results.
Thanks to its flexible approach, FOSa is able to effectively respond to unforeseen difficulties and opportunities that arise during the implementation of the strategy.
Currently, the strategy is at an advanced stage of implementation, with many key activities/projects already being implemented or completed. The strategy is implemented in accordance with the adopted assumptions, which is confirmed by monitoring of activities. Modifications to the strategy are introduced in response to current needs and social conditions.
FOSa effectively implements its strategy, achieving its goals and introducing positive changes in target groups.
We have identified new trends/needs, such as the need for greater psychological and social support for seniors and an increased role of volunteering in local communities.
We see the future of the FOSa Federation in the context of further institutional development, support for member organizations, continuation of advocacy activities and implementation of social activation activities, with an emphasis on integration and support for those most in need. This translates into the strategic and operational goals of FOS and the implementation of its mission: "We are a federation of organizations supporting individuals and families in difficult life situations and their surroundings. We help communities and organizations develop, we are their voice. We initiate and implement effective solutions in the area of social assistance and policy. Every person and their potential are important to us.
The Federation''s strategy was implemented successively throughout the entire period in all three assumed strategic areas, i.e. Strong Organizations, Social Change and Development of the Federation''s Potential. The strategy includes 7 sub-areas and over 80 actions. Objectives pursued outside the grant focused on selected priority activities, which was related, among other things, to the possibilities of financing them. At the beginning of 2024, we monitored the implementation of the strategy, which led to an update of the Strategic Plan.
During the implementation of the strategy, in the period September 2022-April 2024, we managed to achieve all the results intended for funding from the AO-FR grant.
1. We have increased the effectiveness of the FOS Federation and member/cooperating organizations in solving social problems by:
- participation in creating/reviewing documents of public entities and government institutions as part of social consultations on programs, strategies, etc. in the field of social issues - at least 14 such projects.
- engaging in the work of dialogue/representative bodies, consultative committees, working groups on social policy and the non-governmental sector - at least 20 "bodies" and 12 representatives involved.
- expanding the scope of activities of the Ombudsman for the Elderly - 3 subregions in the province. Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship (Olsztyński, Elbląg and Ełk) are supported by the Ombudsman and his 2 deputies.
- development of a support offer for member organizations of the FOS Federation - 1 coherent offer for 60 organizations.
- implementation of training for organizations member FOSs – 11 training sessions
- implementation of expert, advisory, networking and other support - over 60 organizations benefited.
- which resulted in over 90% of participants being satisfied with the support provided.
2. We have strengthened inter-sectoral cooperation on social issues.
- we initiated events aimed at cooperation with business, local government, universities and non-governmental organizations
- we started cooperation with other federations and social entities - including, for example, the Migration Forum
3. We have expanded the activities of the FOS Federation to strengthen social and civic activity.
- we are constantly increasing the number of active volunteers working/cooperating with the Olsztyn Volunteer Center - currently there are 82 active/permanent volunteers in our database
4. We have increased the scale and scope of support for seniors and their families.
- publishing subsequent issues of the GENERACJA magazine - a magazine of older people''s communities, as of April 30, 2024, there were 37 issues (2 financed by the grant - no. 33 and 37)
5. We activated and integrated FOSy member organizations and their representatives.
- 5 new members joined the FOS Federation
- 3 meetings were held to exchange good practices, solutions, and transfer knowledge between member organizations.
FOSa''s vision is "a strong and independent civil society that effectively pursues its goals through activity in independent organizations. A society in which each individual is important and capable of achieving his or her goals in accordance with his or her own conscience and individual needs.” The ideas we follow are consistent with the goals of the Active Citizens Program, including: "strengthening civil society, civic activity and empowering groups at risk of exclusion and equalizing their opportunities." They also directly correspond to the values on which the Program is based: respect for human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, and the rule of law.