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Description
The main objective of the project is to strengthen civil society in the City of Toruń. We want to increase the influence of residents on local laws concerning environmental protection and support for endangered social groups. In particular, we want to protect the environment in the planned investments to build the Winnica and Wrzosy neighbourhoods in areas of high natural value. The main problem we are addressing in this project is the low level of knowledge of citizens about the lawmaking process. During our cooperation with the local government in Toruń so far, we have diagnosed a lack of mutual trust and transparency among authorities. One of the reasons for the low level of participation of residents in the lawmaking process is the reluctance of the local government to hold public consultations and treating them as a statutory obligation rather than an opportunity to improve proposed solutions or partnership with citizens. This also results in a low sense of influence on local change and, in the case of those representing NGOs, activist crises. The direct beneficiaries of the project are representatives of NGOs, informal groups and District Councils, who have the capacity to reach the residents of the neighbourhoods directly. Indirect recipients are people interested in public participation and environmental protection, who will be reached through the social campaign and promotion of the project. During the project, its participants will learn how they can influence local policies and local development plans, and the tools they can use (applications, petitions, resolution initiatives, etc.).