More information
Description
The problem addressed by this project is low social trust and insufficient engagement in activities for the common good among residents of the Biłgoraj, Zamość and Lublin counties in the Lublin Province. Trust in other people is treated by most researchers as the foundation of social capital. Its lack has a negative impact on the quality of social relations. Cooperation is hindered, social ties are weak, there is a lack of respect for other people and for the common good, and people withdraw from social life. According to studies ''Social Diagnosis 2020'' and ''Social trust'' (2020), the level of trust of Poles is among the lowest in Europe. A high "caution towards most people" was declared by 76% of respondents. In addition, the phenomenon of trusting only ''our people'' is a major challenge in the current situation of the influx of refugees from Ukraine to Poland. Therefore, in this project we want to contribute to an increase in the residents'' public engagement, based on trust and the ability to cooperate despite differences in world views, values, backgrounds and other factors influencing social diversity. We implement the project in the Biłgoraj, Zamość and Lublin counties in the Lublin Province. We conduct workshops for local leaders, carry out community participation rallies, local initiatives and promotional activities. The direct beneficiaries of the project are local activists, community workers from non-governmental organisations, local institutions (schools, cultural centres) and informal groups, as well as people with the potential for greater activity, who will assist in the implementation of local initiatives by forming 3-person initiative groups.
Summary of project results
The project responded to the broadly understood low social capital characterized by aversion to people outside the immediate circle of family, neighbors and friends with a similar worldview, and is related to the following issues: 1. Low social trust of residents. from the above-mentioned area towards others, including socially involved people, manifesting themselves in reluctance, excessive criticism and suspicion. These factors, in turn, contribute to people with high social potential resigning from civic involvement, who give up activity due to lack of trust. 2. Limited opportunities for exchanging views, lack of space for dialogue and authentic forms of civic participation. 3. Insufficient competences of local leaders in terms of communication, cooperation, building understanding and conducting dialogue in the conditions of diversified and opposing views/opinions on matters important from the point of view of local communities.
Activities: 1. Knowledge and Skills Workshop - 38 leaders were recruited and trained on participatory tools and techniques for co-creating a local community and integrating with people with different views and origins, mainly refugees from Ukraine 2. Workshop for the Exchange of Experience and Knowledge - 6 so-called participation rallies attended by 200 people. , the aim of the rallies was to increase openness to dialogue and cooperation between residents/refugees, to get to know and understand each other by planning joint activities and looking for solutions to local problems 3. Experience Workshop - 36 leaders, in cooperation with the so-called helpers, prepared and implemented 37 civic initiatives in which 1,357 people took part. The aim of the initiatives was to practically involve citizens in local activities serving the "common good" in a diverse environment. Products: -50 printed posters -500 printed leaflets -38 activists recruited - 108 people recruited with the potential to be active, motivated to act for the benefit of the local community -Implementation of 48 hours of workshops as part of the Knowledge and Skills Workshop for 3rd graders. - Organizing 6 participation rallies - 37 developed initiative plans - 360 hours of group coaching -1 plan and 1 evaluation report -Organized 7 promotional events - 60 info about the project on the project subpage -85 Info on the FAO Facebook profile In addition, products: - 1 video summarizing the effects of the project - 1 conference summarizing the project
The effects included: - meeting people with diverse experiences, disabilities, nationalities, friendly point of view - contributes to dialogue and greater understanding -self-realization, acquiring new skills and using them in practice, especially when implementing initiatives - greater activity, effectiveness, belief that "something can be done, something can be changed" -overcoming shyness, greater self-esteem - workshops - developed self-confidence, faith in people and help - increase in organizational capabilities -overcoming obstacles while implementing the initiative with close team cooperation, teaching how to cope with stress and react in risk situations - getting to know each other, understanding and planning joint activities, Moreover, the participants and recipients of the activities point out the following changes in the local environment/community. - showing good examples of building dialogue, understanding that we can do something together, especially regarding initiatives with refugees from Ukraine, who are more visible by participating in various initiatives, there is also space for casual conversations and getting to know each other. - establishing intergenerational and intercultural cooperation, which in many cases was the beginning of further cooperation - promoting commitment to the common good, based on trust - creating space through initiatives to talk, meet and listen to people, participants of initiatives often said that "such meetings are nice, there should be more, it''s good to talk casually, learn something, meet other people" - youth involvement in social life, which showed that young people are not passive, that they are sensitive to the needs of other people, whether older people, disabled people or other nationalities, which often destroyed the myth that young people are selfish and disengaged.