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Description
The Institute for the Protection of the Landscape of Pomerania, as an expert civic voice, fills the gap in the life of the region. It brings together experts in spatial planning and the protection of the natural and cultural landscape, its researchers and enthusiasts, active in social negotiations regarding actions and plans for its transformation. We recognize the need to intensify interdisciplinary reflection, dialogue and education about the importance of landscape as a value and fundamental right, drawing on the experience of other regions of the world. We have profiled our activities in this respect. To achieve a measurable impact on reality, we strive to strengthen our voice in the public debate. A two-day study, training and integration trip of Institute''s members (task 1) will enable better recognition of the association''s potential and the exchange of its team''s experiences and views, enhancing internal communication channels and verification of the current methods of operation. A professional website (task 2) will be the showcase of the organization and a medium of communication with recipients of activities, promoting knowledge about the landscape of Pomerania, its condition and threats. The socio-scientific forum (task 3) will strengthen the recognition and message of the association. The session/debate/workshop/author''s meeting formula will enable reaching various stakeholder groups. As a dialogue platform, it is a step towards an inter-sectoral coalition for the protection of the region''s landscape. Through legal and expert consultations (task 4), we will support local initiatives to develop optimal solutions in the area of conflicting interests.
Summary of project results
The Pomeranian Landscape Protection Institute (hereinafter referred to as IOKP) brings together experts in space development and landscape protection, its researchers and enthusiasts active in social negotiations. Our goal is to build an entity with aspirations of agency, an expert civic voice, implementing the ideas of civic participation, exerting a measurable impact on processes.
The aim is to maintain the integrity and authenticity of the natural and cultural landscape of Pomerania through: 1/integration of the region''s communities around protection, fuller use of the landscape''s potential and building local identity around this value, 2/collecting knowledge, initiating, supporting research and disseminating its results to various recipient groups by organizing exhibitions, lectures, sessions, workshops in order to increase ecological awareness and spatial order 3/ developing expert positions, submitting, in cooperation with local initiatives, to the competent authorities applications for the application of measures aimed at removing threats to the cultural environment. 4/ developing contacts with NGOs with similar fields of activity; integration of researchers, enthusiasts and activists. Moreover, the goal of IOKP is to unblock communication channels between various stakeholders - to create a forum for dialogue and to intensify substantive social debate. regarding landscape changes. The scope of activities covers Pomerania and border areas.
The microgrant was used to recognize the potential of the internal association and build intra- and intersectoral coalitions to create an effective platform at the interface of science, institutions, civil society and media to strengthen dialogue between various stakeholders. For this purpose, a two-day study and training trip was carried out combined with meetings with decision-makers and expert lectures, training and internal discussion on the profiling of IOKP activities, and a forum at the interface of science and civil society was held on March 1, 2024 at the University of Gdańsk in the formula of plenary lectures/debate/workshops/ information meetings. As a result of the project, a professional website was created as a showcase of the organization and a communication medium. It contains information about IOKP, grant implementation and links to materials regarding fields of activity. During the grant period, 6 initiatives were expertly supported.
The main difficulty in implementing the grant in the planned amount was the postponement of the deadline due to the grant being awarded from the reserve list and the shortening of the implementation period by over 2 months. Therefore, the order in which the activities were carried out was changed. The forum planned to initiate social activities on October 10, 2023 was carried out only after the holiday period on March 1, 2024, i.e. almost half a year later. Hence, the number of initiatives that we supported with expert knowledge is smaller than we expected, as only 1.5 months. (instead of 6) we had to respond to the needs that were reported to us after the forum.
During the project, we reached various target groups and significantly increased the level of networking, strengthening the recognition and message of IOKP. These groups: institutions/officials, initiatives/associations, activists, experts/researchers, school children and students, local government officials, educators and those interested in landscape issues. In total, the district took part in the IOKP events. 160 people. The reach of sponsored posts about the forum reached almost 1,200 people.
The grant allowed us to recognize the internal potential of the association, refine the forms of cooperation and activities, and, above all, we developed a more efficient flow of information. In the case of our association, management concerns the social activities of professionally active members in many areas, and therefore must also take into account their time possibilities in a given period. Thanks to the grant, we were also able to define our limits and restrictions in social activities.
In the application, we identified the following priority tasks for our activities in a one-year perspective:
1/ developing forms of cooperation and internal communication.
2/ action to promote landscapes. as values and dissemination of knowledge
3/ networking with institutions, NGOs and activists acting complementarily
4/ refining the external strategy. communication, building image/recognition
5/ developing tactics/rhetoric for conducting interventions in conflict-prone areas
6/ establishing contacts/building relationships with the media
7/ developing a group of collaborators.
We achieved all the goals that we presented in the descriptions of individual activities, with minor modifications, mainly as a consequence of the changed mode of grant implementation, and therefore the work plan, and in response to the dynamics of expectations of the IOKP environment, e.g. we supplemented the program of the study, training and integration trip with meetings at the City and Commune Office in Żukowo and we expanded the topics discussed to include the regional cuisine of Pomerania as an element of the cultural landscape. As part of the forum, we replaced the planned author''s meeting with an information meeting to take advantage of the presence of a large audience to whom we could present our microgrant and business goals.
The long-term goal of our activities is to strengthen civic participation in spatial planning. This goal is long-term and its implementation requires long-term actions. The changes we have managed to implement are permanent, but like any change in social awareness, they require long-term and constant work. We are already observing some intensification of the landscape compared to June 2022, when IOKP was established (this topic returns again and again in the public debate, new initiatives are being implemented). However, achieving measurable effectiveness of activities is a decades-long goal. In any case, the contacts we have established in the last six months will certainly help us pursue our goals and, above all, build an effective coalition of entities supporting each other''s activities.
In the application, we emphasized the fact that IOKP bases its activities on social activity. members and by raising funds for projects. The members involved in the implementation of the grant are professionally active and have limited time resources depending on their current professional, family and health situation, which resulted in personnel changes in the implementation of individual activities.
In order to activate the citizen''s voice, including that of experts, internal integration is necessary on the one hand. and recognizing internal potential. org., but also keeping the development of procedures and administrative effort in check to prevent the potential of social involvement and creativity of social activists from burning out.
With the aim of profiling the image and increasing the recognition of IOKP, intensifying and strengthening the substantive nature of the social debate and reflection on the transformations of the Pomeranian landscape, and creating a space for dialogue among various stakeholders, the products planned in the application were implemented and the assumed results were achieved with a few modifications:
1. a professional website was created as a showcase of the organization, a medium of communication and propagation of the IOKP idea and knowledge regarding the landscape landscapepomorza.edu.pl
2. a set of visual identification of the social science forum was created, with consistent graphics with the IOKP website - event logo, canvas bag print, social media kit, printed folder, forum poster
3. the IOKP strategy was refined during the study, training and integration trip
4. a registration of 3 lectures by recognized experts in the field of shape was created. Landscape - see the MEDIATEKA tab on the IOKP website https://krajobrazpomorza.edu.pl/?page_id=336
5. a registration of the debate was created between representatives of various stakeholders of the shape processes. Landscape - see the MEDIATEKA tab on the IOKP website https://krajobrazpomorza.edu.pl/?page_id=336
Additionally, a recording of the opening of the socio-scientific forum was created - see MEDIATEKA IOKP and 5 radio materials thanks to the support of the media related to the University of Gdańsk (on the UG website and on Radio Mors - the university radio station broadcasting on the Internet) - see Summary of Press Materials
6. 4 workshops were held for pupils, students, activists and interested parties - see report https://krajobrazpomorza.edu.pl/?page_id=146
7. there was no meeting with the authors - the forum program was modified. Instead, we organized an information meeting regarding the grant, taking advantage of the presence of a large group of activists and those interested in the topic (tip during the coaching meeting),
8. substantive and legal consultations were held for local intervention initiatives supported by IOKP - 5 initiatives were supported and an FAQ was developed - Lake protection primer (in the form of FAQ) - see appendix IV.O and IV.VI, published https://krajobrazpomorza.edu .pl/?page_id=348
The application includes support for 10 initiatives. After changing the calendar of activities due to the shortened grant implementation time due to receiving support from the reserve list, we held the forum only on March 1 (and not October 20), so we only had 1.5 months to provide support to the initiatives that submitted demand after the forum.
9. an information and summary meeting of the implementation of the microgrant was held - during the forum, on March 1, 2024 during the forum - see report https://krajobrazpomorza.edu.pl/?page_id=146
In addition:
1. a series of 4 columns was written on the subject of landscape protection, which were published in the regional newspaper "Always Pomorze" and on its website (circulation: 7,000 copies, alwayspomorze.pl portal - 292,332 unique users) - see Summary of Press Materials
2. media patronage was obtained for the forum from "Czas Pomorze" (newspaper and portal as above) and Radio Gdańsk (regional reach 3.7% per day), reaching information about the forum from the recipients of these media
3. 2 articles about the forum and one - a report as a tour report - were published on the UG''s home page - see List of Press Materials.