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Description
Ostróda area (Warmińsko-Mazurskie Voivodeship) is not fully covered by operational neighborhood boards, while those few in operation struggle with low participation rates of the community members, low board election turnout, small budgets and limited power granted by the city. Currently, only three boards are in operation and their range leaves out over a half of the city’s citizens. We would like to support the social engagement of the citizens of Ostróda through bringing back that form of neighborhood involvement. This type of engagement cannot be achieved coming from the top, and that is why six neighborhoods we will work together with the City Council to develop a series of resolutions that will provide a real tools and power to the neighborhood councils.The project will be divided into two sections: work with the neighborhood communities that we will support logistically, and work with the representatives of the City Council. The goal is to change the current layout, possibly even neighborhood boundaries, to better serve the citizens. Firstly, we will recruit and train 10 individuals – social organizers, who will learn how to encourage community members to participate in grassroots activities, as well as how to teach them about independence in engaging in social activism. Next, we will organize a series of meetings where the community members will have an opportunity to present their needs, divide into work groups and settle on goals and schedule regular meetings. The final stage will be to work alongside the City Council. We will organize a visit between the representatives of the neighborhood boards and the City Board to local governments that are actively developing different forms of neighborhood cooperation (Wrocław, Dąbrowa Górniczna). Drawing from our experiences, we will help our new leaders in the local communities and members of the City Council design new rules for the neighborhood governance and create a coordinating team for the boards’ work.
Summary of project results
The area of Ostróda (Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship) is not fully covered by functioning neighborhood councils, and the ones that did exist struggled with unsatisfactory involvement of residents, low turnout in council elections, and limited financial resources and authorities granted to them by the city. Only three councils were regularly active, and their scope of activities did not encompass more than half of the city''s residents. We wanted to support the social activity of Ostróda''s residents by revitalizing this form of neighborhood engagement. Of course, we couldn''t impose this from above, so we worked together with the city council to develop a package of resolutions that would provide real tools and powers for the neighborhood councils through a community organizing method on six neighborhoods.
We divided the project into two pillars: working with the neighborhood communities, which we supported organizationally and substantively, and working with the city council representatives to change the local neighborhood structure to better meet the needs of residents. First, we recruited and trained individuals who became social organizers, learning how to encourage residents to engage in grassroots activities and how to teach self-reliance in social actions (without our support). Then we organized a series of meetings where residents identified their needs, formed groups, and set their goals and plans for regular gatherings. The final stage involved working with the city council. We organized a joint trip for neighborhood council representatives and city council members to visit local governments actively developing various forms of neighborhood cooperation (Wrocław, Dąbrowa Górnicza). Based on all the experiences, we helped the new leaders of local communities and city council representatives to jointly establish new rules for neighborhood organization and create a permanent coordinating team for neighborhood councils'' activities.
According to the evaluation surveys, we succeeded in building a sense of agency and influence in the project participants. Additionally, their self-belief and confidence in their abilities increased, along with their determination and willingness to get involved in decision-making processes.