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Description
Two years ago, there were few people in the world who warned about the possibility of "highly unlikely events" like a global pandemic shaking health and security on a global scale. Few predicted the disruptions in development and the economic consequences that would affect the nature of work and the life paths of hundreds of millions of people. We see that the representatives of the incoming Alpha generation are more sensitive than the older generations to climate change and the urgency of the steps that must be taken in the coming global consequences of climate change. The organization plans to work towards the goal of the project through a challenging approach, in which it will use scenario thinking and scenario planning. Using these approaches, the organization will develop an ecosystem analysis that clarifies what constitutes the driving forces.
Based on this, it will determine with what degree of probability and what degree of impact new factors will appear in Slovakia. Together with a team of researchers and forecasters, the possible scenarios will be named. The trends revealed in this process will then be validated with 40 organizations, platforms and initiatives. The target group in the project are civil society organizations, which thanks to the project will be able to orient themselves in the nearest trends and adapt their operating plan to these trends.
The partner organization will be an integral part of the project. In the first phase, representatives of the partner organization will be part of an expert panel, whose task will be to prepare scenarios for the development of civil society in Slovakia in the context of European and global influence. The experts of the partner organization will also participate in the preparation and implementation of a series of participatory activities. In the second phase of the project, the partner organization will oversee the preparation and implementation of educational lunch seminars.
Summary of project results
The project was focused on the creation of scenarios for the development of civil society in Slovakia and, based on them, the creation of a hybrid educational program for civil society organizations in the field of adaptation to the new normal in the post-covid era. Since 2019, PDCS, o.z,. addresses the topic of strengthening the resilience of civil society.
The pandemic in 2020 brought a situation that none of us was prepared for and significantly affected the functioning of civil organizations. At a time when the return of "normality" was looming, Russia attacked Ukraine. Organizations reacted differently to this crisis as well, some responded immediately by offering the necessary services, some waited and some continued their activities regardless of the ongoing war.
The implementers of the project, PDCS, have been thinking for a long time about how to help civil organizations prepare in advance for what may come. Recent years have taught the project implementers that the ability and the habit of thinking about the versions of the future that we refuse to accept, although they may occur, are essential.
The project consisted of seven activities:
- Creation and work of the coordination group
- Creation and work of the panel of experts
- Series of meetings of the coordination and expert group (Verification of obtained data in relation to trends)
- Verification meetings with MNO representatives
- Publication: Scenarios of civil society development in Slovakia until 2040
- Educational program for civil organizations: Preparation for the "new normal" in the context of the post-covid era and the time of near-war conflict
- Open lunch-seminars: OS development scenarios and preparation for the “new normal
Project in numbers:
- 1 publication with a Norwegian supplement,
- 4 podcasts,
- 16 FB posts/blogs,
- 34 activities (meetings, courses, seminars)
- 27 involved experts, lecturers and guests
- 243 participants in activities: round tables (41), courses (88), lunch seminars (114)
Together with a team of researchers and forecasters, the project implementers tried to name possible scenarios for the development of the civil sector in Slovakia. The trends revealed in this process were then verified with more than 40 organizations, platforms and initiatives. In a series of meetings, there was an effort to name more precisely what awaits them and in which directions they can be most useful for the people of Slovakia.
The process resulted in a publication with five selected scenarios of possible development.
The educational activities were intended not only for civil sector organizations but also for public sector institutions that already actively cooperate with civil society organizations and initiatives.
Summary of bilateral results
The director of the partner organization worked with the project implementers on creating the text of the scenarios. She recalled Slovak texts, created a text about the situation and development of Norwegian civil society and prepared a seminar on the topic of human rights and education in this topic, drawing on domestic good practice and rich experience from Norway. She brought an inspiring and positive view of the development of civil society from a Norwegian perspective. During the seminar, she offered to use an educational package/tool that organizations have created and disseminated in different countries. For her personally, it was interesting to understand the cultural differences between Norwegian and Slovak society, the different starting points of both cultures and the resulting different development of civil society. She used Norwegian examples of good practice to encourage and inspire representatives of Slovak MNOs. She particularly valued the opportunity to lecture on the importance and possibilities of education in the field of human rights and democracy. She also positively assessed the possibility of thinking about the development of civil society in the distant future. The joint intercultural dialogue enriched both sides of the partnership.