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Description
Starting from 2015 we have been noticing an alarming tendency to limit civic activities independent of the government, and at the same time, the 2020 Centrum Badania Opinii Społecznej study results show that there has been an increase of interest among Poles in activities aiming at fighting for women’s and minority rights. Such an increase creates considerable potential for civic movements, but it requires comprehensive support to survive and develop. According to our 2020 survey among young organisations and activist groups in Poland there is high demand for developing tools related to getting organised, obtaining funds, preventing activist burnout, group work, or conflict management and providing education in these fields. We will address these needs by conducting two editions of a programme supporting a total of 18 young organisations or informal group from three different locations in Poland, Warsaw, Gdańsk and Cieszyn, active in the field of rule of law, democracy, ecology, women’s and minority rights. In each edition we will organise a training on how to acquire funds, communicate, build a group/organisation, or run a social campaign. We will discuss activist burnout and ways to take care of yourself when working for others. We will combine it with bodywork, and meditation classes. At the end, we will popularise best activist work practices and will encourage more young organisations to take part in the second edition. Our first partner is the European Community Organizing Network gathering social organisations from Europe that will run some training sessions for us. Thanks to its presence, we will also be able to show the European dimension of civic engagement to our participants. Our second partner is the Rzecz Społeczna Foundation that supports initiatives gathering people with different outlooks. It will support us with its human resources and competencies in the field of training.
Summary of project results
The project responded to the challenge of the emergence of a new generation of activists and activists involved in various social movements, such as the Youth Climate Strike, the Women''s Strike or Extinction Rebellion. These organisations, working against social inequalities, discrimination, and in support of environmental protection, face activist burnout, i.e. a decline in commitment and motivation, and organisational difficulties in sustaining community engagement in the long term.
The generation of young activists needed not only hard tools for organisational development and impact on the surrounding reality, but also soft skills such as dealing with burnout, body work and identity building.
As part of the project, we carried out activities to strengthen young organisations and informal groups and provide them with tools for effective social action. We focused on a holistic approach, combining hard knowledge with soft skills such as mindful body work and meditation to counteract activist burnout.
Over the course of the project, we trained 17 organisations and informal groups, which carried out a total of 16 social campaigns, such as "Against menstrual exclusion" by the Visible Foundation, "Social strategy for the development of education in Cieszyn" by the Cieszyn School-n Group, "Urban transport for Kończyce Małe" by the Youth Movement or "Why do we cut the branch we are sitting on?". of the Agriculture and Climate Collective.
We organised 17 workshop weekends and 8 seminars in which we discussed topics related to community organising, communication, fundraising and intersectionality. We also offered individual consultations and conceptual work with experts for each participating group and the whole project ended with a wrap-up meeting and evaluation to assess the progress and results of the project.
The recipients of the project were mainly newly formed organisations and informal groups working in the areas of democracy, human rights, environmental movements and social and gender equality. Groups such as Extinction Rebellion, LGBTQ+ movements and organisations fighting for women''s and minority rights participated in the project.
The project has had a significant impact on the development of organisations and informal groups of the younger generation and on shaping social attitudes. The project strengthened social activism by combining the transfer of hard tools for organisational development with soft skills to counteract activist burnout.
The campaigns carried out had a concrete impact on local environments and the problems of their communities. It has been possible to increase public knowledge and awareness on topics such as human rights, environmental protection and gender equality through workshops, lectures and information meetings. In some cases, it has been possible to bring about real changes in local politics through public pressure, and by promoting values such as tolerance, equality and community involvement, groups have been able to build a more open and supportive environment while strengthening the sense of community.
The project certainly contributed to intergenerational integration within social activism, bringing together different generations of socially engaged people. It was the result of collaboration and exchange between younger activists representing movements such as the Youth Climate Strike or the Women''s Strike, and experienced leaders and experts.
With its institution-building component, the programme has had a significant impact on the project leader''s organisation itself and on relationships with partners. Maintaining the collaboration after the project and raising funds to continue the programme demonstrates its lasting impact on partner organisations.