More information
Description
According to a report prepared for a research commissioned by the Coalition for Student Councils in 2016, most pupils and teachers in Poland do not know what a student council is and what its goals are. Our research results indicate that in our home Gorlice district (Małopolskie province) the vast majority of student councils do not fully realise their potential; only 28% of pupils surveyed believe that a student council board can decide on its initiatives independently, and as many as 75% of the respondents claim that in their schools there is a problem with a small number of candidates willing to run for the council. As far as we know, no council cooperates with local authorities or fellow student organisations, while most council supervisors have never taken part in relevant training. We will address these problems by organising a cycle of workshops for 30 representatives of student council boards and their supervisors from the Gorlice district. Together they will diagnose their needs, work on new initiatives, develop a plan to implement them, and learn more about the principles and good practices of self-governance. We will organise a debate for student council representatives to discuss their needs, goals and ways in which they could function. In three selected schools we will implement a student budget. We will make a study tour to the Youth Association of the Płużnica commune, which is our project partner, and which has inspired us with its initiatives for youths and which has shared its experience. It will help participants generate new ideas for their schools. Finally, youths along with the Moszczenica Community Council will develop the plan of cooperation between the Student Council and local authorities. The second partner to our project is the John Paul II School Complex in Staszkówka that will allow us to organise meetings in their classrooms and will facilitate contact with youths and supervisors.
Summary of project results
According to a 2016 research report for the Student Self-Government Coalition, the majority of male and female students and teachers in Poland have no knowledge of what student self-government (SU) is and what its purpose is. Our research showed that in the Gorlice district (Małopolskie Voivodeship), where we operate, the vast majority of student self-governments do not reach their full potential, only 28% of the students and pupils surveyed believed that the student self-government council can decide on its own initiatives, and as many as 75% of the respondents answered that there is a problem at their school with a small number of people willing to run for office. To the best of our knowledge, none of the student councils worked with the municipal authorities or with another student council, and that the majority of student council supervisors had never attended training on the subject.
In addition, in many schools, decisions on the organisation of events, the spending of funds or other initiatives are made solely by teachers and head teachers, limiting the students'' sense of influence over their own environment.
Our project therefore aimed to bridge the gap between young people and local authorities, the former to help them better understand decision-making processes and the latter to facilitate an understanding of the needs and expectations of the county''s young people. We also wanted to promote cooperation between different schools and between students from different backgrounds and to enable the exchange of experiences, ideas and best practices.
As part of the project, we carried out a range of activities aimed at educating, integrating and strengthening self-governance among young people.
One of the key activities was training for members of student councils. Students and their supervisors gained knowledge about the nature of student self-government, learned about good practices and tools useful for consultation. We then ran a campaign to promote running for election to the student councils. Students prepared videos, posters and organised meetings, which were disseminated to other schools in the district. This campaign contributed significantly to the increase in the number of candidates in the elections.
After the elections, we invited the new councils for a debate, which was also attended by representatives of the local council. The debate included speeches on student self-government and the benefits of participation, as well as team-building activities such as speed-dating and WordCafe discussions that allowed the exchange of ideas and problems between the different student councils.
We also supported activities at the three selected schools, which carried out consultation processes and developed project ideas based on these. We provided the necessary materials and services, resulting in concrete initiatives: an educational corner at the school in Ropica Polska, the design of a new canteen room at the school in Dominikowice and an activity room in Staszkówka.
In addition, the pupils, together with representatives of the authorities, developed a concept for cooperation which included both organisational and financial aspects. An example of such cooperation was the initiative of the student council from Staszkówka Primary School with the municipality of Moszczenica.
On the basis of the activities carried out, we developed a brochure which was made available on the project website and sent to 10 institutions in the district. We summarised the project at a virtual conference with representatives of student governments from the Wąbrzeźno district, which allowed for the exchange of good practices and experiences.
The project, implemented in the Gorlice district, was aimed mainly at members of student self-government councils from primary schools, their guardians and supervisors, headmasters and headmistresses of schools and local government authorities. The project involved a total of 60 participants, who took part in a variety of activities and initiatives aimed at strengthening student self-governance and increasing the involvement of young people in decision-making processes.
One of the main results of the project was an increase in the number of students running for student council elections. Thanks to the campaign to promote candidacy, in three schools the number of candidates exceeded the number of available council seats by at least 50%.
The project also contributed to a significant increase in the involvement of students in decision-making processes. In three primary schools, the number of processes in which student councils were involved doubled. Pupils participated in consultation, planning and implementation of their own initiatives, which enabled them to acquire practical skills in project management and organisation of community activities.
Through the initiatives, implemented as part of the pilot student budget, learners have gained valuable experience in planning and implementing their own ideas.