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Description
The project is a response to the problem of a low sense of empowerment and lack of civic attitudes among young people in the Olkusz County. Together with partners (6 schools from 3 municipalities, including 2 secondary and 4 primary schools), we will test an innovative mechanism of participatory school budgeting. Participatory school budgeting is a process in which the school community decides on the allocation of a part of the school budget. School students, parents, teachers and other school employees come up with ideas, create projects and then themselves choose the ones they think are the most necessary. Implementation of the above-mentioned mechanism will be preceded by 186 hours of training and animation classes for 768 students. We will describe the solutions developed during two editions of the voting in an implementation manual, which will be delivered to all schools in the Olkusz County. After the implementation of the mechanism of participatory school budgeting, we will compile a report with recommendations for local youth policy, addressed to four local authorities. The project will be concluded with a social campaign under the slogan ''Let Us Co-decide!''. Direct beneficiaries of the project are young people in the Olkusz County, who will acquire knowledge on functioning of the participatory budgeting process as well as practical skills, and they will also develop civic attitudes. Indirect beneficiaries are the residents of the Olkusz County who will gain knowledge and experience from the implementation of new democratic mechanisms.
Summary of project results
The project responded to the problem of low sense of agency among primary and secondary school students in the Olkusz district (6 partner institutions). Innovative tools to increase social participation of this age group, i.e. school participatory budgets, were not implemented in the project implementation area. Young people had no knowledge about the principles of operation of this type of solutions (including urban civic budgets).
As part of the project, we implemented school participatory budget mechanisms in 6 partner schools (with packages of documents in this area developed by the budget implementation teams). We conducted a series of training courses preparing young people to work in Participatory Budget Teams, we carried out animation workshops on project writing, and we undertook a number of promotional activities in each school aimed at increasing the school community''s knowledge about the mechanism. Together with the members of the Team, we have developed two publications on the mechanism of participatory school budgets and tools to increase the social activity of young people. We organized a number of promotional and information activities, including those with the participation of local authorities (educational conference, meetings with the delivery of open letters from young people to representatives of local authorities of 4 local government units).
The project responded to the problem of low sense of agency among primary and secondary school students in the Olkusz district (6 partner institutions). Innovative tools to increase social participation of this age group, i.e. school participatory budgets, were not implemented in the project implementation area. Young people had no knowledge about the principles of operation of this type of solutions (including urban civic budgets).
As part of the project, we implemented school participatory budget mechanisms in 6 partner schools (with packages of documents in this area developed by the budget implementation teams). We conducted a series of training courses preparing young people to work in Participatory Budget Teams, we carried out animation workshops on project writing, and we undertook a number of promotional activities in each school aimed at increasing the school community''s knowledge about the mechanism. Together with the members of the Team, we have developed two publications on the mechanism of participatory school budgets and tools to increase the social activity of young people. We organized a number of promotional and information activities, including those with the participation of local authorities (educational conference, meetings with the delivery of open letters from young people to representatives of local authorities of 4 local government units).
The project contributed to strengthening the civic attitudes of young people from Olkusz schools - research showed an increase in the sense of agency of members of student budget teams. The school community was activated at the stage of creating ideas for projects for changes in schools, many people voted for the best ideas. Representatives of local authorities were convinced to continue supporting the mechanism of participatory school budgets, which will be implemented after the end of project financing.