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Description
The results of a study conducted by Centrum Badania Opinii Społecznej in early 2021 indicate that young women have more equalitarian outlooks than men, while the political situation in the country has mobilising influence on them. At the same time, women are still a minority in political parties, trade unions, and other traditional organisations of the political scene. According to the 2018 ‘Women in Elections vs Anti-Discriminatory Mechanisms’ report as many as 33% of respondents believe that women should not engage in politics, whereas 37% believe that women know less about politics which is too complicated for them. We see hope in young women whose interest in politics is increasing in reaction to the current political situation. And we would like to target our project at these beginner activists.We will support 40 young women interested in political activities, from all over Poland. We will have a diagnosing meeting with each of them to discuss their training needs and areas in which they feel most comfortable. We will run an intense political and activist education course in three area: preparation for public presence and public debate, know-how, and activism. In groups of four, participants will run social initiatives that they will design and plan on their own, supported by experts.We will also prepare educational materials for women taking their first steps in the world of politics and we will share them on our website. We will run a nationwide social campaign encouraging women to engage in public and political activities. To complete the project, we will organise a conference along with a debate on women’s political activity in Poland and the preparation for the 2023 elections, inviting project participants, activists, female politicians, female representatives of local governments and NGOs.
Summary of project results
According to a survey conducted by the Center for Public Opinion Research at the beginning of 2021, young women are more likely than young men to have egalitarian views, and the political situation in the country serves as a motivating factor for them. However, women are still a minority in political parties, trade unions, and other traditional organizations on the political scene. According to the report "Women in Elections and Anti-Discrimination Mechanisms" from 2018, as many as 33% of respondents believe that women should not engage in politics, and 37% think that women have less knowledge about politics, which they find too complicated. We see hope in young women who, in response to the political situation in the country, are increasingly interested in politics. This project was specifically aimed at these young, aspiring activists.We supported 37 young women from all over Poland who were interested in political activism. Each participant underwent a diagnostic meeting during which we discussed their training needs and the areas in which they felt most confident. We conducted an intensive course in political and activist education in three areas: public presence and public debate skills, substantive knowledge, and activism. With the support of experts, the participants organized social initiatives in small groups, which they themselves devised and planned. As a result, 11 initiatives were created, focusing on topics such as climate education, monitoring anti-violence actions, and the legalization of civil partnerships.Thanks to these activities, a network of 37 women ready to enter the political sphere and participate in public debates was formed. From the evaluation surveys, we learned that they also gained significant knowledge in areas such as energy, economics, climate change, and the history of feminism. We are impressed by the interesting and valuable initiatives organized by the participants themselves.
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