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Description
Climate change is a global problem, but its effects are felt locally. We believe that each of us can help reduce these effects. However, in order for actions to be effective, it is worthwhile to involve various people, entities and stakeholders: school students, adult residents, local business, local governments and NGOs. The Polkowice Municipality is a large industrial area, so the environment is particularly at risk here. For several years, the municipality has been implementing the Environmental Education Programme, an important element of which is local cooperation and raising the residents’ awareness on sustainable development. In this project, we address the problem of low engagement of the Polkowice Municipality’s residents in climate protection activities. Its goal is to strengthen civil society through the social activation of young people and the development of their competences which will allow them to conduct social dialogue, facilitate meetings, cooperate and engage for the benefit of the whole community. We are carrying out training on such topics as methods of conducting dialogue, strengthening the sense of agency, ways to engage the residents, as well as climate threats and good practices to prevent them in Poland and Europe. We have planned the training activities in such a way that the participants will be able to use the acquired knowledge and skills during the 1st Polkowice Climate Dialogue, i.e. a debate with representatives of local government, NGOs and business. Together they will develop a Dictionary for Climate Talks and a Climate Manifesto, in which they will define local environmental and climate challenges. The young people will carry out 4 initiatives engaging the local community in climate action. We will integrate the results of the project into the Environmental Education Programme of the Polkowice Municipality.
Summary of project results
The aim of the project was to strengthen civil society by socially activating young people aged 13-19 from GP (including Ukrainian) and equipping them with competences to conduct social dialogue, facilitate cooperation between local stakeholders, and engage in the community. The activities were planned so that the knowledge and skills acquired during training in methods of conducting dialogue, strengthening the sense of agency, and engaging citizens could be trained in practice during the Polkowice Climate Dialogue - a debate with the participation of local government, NGOs, and business, which was to be led by young people participating in the activities. Youth supported by experts were to carry out 4 initiatives involving the local community in dialogue and climate action.
1. A number of workshops and lectures, exercises and initiatives were conducted with young people in Polkowice, which showed models, methods and types of social dialogue. 2. During the workshops, young people were taught how to create and conduct a social debate in the area of the environment and climate change with various stakeholder groups (NGOs, local government units, business, seniors, residents of the city and surrounding areas). 2. Youth organized and conducted a social dialogue - 1. Polkowice Climate Dialogue, with over 250 people from Polkowice, during which they diagnosed problems important for local communities, together with stakeholders they created a climate dictionary and developed a Climate Manifesto containing the most important demands in the area of environmental protection and changes climate in Polkowice. 3. Teachers completed a series of inclusive training and workshops on how to be a good and engaging mentor for students. They used the science in practice (youth social initiatives). 4. The youth, based on the problems diagnosed during PDK, invented and carried out 4 social initiatives in the field of climate and environmental change (vertical gardens, rainwater tanks, educational games and information campaigns were created). 5. Local government units were trained in social dialogue with young people, participated in the PDK and, based on its results, verified the educational policy in the Polkowice Commune and initially analyzed the climate policy of the Polkowice Commune.
The project brought a real change for almost 100 people in the area of dialogue skills. 80 students, 12 teachers and 5 people from Local Government Units acquired competences in the field of social dialogue. A real change is also that young people felt their agency and had an influence on educational and climate policies in their commune. The office began to treat young people as an advisory element and influencing activities in the commune. The process of social debate on climate change in the Polkowice Commune has also begun due to the implementation of the Polkowice Climate Dialogue.
Summary of bilateral results
In the project, bilateral cooperation mainly concerned the exchange of experiences, knowledge and good practices. The Norwegian partner shared with the youth and residents of Polkowice their knowledge on the effects of climate change and the ways in which they are solved in Norway, also at the systemic level. An undoubtedly valuable experience for the youth of Polkowice was the opportunity to talk to a representative of the Youth Climate Movement in Norway, who talked about how young people in Norway are working for the climate, that these are not only protests, but also activities related to legislation, changes in law, regional policy. The conversation stimulated the Polish youth, arousing hope that the problems they notice can be solved by themselves, that young people are heard and listened to and have an impact on changes in the region and the world.