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Description
Thanks to this grant, we will be able to meet our main strategic objectives for the coming year. We will strengthen our competences, which will allow us to improve our activity and its perception in the local community. We will increase our visibility in the local environment and our initiatives will be perceived as important for the residents. As part of this project, we will also create an attractive place to spend time, pursue passions and develop competences for our beneficiaries. We will initiate the key projects (Outdoor Education and The Polna People''s University), which are the two pillars of our vision.
Summary of project results
The Polna Foundation operates in the broadly understood area of ecology, personal development, health, agriculture and culture. In the process of preparing and implementing the grant, the foundation identified four main directions of development:
1. Outdoor education
2. Field People''s University
3. Protection and promotion of traditional culture
4. Promotion of ecology as part of an ecological demonstration farm.
Activities carried out as part of the grant received from the Active Citizens Fund Regional were focused on the first two directions of development of the foundation, as well as the development of human resources and the organization''s background.
The members of the foundation learned a lot about implementing projects and risk analysis, we significantly strengthened our coaching competences and strengthened our sense of self-worth and agency in working with people. Numerous work standards were developed and roles in the team were clarified. In May 2024, we hired a person to help with the implementation of tasks. We also acquired a lot of tools that make work easier. The foundation has a very aesthetic headquarters and camp equipment needed to carry out expeditions. We gained over 50 interested people for subsequent editions of expeditions, and the foundation has gained a very good reputation among the local community. We receive numerous inquiries about further activities.
The foundation gained five new partnerships with organizations in the area, with which we plan to work together in the fall.
After implementing the grant, the Polna Foundation has become a recognizable brand, with good work organization and very high motivation for further action.
Three members of the organization developed their competences by participating in courses:
1. coaching school - competences used during the implementation of Outdoor Education projects ensuring the sustainability of the effects of the forest phase. During the forest camp, participants implement a program focused on the development of soft skills and the development of an action plan in the area of activity on the labor market. Each participant then has the opportunity to take part in coaching meetings for a period of several months,
2. Nonviolent Communication course - techniques learned during the course are used and passed on to participants of Education in the Open Air projects, but are also helpful in communication inside and outside the foundation,
3. trainer course - training based mainly on aspects of the group process, which is a key competence when conducting any group classes.
The grant financed the renovation of a year-round European-style yurt, which is the headquarters of the foundation with an area of 45m2. Workshops and meetings carried out as part of the foundation''s activities are held there. The yurt is a very important image element for our foundation. The culmination of the renovation was the implementation of the foundation''s open days, during which we had the opportunity to present ourselves to the local community.
As part of the funding, we also implemented two activities for the population, which are closely related to the first two directions of development. The first activity was the initiation of the activity of the Field People''s University, as part of which a course on dying professions was conducted. The second activity was the implementation of the Education in the Open Air camp. In connection with this, we purchased 8 sets of camp equipment, which will serve us during subsequent expeditions and projects.
-One Coaching School for 1 member of the organization,
-One NVC Course for 1 member of the organization,
-One Trainer Course for 1 member of the organization,
-1 headquarters of the organization was renovated,
-Promotional materials for conducting an advertising campaign were created:
* 2 promotional films out of the planned 4. During the creation of the campaign concept, we decided that the production of two films would be sufficient to achieve the goals.
* we decided not to create infographics. The dynamics of the project would make it difficult to implement such a medium. This did not affect the achievement of the goals set for the advertising campaign
* 1 subpage about the foundation''s products (currently 3 pages are not publicly visible due to outdated information and changes taking place in the foundation, but they will be launched after the update),
* graphic identification of our projects was created.
The foundation joined the Google Ad Grants program and will promote its activities as part of this grant. As part of the developed materials, we also created campaigns on Facebook, which are waiting to be published.
-One information report on the source of financing,
-Two events in social media out of the planned four. This value was incorrectly estimated when writing the application
-One recreational and promotional event (open day) took place, in which 25 people took part,
-We carried out two courses in dying professions, in which 13 people took part. The herbal course enjoyed great interest and inspired us to create another extended edition. The foundation is waiting for the results of two grants for the implementation of similar activities and is waiting for the launch of support for People''s Universities. By implementing the courses, the foundation has gained a very good reputation and recognition among the local community.-
-We carried out a pilot outdoor education project for 7 people (one person resigned the day before the start). After the camp, coaching sessions were held, in which information on the actions taken was collected. Each person achieved at least one planned action related to their professional activity. A satisfaction survey was conducted with the service, which showed a significant increase in the well-being of the participants.
- 21 people were trained,
- 7 people took part in coaching sessions,
- we published two videos reporting on the activities, due to the tight schedule we were not able to implement more,
- we published a total of 18 posts on Facebook (after a temporary loss of the account due to the attack, some posts were deleted and the total number of materials was 24),
- 4 people found employment, we expected the indicator to be 5 people, but during the implementation of the project it turned out that this was unrealistic due to the financial state of the foundation. Additionally, we made one large purchase from a local farmer,
- we signed two partnership agreements.