Description
Social consultations during an open conflict are risky: instead of helping to find an appropriate solution of a problem, they can lead to escalation of conflict. But local government units lack tools and institutions for local conflict management. We will develop in an interdisciplinary manner, test in Warsaw, and present to other local communities and social partners a model for enhancing civic dialogue, using tools for diagnosing and solving local conflicts. The department of City Hall responsible for public participation is involved in a project as a partner, providing all information needed and help of its administration.
Summary of project results
"One of the barriers for civil dialogue are differences between people leading to disputes. The deficit of knowledge and systemic preparation to dealing with conflicts makes it difficult to organise civil participation processes on the local level and to constructively participate in them. The aim of the project was to develop, test in Warsaw and disseminate a model for supporting civil dialogue in local government units, using the idea of conflict management. Under the project, a model for supporting civil dialogue was developed. It is based on development by municipalities of their own potential and using services of external specialists in conflict management. To gather necessary materials and test the initial concept of the methodology, eight pilot subprojects were implemented in Warsaw: 2 processes of social consultations, a process of preparing and moderating two-party negotiations, a process of deepened diagnosis of a conflict situation, and four processes of developing procedures and tools for civil dialogue. As a result, the municipalities enhanced their potential for dialogue and organisational changes were introduced: in Wawer three procedures became mandatory, and in Mokotów a package of tools to prevent destructive disputes in civil dialogue was prepared. The project activities included a review of written materials and good practices, workshops for specialists in the field of civil dialogue conflicts, recruitment and starting cooperation with local officers in Mokotów, Ursynów and Wawer, three workshops for management boards and directors of local offices, diagnosis of barriers and the potential of the city and the three districts in dealing with conflicts, eight pilot subprojects supporting city districts, building of a model for supporting dialogue in conflict situations, and promotion of the developed solutions. Direct recipients of the project were Warsaw local officers and inhabitants. The project also benefited other municipalities and counties, and specialists in civil participation. The partnership with the Centre for Social Communication had a key role for the project: workers of the CSC were co-authors of the concepts of activities, hosts and guides in the city, beneficiaries supported in conducting and refining civil dialogue, and experts at the stage of modelling and promotion."
Summary of bilateral results