Description
The project encourages community members to scrutinise the local government, take part in local elections and build working relationships between citizens and local government in 15 municipalities across Poland. Individuals who will be able to vote for the first time in their life during the 2014 local elections are the main target group. Approximately 900 project participants will receive induction training on how to participate in elections and will receive information on how local governments operate and how important their decisions are. Participants will learn to search for information about their own local government units, to evaluate their performance, diagnose local problems and identify solutions. The level of public participation will increase. Interactive games and activities, such as city games, simulations and election monitoring, will integrate local communities. The project will involve local partners who will implement the project in their communities and an international partner to support experience sharing.
Summary of project results
"The project emerged as a result of a desk-research needs assessment. According to 2010 polls (CBOS), nearly half of respondents under 34 did not vote. Students were the least active group among voters. This findings are mirrored by the 2011 Youth report, which states that ""If you do not use your voting right immediately after you become eligible it will be very hard to persuade you to change the habit in the future"". The 'How Does My Community Work' project aimed at improving voter turnout in local elections, promoting local government awareness among youth and encouraging young people to follow and evaluate local government developments. Approximately, 830 young people were trained to become active and informed voters in local elections (they learned about the election process, voting rules etc.) About 700 learned how to search for information about local government, how to make informed judgements, how to diagnose local problems and look for solutions. We held 15 simulated local elections and 15 city games to allow youth to diagnose local issues and learn about institutions that were expected to provide solutions. About 100 young people monitored local elections and policy of the newly elected local governments. About 215 people organised 14 project-related events including an Oxford debate and civic education workshops. The key beneficiaries of the project were young people who acquired voting rights in 2014 and were recruited by 15 secondary schools, the Polish project partners.The project invited foreign partners including a public organisation from Norway, Sveio Kommune. A representative of the organisation visited Siedlce to present local government operations in Norway. Also, Sveio Kommune hosted a group of Polish local co-ordinators and shared its civic education experience. Other foreign partners were a local government in Estonia and a non-governmental organisation from Cyprus. Representatives of these organisations visited Poland to share local government experience in their countries. The organisation in Cyprus hosted a study tour to showcase local experience in civic education."
Summary of bilateral results
"The Polish Robert Schuman Foundation cooperated with Sveio Kommune from Norway. Both organizations benefited from the cooperation. It has enhanced the results of the project – it enabled the Project Promoter to compare two civic education models and two ways of organizing the local administration. The Sveio Kommune representative visited one of the Polish partner schools in Siedlce and met with youth and with the local community. He showed the young people how the local authorities are organized in Norway and the methods of including youth in managing the local community, especially in the youth council. The youth learned how to organize a youth council and got acquainted with solutions that they could implement. A Sveio Kommune representative had the opportunity to observe simulation of local elections – method of nonformal civic education – organized by the project leader. He also met with representatives of local authorities in Siedlce and was introduced to Polish organization of local administration. The visit of the foreign guest increased the visibility of the project in Siedlce. Sveio Kommune organized a study visit for teachers from Polish school partners – leaders of local communities. The aim of the visit was to present to the teachers the methods of civic education in Norway, how the principles of cooperation and the development of civil society is taught within local communities and at all levels of education. The visit improved the knowledge of Polish local leaders of the methods used in civic education that they might apply in their communities."