We present you some of the most interesting stories from the projects that have been implemented by the organizations within the Citizens for Democracy programme.
You are invited to use and distribute them. All texts and photos are available under Creative Commons – Attribution 3.0 Poland licence.
In case of any questions, please contact our information and promotion specialist:
Karolina Szymańska
22 536 02 69, 605 650 782
Between November 2013 and April 2016, 667 non-governmental organisations which received funding in the programme completed 617 projects of a total value of PLN 131 million. The projects were carried out in 773 communities all over Poland; 146 projects had a national scope. See the poznaj.ngofund.org.pl where you can find what activities were held under the programme and what has changed due to them.
In connection with false information about the Citizens for Democracy programme disseminated in a position paper developed by the Confederation of Non-governmental Initiatives of the Republic of Poland established on February 19, 2017, and affiliating a dozen or so organisations that describe themselves as conservative right-wing, we are making the following statement: Read more
How many people at risk of exclusion have benefited? How many legislative changes were implement thanks to watchdog organisations? How many people were encouraged by organistations to participate in public life? These and many other interesting facts and figures about the program can be found in the brochure, which was prepared to show what has been achieved within Citizens dor Democracy programme. Read more
Below you will find full report and the abstract of the newest research on verbal violence against minority groups. Report was prepraed by the Centre for Research on Prejudice of the University of Warsaw in cooperation with the Stefan Batory Foundation within Citizens for Democracy programme financed by EEA Grants.
In Poland, children do not freeze to death like the Russian bezprizorni. They are not shot at, like in South American favelas. They usually don’t fall as low as the children of Bahnhof Zoo. Occasionally, they are hungry, but they do not starve. Thus, when working with children, you rarely have to struggle for their existence – the purpose is rather to replace their current existence with a better life… Read more
How do Norwegian non-governmental organisations activate their residents and encourage them to take action to support their surroundings? How does Little Red Riding Hood help protect the environment? Just a handful of observations following a study visit to Oslo and Fredrikstad… Robert Buciak of the Green Mazovia Association (Stowarzyszenie Zielone Mazowsze) shares his impressions.
Approximately ONE MILLION people have crossed Greece in search for shelter from oppression and war, or – more simply – for safety and dignified life in Europe. How good is our cradle of civilisation at managing the situation, given its own crisis? Ewa Kozdraj of the For Earth Association (Stowarzyszenie dla Ziemi) offers her Greek visit impressions.
An estimated 18,000-20,000 individuals provide broadly understood paid sexual services in Poland. Some sources quote as many as 150,000-160,000, with the number of escort agencies approximating 15,000. Demand breeds supply.
“Yet stigmatisation is primarily the plight of the so-called sex workers rather than their clients. Sex workers are left to fend for themselves, and they find it difficult to apply for help,” says Robert Łukasik, President of the Union for People Living with HIV/AIDS Positive in Rainbow (Zjednoczenie Pozytywni w Tęczy). Read more
90 organisations, institutions and informal groups, 72 events in 50 locations in Poland. Schools, clubs, after-school clubs, coffee shops, libraries took part in the Refugee Day celebrations, which had place from 18th to 25th of June in Poland. Read more
The Constitution leaves no doubt: the judiciary shall be independent of other powers. Concurrently, our legal order allows a certain form of civic participation in the administration of justice. Furthermore, it seems that the non-governmental sector can also be a success story when it comes to reforming the Polish Themis. Organisations implementing their projects within Citizens for Democracy programme report on whether and to what extent their “reform” has proven successful. Read more
Stefan Batory Foundation and Institute of Reportage Foundation (Fundacja Instytut Reportażu) have pleasure to invite journalists to the contest Scoop: Refugees. Awarded would be the best articles, TV and radio broadcasts, also published, that were published in 2016, also on the internet. Read more
Our visit to Oslo and the opportunity to learn more about the Norwegian system of integration work with refugees were a fascinating experience – for a number of reasons. Firstly: as opposed to Poland, Norway has resources used for purposes of developing a system to integrate refugees and migrants. Secondly: the state assumes responsibility for creating the system – again, as opposed to Poland, where integration is chiefly handled by the non-governmental community, and remains marginal to state interests – Agnieszka Kosowicz from Polish Migration Forum writes about norwegian system of reffugees integration. Read more
I was hugely impressed by the form and manner of creating new pieces of legislation, their innovation and assumptions included. The purpose of parental leave mandatory for both parents was to comply with the child’s right to be taken care of by both parents, and to balance the women’s and men’s labour market opportunities – Natalia Sarata from Women’s Space Foundation talks about her experiences from study visit in Iceland concerning gender equality policies implemented there. Read more
Food Banks have been operating in Poland since 1997. They collect food at venues where it might go to waste – from producers, shops, and farmers – to then hand it over to the needful. This is how approximately 140,000 tonnes of food reach more than one million recipients in need each year.
We are talking to Monika Archicińska, Co-ordinator of the Żywność – dobro, które angażuje (Food – the Goodness of Involvement) Project, about how food is acquired. Read more
Stop Islamisation of Europe! … well, do you like your coffee? Napkins with these inscriptions appeared in McDonald restaurants in Zgierz in response to increasingly radical xenophobic and racist sentiments in the town. Witty napkins were just a part of a large number of activities in the Open Zgierz implemented by the A. Gołąb Association for Children and Youth Ability Enhancement in Zgierz. Read more
Diversity Forum – Together against discrimination is already behind us. It took place from 16th to 17th November in Warsaw. Almost 60 people from different organizations took part in the event to meet each other and talk about their expectations, experiences and fears. – We have already made a lot in the antidiscrimination field, but there is still a lot to do – said participants of the Forum.
There is a problem with hate speech in Poland. According to the study performed, nearly two-thirds of young Poles had come into contact with hate speech online, with roughly the same amount encountering verbal hate speech from their peers or on the street. That’s why Stefan Batory Foundation decided to initiate campaign against hate speech.
My name is Kasia. I am an ordinary kind of girl. I have a job, a boyfriend and loving parents. I am no different than other girls. However, there is one moment I feel different and inferior. It’s when I reveal that I am HIV positive.
At first, I couldn’t even find the toilette because I didn’t know that a circle on the door stood for ‘ladies’ and a triangle for ‘gents’. I couldn’t figure out which room the class was at or that I was supposed to bring separate sports clothes and shoes for the PE class.
Interview with Joanna Piotrowska, founder of Feminoteka, WenDo self-defence and assertiveness coach for women and girls, anti-discrimination, equal opportunities and anti-violence trainer.
It’s simply inhumane that in XXI century people who are sick have to live on the streets even though we have tools to provide them professional and effective assistance – says Julia Wygnańska, project coordinator.
“We believe it is important for senior citizens to help shape future services. Senior Citizen Councils can be a platform for senior citizens to make themselves heard,” says Beata Tokarz-Kamińska from the Association of Creative Initiatives “ę”.
