Frelki-Obywatelki – supporting women in the Silesian Voivodeship

About this project

<p>The aim of the project is to increase the civic activity of women from the Silesia Region by using the method of Community Organising and civic education. We want to enable women to participate in decision-making processes, show their engagement in local issues, and provide them with organisational, psychological and substantive support. Our experience shows that the method of Community Organising is effective in such activities. It helps create a welcoming, equitable environment for the community. It works on a long-term basis, supporting the formation and functioning of grassroots groups and community organisations. Our experience also shows that a big barrier to cooperation are world-view and political differences as well as a progressive social polarisation. That is why in our activities we focus on important topics concerning the public sphere, which bring people together despite the differences that divide them in other areas. The project consists of two parts. In the first one, we will use the method of Community Organising to organise groups of women in two cities of the Silesia Region, and in the second one we will provide those gropus with educational and advisory support. As part of the project, we will also conduct comprehensive research on public, social and political activity of women from the region. We want to find out in which areas the women are engaged, what are the goals of their engagement as well as its systemic and local conditions, including barriers that hinder women's activity and the needs for support in this respect. We are implementing the project in partnership with the Institute of Public Affairs, which is responsible for conducting qualitative research, and Phronesis SA (Norway), which supports the organisation of meetings in local communities and work in the form of dialogue.</p>

Bilateral cooperation results

The partner organization has extensive experience in adult education and community development. Thanks to the project cooperation, we learned a new method – the dialogue formula and gained expert support in preparing for meetings with communities using this tool. The partner also organized a study visit to Norway, which showed us how important it is to build relationships based on openness, respect and trust and what can happen if this is not there between people. We plan to continue cooperation with the partner in order to strengthen our competences in the dialogue method.

Project partners

• Phronesis SA Donor project partner· Norway