Author: Zuzanna Widawska

Registration for the event is now closed. Those who registered have received confirmation of their participation. The event will also be broadcast online, allowing anyone interested to attend. Polish – English and Polish Sign Language #PJM interpretation will be provided during the broadcast.   

Programme   

17:00 – 18:00  

Welcome and short summary of the Active Citizens Fund – National programme.  

This part of the event will include speeches by:   

• Øystein Bø – Ambassador of the Kingdom of Norway to Poland  

• Jan Hernik – Representative of the Embassy of Iceland   

• Hjörtur Sverrisson – Head of the Funds and Horizontal Concerns Unit at the Financial Mechanisms Office in Brussels
  

18:00 – 18:50  

Screening of the film ‘Little big things’, which highlights changes that have taken place through the implementation of projects supported by the Active Citizens Fund – National programme.  

19:00 – 20:00 Independent, Responsive, Resilient – Civil Society in Poland  

A discussion with representatives of Polish CSOs: 

•     Maja Zabokrzycka (House of Peace Foundation)  

•     Anna Dąbrowska (Homo Faber Association)  

•     Agnieszka Caban (Home of the Borderland Foundation)  

•     Tomasz Pawłowski (Foundation trzeci.org)  

We will look at how Polish CSOs have responded to crises and challenges over the past five years, what trends we see and what changes have taken place in the way they operate. We will reflect on the role and direction of civil society in Poland in facing upcoming challenges.   

The discussion will be chaired by Ewa Kulik-Bielińska (Stefan Batory Foundation)  

20.00 – 20.15 Closing ceremony 

Speech by Ingrid Schulerud, representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway responsible for Norwegian Funds, and representatives of the consortium implementing the Active Citizens Fund – National programme.  

The workshop was facilitated by an international team of trainers with many years of experience in intercultural cooperation (Diba Tuncer, Marta Gawinek-Dagargulia, Dawid Kiermut, Magda Latuch, Natalia Trambolecka). The programme of the workshop was designed not only to identify the causes of misunderstandings in international partnerships and to implement corrective measures for the future, but also to commemorate the end of the project and what it had achieved. The second day of the workshop allowed participants to say goodbye to the past, understood as actions or management habits that did not serve their organisation or their partner and that they therefore did not want to repeat. This farewell was followed by planning for future activities in the same or new partnerships.

And what did the participants think of the workshop?:

‘One of the key takeaways from the workshop that I plan to use in the near future is the framework for analysing project challenges in context: skills, roles, personality and culture, which was introduced during the exercise by one of the trainers. This approach helped me to see how these factors can affect team dynamics and project outcomes, especially in an international environment. I intend to use this framework in my current projects to better identify the causes of any problems and to promote more effective communication and collaboration between teams. It will be a valuable tool to improve both problem solving and team cohesion’.

The meeting was organised in cooperation with our sister programme Active Citizens Regional – Fund and was attended by people representing organisations: Rita Lindanger AS, Association For Education “Pomost”, Kłodzkie Towarzystwo Oświatowe, LEVEL UP Association, Miðja máls og læsis / Centre for Language and Literacy / Centrum umiejętności czytania i pisania, Fagskrifstofa Skóla- og frístundasviðs Reykjavíkurborgar / Reykjavík City Department of Education and Youth/ Wydział Edukacji i Rekreacji Urzędu Miasta Reykjavik, Skog & Mose naturopplevelser / Nina Alida Nordbø, Centre for Civic Advocacy, Fundacja Wymiany Kulturowej toTU toTAM, Subcarpathian Association for Active Families, The Woman for PLUS Association, Ás styrktarfélag, “Patchwork” Association, ART JUNCTION Foundation, Association for Cultural Education WIDOK, Stiftelsen Alternativ til Vold, Foundation for Educational Activities KReAdukacja, Non-Governmental Organizations Support Center, Stiftelsen Alternativ til Vold, Polsk-norsk forening Razem=Sammen, Polish Institute for Human Rights and Business, Bjerkaker LearningLab (BLL), Norsensus Mediaforum, Great Lakes and Wetlands Association, Arendal municipality/Norway (Arendal Adult Learning Centre), Women in Forestry Association, Forests and Citizens Foundation, O3 OUT OF ORDINARY, Fjellugla, HumanDoc Foundation, Foundation of Active People and Places, Instytut Zwinnej Edukacji No Grades School Foundation, “Rysy” Foundation, Víkurskóli Vík Iceland.

Photo: Daniel Kiermut

It was not easy to choose who would take part in the visit: we received seventy applications from teams of two, from whom we eventually selected eleven pairs to take part in the trip and who will go to Utøya not only to learn about the work of local educators and the experience of rebuilding the island’s identity after the tragic events of 2011, but also to work on their ideas and the challenges they face in their work in aid of dialogue, counter-radicalisation and remembrance.

The organisations whose representatives will be invited to take part in the trip are:

• EduKABE Foundation for Creative Solutions with Women’s Association Lodz,
• Autonomy Foundation,
• Bezkres Foundation,
• Fruit of the Meeting Foundation,
• Borussia Foundation,
• Common Forms Foundation,
• Shtetl Foundation Mszana Dolna,
• Actions for Peace Laboratory – Salam Lab,
• The Polish Platform for Homeland Security,
• Witold Dynowski Ethnographic Workshop Association,
• Subcarpathian Association for Active Families

All the organisations on the list above will be contacted in the coming days to work out the logistical details of the trip.

We are organising the visit as the Active Citizens Fund – National Programme in cooperation with the Active Citizens Fund – Regional Programme.

Individuals from civil society organisations who are active in their local communities, particularly in facilitating discussions on issues of common interest, and those who specialise in issues related to social divisions, are invited to participate in the training.

NOTE: The workshop will mainly include elements from the courses on the basics of dialogue and dialogue facilitation conducted by the Nansen Centre for Peace and Dialogue, and is therefore not intended for people who have already completed other courses provided by NCPD trainers, e.g. under the programme “Turn off the Ego, Understand the Other Person” or the project “How to talk? Fostering Information Literacy as a Core Competence for Informed Citizenship in Participatory Democracy”, implemented by FRSI under the Active Citizens Fund – Regional Programme, or training organised directly by NCPD.

The workshop will address topics such as:

• Dialogue and facilitation: dialogue as a method, perspective and approach, introduction to the role of the facilitator(s) and their tasks;
• Active listening and asking the right questions;
• Creating a safe space for dialogue;
• Conducting public dialogue.

The workshop will take the form of training (interactive) and, in addition to providing an introduction to understanding what dialogue is and how to create the conditions for it, it will also enable the participants themselves to practice facilitating (conducting) dialogue .

The training will be conducted by Christiane Seehausen (Nansen Centre for Peace and Dialogue) and Agata Urbanik (Facilitation Support, graduate of the NCPD dialogue facilitation courses).

The Nansen Centre for Peace and Dialogue (Nansen Fredssenter) is a peace, dialogue and human rights institution based in Lillehammer, Norway. The core work of the NCPD is to create spaces for dialogue across conflict lines. Its working methodology and approach to dialogue is the result of more than thirty years of practical experience in Norway and internationally. NCPD runs educational programmes and courses on dialogue and conflict transformation, facilitates dialogue between conflict parties by working directly with them, and organises public dialogue on topical issues in Norway and with international partners.

For more information on NCPD’s approach to dialogue, please visit the organisation’s website.

Logistics:

• The workshop will take place on two dates (of your choice): 7-11 October 2024 (in Warsaw) and 21-25 October 2024 (in Gdansk). Each course will have the same programme and speakers – a person can only attend one of the training dates.
• Please state all dates and locations that suit you on the application form. We will invite you to attend the workshop on one date in accordance with your preference indicated on the application form, but if you are able to attend on either of the dates – this will enable us to be flexible in assigning people to the workshop groups.
• To participate in the workshop, you must commit to attending the full five days of training (approximately seven hours per day).
• The workshop will be held in English, but simultaneous PL/ENG translation (via headphones) will be available. Please indicate this requirement on the registration form.
• The workshop is free of charge: The organisers will cover the costs of travel to the training venue, accommodation on site (for those living elsewhere on a daily basis) and meals on all days of the workshop.

How to apply:

If you would like to attend the training, please complete the application form [here] by 15 May this year.

NOTE: Completion of the form does not guarantee a place on the training. If there are more applications than places available, the organisers will select trainees on the basis of the information provided on the application form, with the primary aim of ensuring that they represent a variety of organisations and the diversity of issues they cover.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact the bilateral and regional cooperation coordinators:

• Anna Fedas (Active Citizens Fund – National, [email protected], tel. +48 22 536 02 41) and/or
• Ewa Stokłuska (Active Citizens Fund – Regional, [email protected], +48 720 801 013).

Has your project with a foreign partner come to an end? Do you want to take stock of what went well and what did not go as planned and expected? Would you like to draw conclusions from the cooperation in order to better prepare for the next time, to make effective use of its benefits, but you do not have the opportunity and resources for such an educational and evaluation activity? Come to a workshop we are organising to take stock of international cooperation.

Dear Project Promoters of the Active Citizens Fund – National and Active Citizens Fund – Regional programmes, we would like to offer you an opportunity to jointly summarise your international cooperation (bilateral and/or regional) concluded or ongoing, under our programmes – whether part of bilateral/regional initiatives or in in a project conducted with a partner from Donor States and/or Beneficiary States.

The workshop will take place on 5-6 September 2024 in Warsaw and is free of charge for promoters of the Active Citizens – National Fund and Active Citizens – Regional Fund programmes and their project partners (we will cover the costs of travel, accommodation in Warsaw and meals during the workshop – also for a representative of foreign partners). The workshop will be held in English (no translation).

The objectives of the workshop are:

• to take stock of the cooperation with the foreign partner,
• to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the partnership in terms of the expectations of those involved,
• to try to determine why expectations are not being met, as well as possible misunderstandings in the partnership,
• to plan internal changes and other strategic activities (e.g. fundraising, how to talk to partners) to prepare for further collaboration with a foreign organisation as effectively as possible.

The workshop will be conducted by facilitators with experience in international cooperation, who will conduct the workshops to the highest standards (including confidentiality, respect and sensitivity to cultural differences, etc.).

We invite one person representing a Polish organisation and one person representing a foreign partner with whom you have implemented a project or initiative to participate in the workshop. The participation of a person representing a foreign partner is not a prerequisite for participation in the workshop, but such applications will be given priority.

If you would like to participate – please complete the application form [here].

One application (completed form) should list both people – representing the organisation and its partner.

Applications will be accepted until 5 May and you will be informed of your eligibility by 13 May.

NOTE: Completion of the form does not constitute admission to the workshop. Priority will be given to those organisations that register their participation together with their foreign partner. Participation of a representative of a foreign partner is not obligatory, but we encourage you to persuade them to come. The organisers will also cover the travel expenses of the foreign partner.

If you have any questions or comments, please contact the bilateral and regional cooperation coordinators:

• Anna Fedas (Active Citizens Fund – National, [email protected], tel. +48 22 536 02 41) and/or
• Ewa Stokłuska (Active Citizens Fund – Regional, [email protected], +48 720 801 013).

The visit will take place from 3-7 June 2024 and will include a three-day stay at the Utøya Learning Centre and a workshop with UTC educators on countering radicalisation and their experiences with remembrance.

Teams of two people are invited to participate, representing the organisation concerned (or the organisation and its main partner in the activities to which the trip relates, e.g. a local institution).

During the workshop, participants will learn about the working methods and experiences of those involved in the UTC, but will also work with them on the challenges they face in their work, e.g. discussing the difficulties they face or planning activities together.

On the application form for the visit, please describe specific challenges/actions/action plans related to counter-radicalisation, dialogue, and local memory or remembrance that you deal with in your organisations. In the first instance, we will invite those who have an idea of specific issues they would like to work on.

 On 22 July 2011, a Norwegian right-wing extremist killed 69 people on the island of Utøya, most of them young people at a summer youth camp run by the Norwegian Labour Party. The terrorist believed that people from different cultural backgrounds could not coexist in society and spread a conspiracy theory that Europe was slowly being taken over by the Arab world.

Since 2016, the Utøya Learning Centre has been operating on the site – the island’s infrastructure has been redeveloped as a centre for remembrance and education, in an effort to balance the need for remembrance with the need for new life, learning and commitment to a more inclusive, democratic society. Today, Utøya is a testament to why values such as tolerance, equality and diversity cannot be taken for granted, but must be promoted and practised in everyday life.

Logistics:

• The organisers of the visit will cover all costs related to transport, accommodation and meals during the visit (as well as travel and possible accommodation at the place from where the flight to Oslo will take place).
• The working language of the visit will be English. However, a translation into Polish will be available (via headphones) on site – please request this on the application form.
• In Utøya we will share cabins in the area where the tragic events of 2011 took place. (two people per room). These cabins are not locked. If you do not consent to this condition, you will not be able to participate in the visit, as we will not be able to provide accommodation elsewhere.

How to apply:

If you would like to participate in the visit, please complete the application form here by 15 April and we will inform you of your eligibility by 19 April 2024.

Please apply in teams of two people: two people from each organisation or one person from one organisation and one person representing its main partner in the activities to which the visit relates.

One application (completed form) should list both people representing the organisation (or the organisation and its partner).

NOTE: Completion of the form does not guarantee eligibility for the visit. If there are more applications than places available, the organisers will select the organisations on the basis of the information provided on the application form, giving priority to the diversity of the issues they deal with.

The study visit is jointly organised by the Active Citizens Fund – National Fund and the Active Citizens Fund – Regional programmes.

The opening discussion of the event identified various factors that will affect the functioning of the third sector: demographic change, money, environmental issues, cultural change, technological developments, global and local politics, and migration and refugees. This was followed by project presentations on different strategies for community organisations.

The meeting was organised by the Academy of Civic Organizations Foundation and was attended by representatives from the Association Krakow Smog Alert, Rule of Law Institute Foundation, Copernicus Science Centre, Club of Catholic Intelligentsia, Rak’n’Roll Foundation, Krzyżowa Foundation, Civil Society Development Foundation, SYNAPSIS Foundation, Polish Scouting and Guiding Association (ZHP), Ronald McDonald House,  Committee For Children Rights Protection

Find out more about the event [here]

MANGO is a project that aims to support the work of civil society organisations, particularly those working outside major cities and in rural areas. The Mobile NGO Academy provides training and support to organisations wishing to expand or improve their activities.

Photo: Anna Liminowicz

List of grants – XLS file 

Grants awarded in the Stronger Voice call will be used to disseminate in Poland products developed as part of projects funded in previous calls of the Programme. This time we want to support effective dissemination of information about products (e.g. website resources, tutorials, workshop scenarios, working methods) as well as activities that increase the chances that they will be used in other places and by other organisations or institutions. 

Details of the call can be found HERE.  

Below are the minutes of the Selection Committee and Programme Committee meetings: 

Selection Committee meeting minutes 

Programme Committee meeting minutes 

If you have any questions or concerns about the call, please contact the Shipyard Foundation team responsible for organising the competition. This can be done by email ([email protected]) or phone (+48 500 142 994). 

Grants awarded in the Stronger Voice call for proposals will be used to disseminate in Poland the products developed in projects supported in previous calls of the Programme. This time we would like to support effective dissemination of information about the products (e.g. website resources, tutorials, workshop scenarios, working methods), as well as activities that increase the chances that they will be used in other places and by other organisations or institutions. 

Applications can be submitted from 8 January 2024 (12:00 noon) to 22 January 2024 (12:00 noon) via the Online Application System. Award decisions will be made by 13 February 2024. 

The call offers grants of between 5,000 EUR and 10,000 EUR, with an optional own contribution. Projects can run from 13 February to 30 April 2024.  

 Details of the call can be found HERE.  

If you have any questions or concerns about applying for a grant, please contact the Shipyard Foundation team responsible for organising the competition. This can be done by email ([email protected]) or phone (+48 500 142 994).

The invitation is primarily addressed to Project Promoters from the Beneficiary States of the Active Citizens programme, but also to anyone interested in the topic. As part of the initiative, we are planning: a webinar (already on 29 June!), desk research and a two-day live event (in October) for organisations that are involved in these types of participatory processes. 

Detailed information can be found HERE. 

Results update – 23 June 2023: 

We would like to thank you for your patience while waiting for the final results of call for proposals for bilateral and regional initiatives of the Active Citizens Fund – National Programme and we rush to give you a happy update. 

Well, the Selection Committee, consisting of the project supervisors of the projects funded under the Programme, has decided that all applications qualified for the post-award round will receive funding. Congratulations! The competition was very evenly balanced and the applications dealt with so many different topics that it would have been very difficult to choose just 1 of them. Therefore, funding is also awarded to: 

• Koszarawa and Kocierzanka River Partnership Foundation in partnership with Press – Redd Barna Ungdom from Norway, 
• LEVEL UP Association in partnership with Reykjavík City Library | Culture Houses from Iceland, 
• ‘No grades school’ Foundation in partnership with Centre for Language and Literacy Rejkjavik from Iceland 
• FestivALT Association in partnership with The Falstad Centre Foundation from Norway, 
• The Committee for the Defence of Democracy in partnership with Center for Development and the Environment, Oslo University (SUM) from Norway, 
• The Working Community of Associations of Social Organisations in partnership with European Anti Poverty Network from Portugal. 

By the decision of a Selection Committee made up of project supervisors of projects funded under the Active Citizens Fund – National Programme, the initiatives that have been supported are: 

• Foundation of Active People and Places in partnership with Bjerkaker Learning Hub from Norway 
• Volunteers of Equality Foundation in partnership with Hinsegin dagar í Reykjavík from Iceland 
• Autonomy Foundation in partnership with Slagtog z Islandii i Riposta from Romania 
• Foundation Towards Dialogue in partnership with Habitat for Humanity Hungary from Hungary 
• Womenstate Collective Association in partnership with Cultural and Artistic Society ZIZ from Slovenia. 

Initiatives that have been invited to correct and resubmit their application and which will be reassessed are: 

• Koszarawa and Kocierzanka River Partnership Foundation in partnership with Press – Redd Barna Ungdom from Norway, 
• LEVEL UP Association in partnership with Reykjavík City Library | Culture Houses from Iceland, 
• ‘No grades school’ Foundation in partnership with Centre for Language and Literacy Rejkjavik from Iceland 
• FestivALT Association in partnership with The Falstad Centre Foundation from Norway, 
• The Committee for the Defence of Democracy in partnership with Center for Development and the Environment, Oslo University (SUM) from Norway, 
• The Working Community of Associations of Social Organisations in partnership with European Anti Poverty Network from Portugal. 

Initiatives that have not been supported:  

• Regional Information and Support Centre for NGOs in partnership Contextos from Portugal  
• Foundation Institute for Socio-Economic Balance in partnership with Make it Better- Association for Innovation and Social Economy from Portugal 
• Women in Forestry Association in partnership Skogarkonur from Iceland 
• Foundation Pieknolesie in partnership with The Science and Education Innovation Center from Latvia 
• Kwadrofonik Association in partnership with Kristania University College from Norway. 

The Committee’s decision is due to the reduction of funds for bilateral and regional initiatives and the high competition in the 3rd round among the proposed initiatives (a total of 16 proposals out of 6 initiatives remaining to be supported). We wish all those who sent in their proposals – regardless of the Committee’s decision – the best of luck in implementing their ideas internationally! 

So far, we have selected four initiatives from the seven proposals submitted. These are: 

• You Plan Culture Foundation with partner G.F.C. Generation Change CY from Cyprus, 
• NOVA Foundation with partner PlanBe Plan It Be It from Cyprus, 
• ‘We are for you’ Foundation with partner ‘Stigamot’ from Iceland, 
• The Intro Association with partner Asocciation for the Prevention and Handling from Cyprus.
  

Congratulations! 

We would like to remind you that the deadline for the call for proposals is 30 April 2023 and all details can be found HERE. We will announce the results of the final round of calls on our website on 29 May 2023. 

We also encourage you to watch an informative webinar. 

We invite persons representing non-governmental organisations dealing with women’s rights in politics (both local and national), in the broadly understood public sphere and in the collective memory of a given community, in the labour market, in the area of reproductive rights and bodily self-determination to take part in the visit. 

The visit will take place from 28.06-1.07 2023 and will consist a series of meetings with people representing civil society organisations and public institutions from Liechtenstein, including: 

• Office for Foreign Affairs (https://www.llv.li/inhalt/114773/amtsstellen/english-version),  
• Office for Equal’s Opportunity Office (https://www.equalitylaw.eu/country/liechtenstein),  
• LI Institut (https://www.liechtenstein-institut.li/),   
• Love.li (https://www.love.li/vorarlberg/ueber-uns/loveli/wer-wir-sind.html),   
• Uni Liechtenstein (https://www.uni.li/de),  
• AIBA (https://www.aiba.li/).   

The study visit is organised together by the Active Citizens Fund – National and Active Citizens Fund – Regional programmes in cooperation with the Representation of the Principality of Liechtenstein to the European Union. The organisers cover all costs associated with participation in the visit, including travel, accommodation, simultaneous translation from German, meals and travel insurance. 

To participate in the visit, please complete the recruitment form found HERE no later than 29 March 2023. One person from each organisation is welcome to participate. 

If you have any questions or comments, please contact the bilateral and regional cooperation coordinators: 

• for persons representing organisations that are Project Promoters or partners in projects funded by the Active Citizens Fund – National Programme: Anna Fedas ([email protected], +48 791 413 200),  
• for persons representing other organisations: Ewa Stokłuska ([email protected], +48 720 801 013). 

You can read more about the situation of women’s rights in Liechtenstein in the publications below and learn from the recording of a webinar on women’s rights in Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and the Czech Republic which was held on 8 December 2020. 

Liechtenstein in numbers: 

https://www.statistikportal.li/de/uebersichten-indikatoren/liechtenstein-in-figures  

Basic information about Liechtenstein: 

https://www.liechtenstein.li/en (tourism website)  

https://www.regierung.li/default.aspx?lang=en (government’s website)  

Women’s rights and the civic sector in Liechtenstein: 

• https://aktywniobywatele.org.pl/o-sektorze-obywatelskim-w-liechtensteinie/ 
• https://www.llv.li/inhalt/114760/amtsstellen/frauenrechte   
• https://www.menschenrechte.li/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/2018-17-05-CEDAW-Schattenbericht-final.pdf  
• https://www.infra.li/application/files/6316/7454/6529/2022_GREVIO_Schattenbericht_final.pdf 

The speakers were: 

• Anna Fedas – coordinator of bilateral and regional cooperation in the Active Citizens Fund – National Programme, works at the Stefan Batory Foundation; 
• Ewa Stokłuska – coordinator of bilateral and regional cooperation in the Active Citizens Fund – Regional Programme, works at the Education for Democracy Foundation; 
• Agnieszka Podgórska – director of education and networking at the Watchdog Polska Civic Network. Organises and conducts activities aimed at local activists: monitoring, trainings on watchdog activities, the course ‘(Without)Hope’ of small and big municipality, School of Watchdog Initiatives. 

The webinar was hosted by Bogna Mrozowska – a member of the Programme’s communication team and works at The Information Society Development Foundation. 

To download (PL version): 

• Presentation ‘Bilateral and regional initiatives’
• Answers to questions that were asked during the webinar 09.02.2023