Based on knowledge gathered in 2019 within our previous project in the Ełk district (Warmińsko-Mazurskie province), we know that schools there (except one) do not run any voluntary work based on pupils’ creative ideas or active lessons based on games and fun activities. We can observe the same problem in the Olecki district, where only 2-3 initiatives are organised per year. Teachers that we have talked to suggest it results from the lack of ideas among adults and from the lack of funds. Pupils are often encouraged to join School Volunteer Clubs, but then get little support. Moreover, if anything is organised, it hardly ever goes outside the school.
To address the challenge, we will run two cycles of educational classes for primary school pupils from 4 schools in the Olecki district and 6 schools from the Ełcki district per year. They will be devoted to volunteering, cooperation, planning and organisation of activities, empathetic communication, ecology, or the art of debating. Apart from educational classes, participants will invent and run two social initiatives in each school (20 in total), engaging local community. Furthermore, they will shoot films on civic topics presenting voluntary work from their perspective. They will be presented in a film festival wrapping each cycle up. We will also run workshops for the teaching staff to present methods and tools that can be used to teach youths volunteering. Furthermore, youths will prepare local debates on civic topics of their choice. We will invite councillors, representatives of NGOs and local authorities to join in.