Our research shows that social organisations enjoy high level of trust among citizens in Poland. At the same time, however, we can observe the problem of declining engagement in voluntary work that has been further deepened by the pandemic. According to the 2019 Charities Air Foundation research, Poland was 86 out of 126 countries in terms of engagement in volunteering. Our observations show that young people are the most active group in fighting for the climate or social justice and equality, but they often do not have sufficient knowledge on how to further engage in social activities.
We see enormous potential to act among them which is why we will engage them (especially in smaller locations that offer fewer opportunities than large cities) in a cycle of online discussions on socially important topics, e.g., climate or animal protection. We will invite activists from a given region as well as people seen as opinion leaders by youths (influencers). These meetings will allow for identifying key contemporary problems and for designing activities related to them. Together with Bartosz Tryzna – a laureate of numerous short film awards – we will prepare several shot clips presenting people who are engaged in the project and who contribute to changing a given element of our reality for the better. Together with the media we will run the ‘ACTIVITY – it works!’ campaign targeted at youths, encouraging them to engage socially and showing to them that this type of activity is for everyone.
We will also support selected organisations working with youths in small campaigns, e.g., fundraising, an environmental initiative, or a picnic for neighbours.