According to the report “Women’s Rights Reflected in the Actions of the Civil Rights Ombudsman” from 2019, knowledge and awareness among women about their rights and the principles of functioning in civil society is a significant social problem in Poland. Our organization conducted activities and research in Białystok, which revealed that many women in our city would like to be part of a self-help group and learn more about their rights, civic engagement, and how to cope with family and work crises. Many of them pointed to the need for networking with other women, exchanging experiences, information, and resources, mutual support, social gatherings, and conversations. During the implementation of previous initiatives, we observed that women showed a willingness to initiate social actions but often lacked the knowledge and skills to do so.

We responded to these needs by launching a mentoring program for women in Białystok called IKAR (Incubator for Women’s Active Development). Within this program, we conducted workshops on women’s rights, self-help, advocacy, leveraging one’s strengths, assertiveness, non-violent communication, and media literacy. Each participant completed her own project for the benefit of other women in the local community, using the knowledge and support of mentors. These projects included photo reports, herstory walks, initiatives promoting ecology, and films commemorating known and unknown women from local communities. Additionally, we conducted a social campaign about the history and heritage of women in Podlasie, the ideas and philosophy of feminism, and the processes of women gaining civil rights. During our work, we noticed that presenting the stories of women who had an impact on their surroundings motivated and empowered other women. We also established a networking group for women from different backgrounds, organized a series of 5 breakfast meetings where participants presented their activities, discussed social engagement, and learned more about the IKAR project. We also organized two debates on social activism and media literacy.

From the evaluation surveys, we know that the participants’ knowledge about human rights and social activities has increased. Furthermore, the emerging leaders are now able to confidently and responsibly undertake grassroots social initiatives.