The municipality of Śmigiel (Wielkopolska Voivodeship) consists of as many as 46 localities, and the existing organizations here usually conduct their activities very locally, which hinders the integration and cooperation of people across the entire municipality and addressing social issues together. Many active individuals and organizations identify the problem of acquiring funds for their initiatives and engaging the entire community in the municipality. According to a survey we conducted in 2020, the main problem was the limited preparation of leaders in the municipality to lead volunteer actions.

We responded to these issues by organizing a series of trainings for local leaders on municipal cooperation, implementing social projects, and engaging residents in joint activities. The leaders went on a study visit to socially active municipalities in the Małopolska Voivodeship, where organizations actively involve local communities.

Participants learned about the activities of the visited organizations and their approaches to mobilizing people living in the municipality. We conducted workshops there on team building and planning joint actions. After returning, the leaders used the acquired knowledge and engaged residents to conduct a local social diagnosis, plan, and implement 15 social initiatives in the municipality, including family picnics, festivals, and sensory activities. At the end of the project, we organized an open and inclusive meeting to summarize the conducted activities, arranged a field game for the participants, and discussed plans for actions in our municipality.

The evaluation surveys show that thanks to the project activities, the selected leaders increased their knowledge in the areas of participation, cooperation, mobilization, and social project creation. Furthermore, the awareness of the participants in the local initiatives increased, highlighting how much impact they can have on solving problems in their environment and how many benefits come from partnerships.