Our project was implemented in Chęciny and Nowiny municipalities (Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship), which is where our partner organization is based. The issue of civic engagement is important to us, and according to the studies from the Eurobarometer, as well as data collected by the Central Statistical Office of Poland, Poland takes one of the last places on the list of European countries that measures long-term participation in volunteering programs among their citizens. The situation looks similar for our municipality. According to the analysis published in the “Development Strategy for Sitkówka-Nowiny Municipality through 2025,” the municipality struggles with low civic engagement among its citizens and would like to take action to change that.
We addressed these problems by creating a Local Volunteering Centers in each of the municipalities. We have involved every interested individual, local NGOs, schools, and municipality offices. We held several workshops on volunteering. Our volunteers and selected coordinators completed a series of meetings, food collection events, historical walks, and care days at a local animal shelter. We have organized integration retreats for both centers for an opportunity for their members to meet and get to know each other, exchange experiences and ideas and two working visits with organizations rich in volunteering experience in Cracow and Radom. We have also organized the Municipal Volunteer’s Day, paired with a gala celebrating the most engaged and active participants. Finally, we have organized an event that served as a summary of the work done by all the involved parties and watched a film about the value of local volunteering.
The Assumpt Association, based in Chęciny municipality, is the project partner. The association has supported us with its human as well as other resources, and a well-developed contact database. Our partner was responsible for organizing mutual visits, and evaluation events.
Nowiny and Chęciny municipalities now have first-ever spaces for long-term volunteer activities, securing all the volunteers a place dedicated for regular work. What is more, volunteers had a chance to reaffirm their knowledge about volunteerism through active participation in the completed projects.