The results of a study conducted by Centrum Badania Opinii Społecznej in early 2021 indicate that young women have more equalitarian outlooks than men, while the political situation in the country has mobilising influence on them. At the same time, women are still a minority in political parties, trade unions, and other traditional organisations of the political scene. According to the 2018 ‘Women in Elections vs Anti-Discriminatory Mechanisms’ report as many as 33% of respondents believe that women should not engage in politics, whereas 37% believe that women know less about politics which is too complicated for them. We see hope in young women whose interest in politics is increasing in reaction to the current political situation. And we would like to target our project at these beginner activists.
We will support 40 young women interested in political activities, from all over Poland. We will have a diagnosing meeting with each of them to discuss their training needs and areas in which they feel most comfortable. We will run an intense political and activist education course in three area: preparation for public presence and public debate, know-how, and activism. In groups of four, participants will run social initiatives that they will design and plan on their own, supported by experts.
We will also prepare educational materials for women taking their first steps in the world of politics and we will share them on our website. We will run a nationwide social campaign encouraging women to engage in public and political activities. To complete the project, we will organise a conference along with a debate on women’s political activity in Poland and the preparation for the 2023 elections, inviting project participants, activists, female politicians, female representatives of local governments and NGOs.