According to a research from the Centre for Public Opinion Research, the youth have a much lower sense of agency than adults, while 45% believes they have no influence over what is going on in their municipality. On the other hand, research conducted in Zgierz (Łódzkie Voivodeship) showed that the majority of young people believe social engagement is political in its nature and goals and only 13% of those surveyed wants to continue living in Zgierz. According to the research from the City Hall the main problems of Zgierz are insufficient educational offer, low sense of attachment to the place by the youth, and a decrease in social activity among the young people.

We will work on a strategy for developing five school councils and Youth Councils, which are currently struggling with low interest from students. We will organize a series of workshops for the most involved individuals in Zgierz. Participants will be trained in managing a team, strategic planning, interpersonal skills, and leadership competences. Young people will develop their knowledge and animation, moderating, and organizational skills that can be applied when volunteering and engaging in civic or cultural projects. We will conduct 40 workshops in schools, talking to students about the functioning of local governments, opportunities to participate in the life of a city, as well as the city’s current offer for young people. Questions that we will collect during the workshops will be presented to the City Hall and sport and art centers. All the answers will be turned into an online database, which will serve as a source of the most important information for young people. Finally, we will support the young people of Zgierz in design and implementation of 10 local initiatives. The goal of each will be the improvement of functioning of a part of the city that holds a special importance for that group, initiation of cross-sector collaboration and highlighting of diverse areas of civic engagement.