The lowest voter turnout during the elections held between 2015 and 2019 was among the youngest voters. However, according to the report “Youth in Central Europe 2020: Poland,” young people’s attachment to the democratic system has decreased (by as much as 18 percentage points since 2018). On the other hand, in 2020, we observed an increase in youth engagement – in elections, the turnout of young people was higher than that of the oldest age group, and young people engaged in protests not only in large cities but also in smaller ones. As indicated by research from the Public Opinion Research Center in 2021, young people’s views are becoming more polarized – opinions among young people on topics such as nationality, community, religion, and women’s rights are becoming more divided.

We harnessed the emerging activist potential of young people by supporting them in conducting dialogue despite differences. We created the Academy of New Leadership, within which we conducted a series of training sessions on communication, methods of conducting dialogue, addressing hate speech, building psychological resilience, and the principles of effective leadership. Subsequently, participants could apply their acquired knowledge in practice by organizing debates and dialogue sessions on topics important to them. We also organized a series of online meetings for adults working with young people on how to provide support and build intergenerational understanding. Additionally, we created a webpage where we posted training materials, expert texts, and sample meeting scenarios on socially relevant topics.

According to the evaluation surveys, thanks to the workshops, young people strengthened their leadership competencies, and through debates and public speaking, they became more confident. We see that they are better equipped to handle difficult and conflict situations.