| WYG International completed implementation of this two year Know-How Fund project in April 2002. The objective of the Silesian Community Project was to mitigate the negative social effects of restructuring in a selected mining community by stimulating the formation of local partnerships between local governments and the new but fast growing NGO sector. The mining community selected had high levels of registered unemployment, especially amongst young persons and women and generally low levels of educational attainment. The Project comprised the following components:
- Mapping and monitoring : design and conducting regular socio-economic surveys and collection of data on local social and economic conditions, networks and activities (including first social capital surveys in Poland).
-Local Government Training: Training Needs Analysis ; design and conducting of workshop training programme for 55 local government members, officers and labour office staff in EU issues of accession, pre-accession funds and establishment of local partnerships ; design and delivery of training programme for 102 gmina social workers in aspects of modern social work practice.
-Training for NGOs: intensive organisational training for local NGOs in issues of organisational and financial management, including fundraising and project management as well as development of trust and partnership with local government. 80 representatives of NGOs trained.
-Establishment of Community Action Councils each comprising representatives of local governments , trades unions, NGOs, employers, local churches . Two Community Action Councils were trained in partnership working and in problem identification and project assessment. The Project Team assisted the Community Action Councils to develop criteria for local grants scheme which was designed to stimulate NGO projects designed to solve particular social problems. The Community Action Councils invited and assessed grant applications for each community and altogether awarded 29 grants to NGOs totalling €120,000.
-Demonstration projects : guidance in project development and action planning ; over 50 new community based projects and initiatives were implemented, including those from 15 newly formed NGOs such as Silesian Association of Unemployed Women.
Promotion and Information Dissemination : implementation of a regional publicity programme including press coverage, TV and radio, publications and conferences to demonstrate the benefits of the partnership approach.
As a result of project activity new initiatives for joint cooperation to solve social problems have been developed and implemented, process changes have been introduced by local authorities in consultation and policy formulation, there are many more and stronger NGOs in the area ; and new channels of formal partnership and decision making are established. |
