School Participatory Budget (SPB)
Within the Bilateral Initiative, the Lublin Municipality is conducting two editions of the School Participatory Budget (SPB) program during school years 2022/2023 and 2023/2024. The program initiates a process in which the entire school community decides how to allocate some part of the school budget. This process serves integrative and educational purposes, providing an experience of democracy in practice. Working on the budget also engages students, teaches them new skills. As a result, they become co-responsible and they co-decide about things that matter to them.
SPB aims to foster students’ self-governance, increase their sense of genuine power over school life, and nurture collaboration when designing school facilities.
In the 2022/2023 school year, within the Program, over 200 projects were submitted in 20 educational institutions, with 37 of them implemented. Each institution was given PLN 4.000 to spend for SPB projects, along with substantive, organizational, and promotional support. In the 2023/2024 year, another edition of the School Participatory Budget is being conducted with the participation of 20 institutions selected in open call. In total, for both editions of SPB, PLN 160.000 from the EEA and Norwegian Funds has been allocated for school projects.
In the second quarter of 2024, we conducted a call for applications for the next edition of the SBO, which ran from April 3 to April 16, 2024. Applications were received from 40 schools, centers, and educational institutions in Lublin. All received a positive formal evaluation, and 24 of them were qualified to participate in the program. Among the 24 selected institutions are 13 primary schools, 10 secondary schools, and 1 boarding school. Four school communities will participate in the SBO for the first time, twelve for the second time, six for the third time, and two for the fourth time. Thus, the School Participatory Budgets are implemented by both teams already experienced in this process and those who are just getting to know it. This allows school representatives to exchange experiences and ideas, inspire each other, and learn from one another.
We aim to promote the ideas of SBO at the local, regional, and international levels. Therefore, we promoted the Lublin SBO model and shared our experiences in this area during:
- a session dedicated to School Participatory Budgets as part of the Participation Practitioners Forum (March 18-19, 2024, in Kraków);
- a panel on the School Participatory Budget exemplified by Lublin during the 1st National SBO Congress (March 25, 2024, in Kraków);
- a conference on School Participatory Budgets - in collaboration with the TEATRIKON Foundation and the Lublin Metropolitan Area Association as part of the "School Participatory Budget in the Lublin Metropolitan Area Municipalities" project aimed at increasing the engagement of youth (ages 10-19) from the Lublin Metropolitan Area (LMA) municipalities in public life by developing civic competencies and a sense of agency through the School Participatory Budget mechanism (May 22, 2024);
- an international meeting on SBO with People Powered, the Pole Dialogue Foundation, the City of Kraków, and the SocLab Foundation - Laboratory for Social Research and Action;
- an opening and integration meeting for schools/centers/institutions participating in the 4th edition of SBO (May 24, 2024).
More information about the SPB can be found on the szkolnybudzet.lublin.eu website.
Youth Space
In 2022, an open youth space "Hej!" was established at Peowiaków Street 11 in Lublin within the Initiative. Since the very start it has been co-created by a group of young people who actively participated in designing the interior and planning the activities. All the ideas have been submitted by the young people involved in "Hej!" everyday life. As a result of this collaboration, an open and safe space was created where everyone can follow their ideas, and receive substantive support from coordinators and the necessary materials. At "Hej!", one can participate in the meetings, workshops, lectures, find a quiet place to study, or meet with friends. Study visit opportunities to Oslo, Kraków, and Wrocław are available for young people where they can learn about other youth spaces.
Approximately 700 people visit the space each month, and an average of 30 events of various kinds are held. The place is very popular among young people who are eager to spend their free time here and take advantage of the opportunities to organize meetings and workshops as well as the available material and equipment resources. Meetings of the youth group are a source of new ideas and initiatives created by those using the space.
As part of the activities of the youth group, the "Youth Space Standards" were developed, defining the basic principles and guidelines for running such places. These standards have become the foundation for non-governmental organizations working with young people in terms of creating new youth spaces in Lublin. As part of the Lublin Youth Spaces Network, a total of 8 locations are operating in various districts of the city. The operation of each youth space is based on standards developed by the youth group Hej! We regularly meet with NGOs that run the other spaces to exchange best practices, information, and resources. Together, we develop principles for promoting the network and a system of psychological support for youth and those working in the spaces. We participate in each other’s events and training sessions, supporting each other both substantively and organizationally. Each space has a visual identity developed in a similar style, which helps to reinforce the awareness of the network's existence among young people.
The schedule of space activities is available on Facebook and on the city's website.
Youth Information and Development Centre
Under the Bilateral Initiative, the Youth Information and Development Centre of Sempre a Frente Foundation supports young people from the age of 13, as well as those who work with them. To date, it has provided access to its services to more than 1,500 individuals from the entire Lublin region.
The Center provides personal development workshops, consultations, and career counseling, as well as information on social and civic engagement, well-being, volunteering, and opportunities offered by the EU. It has already completed dozens of workshops and training sessions for hundreds of young people, and has hosted two editions of the Youth Activity Festivals. Nearly 300 young people, educators, and representatives of NGOs participated in the festival, networking, building relationships, and gaining new educational experiences through a specially designed team game. Acquiring new competencies useful in the labor market and fostering the initiative of young people is also achieved through the Academy of Local Animators program. Here, young participants become leaders of their communities, implementing their first project for the local society. The first group of animators organized an intergenerational event, and the next group will soon have the opportunity to bring their creative ideas to life.
From January to May 2024, as part of the YI&DC activities, 1026 young people, teachers, and youth organization workers received support. Additionally, 140 consultations were held: 31 online and 109 in-person, focusing on areas such as social engagement, discovering career paths, volunteer activities, initiating personal projects, and well-being. Furthermore, 26 euro-classes, educational sessions, and meetings were conducted in schools, with 549 participants in Lublin, Włodawa, Bogucin, and Nałęczów.
In addition, 25 workshops and networking meetings were organized, including 11 integrative events called United by Sport, 3 events from the NGO Breakfast series, 2 meetings about European opportunities, and 9 thematic workshops for youth covering topics like countering disinformation, building a social media image, copywriting, creating and editing podcasts, and 2 creative meetings supporting well-being. A total of 202 people participated in these workshops.
On April 11, 2024, the next Youth Activity Festival took place, with 122 participants from Lublin, Biłgoraj, Poniatowa, Piaski, Bychawa, and Zaraszów.
Additionally, in April and May, 6 training sessions for the Local Animator Academy were held, and work on a local initiative began. This year's LAA group consists of 13 engaged individuals.
International cooperation
The "International Cooperation" component within the Bilateral Initiative has gathered hundreds of young people and youth workers, ready to take on new challenges in the local and international area!
Congress, workshops and study visits
Within the Initiative, approximately 1,000 people from Poland, Ukraine, and Norway have been participating in international activities, gaining knowledge and developing new skills. Participants are sharing good practices in youth work and establishing valuable contacts.
Ten study visits and one workshop have been organized, focusing on the themes of youth work and youth policies. The meetings took place in Polish cities (Lublin, Warsaw and Kraków) and abroad: Oslo (Norway) and Ghent (Belgium).
During two editions of the Cross-Border Cooperation Congress in 2022 & 2023, numerous panels and workshops were held on topics such as creating youth-friendly cities, combating discrimination, the job market, and many other subjects. Opportunities for networking with organizations and institutions, as well as practical knowledge about grant programs, were provided to participants during Grants Fair and Partners Forum.
In the first half of 2024, a two-day session was organized to summarize study visits in the component. The event was attended by representatives from city offices and NGOs from Poland and Ukraine who participated in study visits during the implementation of the Initiative. These representatives were from 7 Ukrainian cities: Sumy, Ternopil, Lviv, Kryvyi Rih, Zhytomyr, Rivne, Ostroh, as well as representatives from the City of Lublin, the Sempre a Frente Foundation, and the Institute of Social Activation and Development Foundation.
Participants had the opportunity to share their impressions of the visits they took part in and to exchange best practices from their cities regarding youth work and collaboration with young people. Additionally, during the session, the youth policy of the city of Lublin, which was supported by the study visits organized in 2023, was presented. The session's agenda also included workshops on topics such as youth volunteering, youth spaces, youth needs assessment, and visual thinking. At the end of the event, participants received information about the wide range of activities undertaken by Lublin for young people and were invited to collaborate with the city of Lublin in international youth activities.
Youth exchanges
The Wergeland European Center is also responsible for some of the international cooperation activities, conducting 2 youth international exchanges in Oslo and on the island of Utøya, as well as online exchanges targeted at youth from Ukraine, Poland, and Norway with the aim of supporting and promoting tolerance, dialogue, and inclusion.
In 2024, online exchanges are planned in August and September. Their purpose is, among others:
- Establishing new and strengthening existing relationships
- Supporting understanding of the situation of young people in other countries - both similarities and differences
- Raising awareness and knowledge about youth participation in social life
- Support the identification of challenges related to youth participation and seek ways to address these challenges.
Promotional video
Below you can watch a video about the activities undertaken as part of the initiative:
