Kategoria: miasto (EN)

Old trees have suddenly been felled in the park near Ala’s home. She has attended a meeting which addressed greenery in the city and she has learned what trees may be legally cut and how such work must be planned. With her friends, Ala has decided to join efforts to protect the local park and greenery in her neighbourhood.

In the Citizens for Democracy programme:
– 310 community members, local government officials and State Forest officials in 31 cities attended meetings addressing greenery management, felling schedules and compensatory planting;
– watchdog organisations completed over 700 activities that involved local community members (research, meetings, petitions, campaigns).

Beata has a small group of pupils in her class who often skip classes. The children do not exhibit playfulness and the class tutor is wondering what might be going on in their homes. Might they be experiencing abuse? How could she help? She does not want to put blame on anyone without evidence. She will use guidelines developed for education professionals to assess the risk of domestic violence. She will consider her options, e.g. she may launch the Blue Card process.

 
In the Citizens for Democracy programme:
– 24 new methodologies of providing support to individuals vulnerable to exclusion were developed/promoted;
– 7,897 professionals improved their skills in providing support to individuals vulnerable to exclusion.

Robert moved from a homeless shelter to a council flat but found it extremely hard to deal with everyday problems. With the help of shelter staff he can now remember to pay his bills regularly and generally take care of himself and his home. He is not threatened by eviction.

In the Citizens for Democracy programme:
– 427 individuals received support in preparation for or to start independent life;
– shelter was provided to 403 individuals.

Jerzy attended a court trial. The judge appeared nearly an hour late for the first hearing and was quite impolite when answering questions. An observer from a non-government organisation was present during the second hearing. The judge’s attitude changed. Moreover, he apologised for his earlier conduct and patiently explained the process and used simple language to clarify the gist of legal provisions.

In the Citizens for Democracy programme:
– observations of 8,226 court trials were made and 827 observations of court infrastructure across Poland;
– 301 representatives of the judiciary and prosecution service attended workshops, conferences and meetings raising their awareness of the needs of people vulnerable to discrimination.

Bożena is a police officer. She attended an anti-discrimination workshop. Whenever she receives a report of a suspected offence she will now check if prejudice is involved and whether the attack might be a hate crime.
 
In the Citizens for Democracy programme:
– 6,188 police and border guard officers attended anti-discrimination and awareness-building workshops;
– 36,973 individuals attended anti-discrimination workshops.

Joanna often takes her little daughter, Mania, for walks in the town. It used to be an obstacle course every time they took a stroll. Much has changed for the better since the local government started listening to community members. Curbs were lowered on pedestrian crossings, bicycle trails have been designed and no cars are parked on pavements any more.

In the Citizens for Democracy programme:
– community members in 12 communities made decisions on modifications to the streets making them more comfortable for pedestrians and cyclists;
– public consultations were held in 160 communities regarding spatial planning, local community development plans and community centre programmes.

The park near Wiesław’s home has been neglected for years: the paths are uneven, litter covers what is left of the grass and old swings standing on concrete. Today, Wiesław is not afraid of taking his grandchildren to the park. Following consultations with community members, new benches have been installed, the lawns and paths have been regenerated and a new safety-padded playground has been designed and built.

In the Citizens for Democracy programme:
– community members jointly designed public spaces in 30 communities;
– 116 recommendations made by local people were incorporated into laws and regulations or local policy at the local level (e.g. retrofitting the park, pedestrianisation) or at the national level (e.g. amendment of traffic regulations for cyclists, free access to weather data).

Ania and Basia felt uncomfortable seeing graffiti inciting hatred and violence. Some of the graffiti has been painted over and often replaced by positive graffiti encouraging equality and tolerance.

In the Citizens for Democracy programme:
– 91 cases of hate speech graffiti were painted over in public areas;
– equality murals were made in over 20 locations;
– 421 infringement cases were reported to prosecutions service, police and other services.

Eliza and Marcin attended a film watching session during the season of the, „I see: Refugees” programme. Both were quite moved by the predicament of refugees. They realised how comfortable and privileged their life was. They decided to do something to help refugees. They went home and learned how to do this on www.uchodzcy.info.

In the Citizens for Democracy programme:
– over 20,000 individuals attended a film screening where they watched films about the life of individuals vulnerable to discrimination;
– 129 publications were produced to promote democratic values, human rights and combating discrimination.