Central Europe Civic Engagement Project

Central Europe Civic Engagement Project (CECEP) is a program aimed at supporting the involvement of citizens in public affairs through advocacy on socially important issues. It is implemented with the financial support from the USAID - the U.S. Agency for International Development. The implementation of CECEP is the responsibility of a partnership of organizations, led by the National Demoractic Institute (NDI), whose collaborators include DemNet in Hungary and the Institute of Public Affairs in Poland.

Selected coalitions of civic organizations operating in Poland and Hungary receive extensive support from us in various forms, including: 

Training on:
  • strategic action planning 
  • strategic communication 
  • organizing advocacy campaigns 
  • public speaking and in front of the camera 
  • cooperation, effective teamwork and conflict resolution
Mentoring tailored to the needs of individual coalitions, including:
  • procedures related to the flow of financial resources and coalition management 
  • standards of transparency of activities
  • internal communication rules 
  • external communication and using various tools/media
  • working with a political marketing specialist 
  • using research data in planning your own communication and advocacy activities
Central Europe Civic Forum - every year we organize a 3-day meeting for activists from the Central and Eastern European region, dealing with the transparency of public life and public advocacy. The event takes place alternately in Poland and Hungary, and its program consists of a number of practical sessions enabling the exchange of experiences and knowledge between participants.
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Research

Institute of Public Affairs, as a research and analytical entity, also offers support based on its own experience within the project.

We carry out qualitative and quantitative research to provide knowledge useful for implementing the activities supported by the project. Their primary recipients are the coalitions of civic organizations we support. These groups are also involved in research design so that the results better meet their needs.

Recent reports:

About the project

The Central Europe Civic Engagement Project supports citizen engagement in public affairs through advocacy on issues of citizen concern, principally at the local level. Using evidence gathering, opinion research, and collective action, civic coalitions supported through the program will engage policymakers on citizen priorities and thereby foster inclusive participation in public affairs. The CECEP is implemented through a partnership between the National Democratic Institute, DemNet in Hungary, and the Institute of Public Affairs in Poland.

More information: sonia.horonziak@isp.org.pl, filip.pazderski@isp.org.pl.
Supported coalitions

Akcja Ratunkowa dla Miast (Rescue Action for Cities)
Rescue Action for Krakow / Coalition of Krakow Movements "Together for the City". The Rescue Action for Cities Coalition was established as a body coordinating the activities of organizations dealing with topics related to the development of cities in Poland. The main goal of the coalition is to support cities' efforts to adapt to climate change and mitigate its effects, and to conduct activities strengthening civic participation at the local level. Before the parliamentary and European elections, Rescue Action planned to: coordinate activities aimed at mobilizing voters, in particular young people; developing a catalog of solutions to pressing urban problems; promoting citizen involvement in participatory processes at the local level, including city council meetings and district council sessions.

Koalicja Ratujmy Rzeki (Save the Rivers Coalition)
Save the Rivers Coalition is a nationwide coalition consisting of 51 non-governmental organizations, 39 individual members and four media partners. The coalition advocates the inclusion of policies regarding the ecological restoration of rivers and wetlands in the platforms of political parties, political decisions and systemic solutions adopted by public administration. As part of CECEP, the coalition took steps to coordinate its recommendations regarding the Odra River Social Renewal Plan among coalition partners. The coalition's activities included organizing surveys among members to support the joint advocacy agenda and communication and advocacy activities to promote the recommendations. The coalition also organized national and regional debates related to river protection.

Łódź Różnorodności (Łódź of Diversity)
The Coalition Łódź of Diversity was created out of the need to support dialogue between organizations and institutions involved in intercultural dialogue and anti-discrimination activities. The coalition aims to strengthen the role of religious, ethnic and migrant minorities in shaping local policy. The members of the coalition are representatives of the Muslim, Roma, Jewish, Ukrainian, Belarusian and other minorities communities, as well as representatives of local authorities and the local police. As part of the proposed project, Łódź of Diversity took steps to develop a joint advocacy program before the parliamentary elections, organized a roundtable with political actors to obtain their commitment to the advocacy program, and monitored politicians' involvement in the implementation of policy proposals.

Nasz Rzecznik (Our Ombudsman)
Our Ombudsman is a coalition of 130 organizations, activists and scientists working to maintain the independence of the Ombudsman Office. Our Ombudsman operates ten working groups that identify and develop solutions to urgent problems in the area of civil rights and presents recommendations to the Ombudsman’s Office and other public institutions, such as the Patient Ombudsman. The coalition also organizes joint advocacy and educational activities and promotes the inclusion of people at risk of exclusion, such as people with physical and intellectual disabilities. In the CECEP project, our Ombudsman organized a pre-election debate with candidates in the parliamentary elections, presented a unified set of demands to the candidates and organized five post-election meetings in five Polish cities to engage politicians in the implementation of the commitments made during the election period.

SOS dla Edukacji (SOS for Education)
SOS for Education is a platform that brings together 60 civil society organizations with teachers and policymakers to coordinate education reform at national and local levels. Before the parliamentary elections, SOS for Education conducted advocacy activities, demanding that politicians adopt the policy solutions proposed in the Pact for Education in their programs and make public commitments to accelerate education reform in the government. SOS for Education trained up to 80 people from member organizations in advocacy methods and organized five local debates with the participation of politicians and scientists.
 
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