The Civic Pact for Education, the Mental Health Manifesto and the Urban Parliamentary Agenda are just some of the results of the work of the coalition of civic organizations with which we cooperate within the Central Europe Civic Engagement Project (CECEP). We invited their representatives to a joint discussion at the 9th National Forum of Non-Governmental Initiatives. We talked not only about their achievements, but also about the challenges of collective activity, why they are worth further strengthening it and how to do it.
The National Forum of Non-Governmental Initiatives (see
https://ofip.eu/en/) is a cyclical event taking place since 1996. It gathers representatives of social organizations from Poland and abroad. Its ninth edition took place on June 26-28, 2024 in Warsaw. On the second day of the Forum, we organized a session "The power of collective civic action - lessons learned and tips for the future." Our partners were the National Democratic Institute and selected coalitions supported in the CECEP project. During the discussion, we looked at what results can be achieved even in unfavorable political conditions by acting in informal coalitions and cooperating with partners from other sectors. We focused on examples of effective actions taken by coalitions of civic organizations in areas such as education, urban space and access to green areas, and the rights of people belonging to the most vulnerable groups in our society. At the same time, we presented the activities undertaken in the CECEP project to show both the challenges associated with undertaking such a collective form of activity, as well as the effects that can be more easily achieved this way. The conclusions were self-evident - working in coalition with other entities interested in the same topic provides support, enables the development of better solutions that meet the needs of a wider group of society and allows for strengthening its voice, which, as a result, more easily reaches the "ear" of those in power and is taken into account by them more often in their activities. Recognizing the role played by coalitions of civic organizations, we should now consider developing mechanisms in our country to support them in their further activity.
Session participants:
Anna Makowka-Kwapisiewicz - National Democratic Institute
Anna Duniewicz - Inicjatywa Nasz Rzecznik (Our Ombudsman Initiative)
Karolina Prus-Wirzbicka - SOS dla Edukacji (SOS for Education)
Maciej Fijak - Koalicja Ruchów Krakowskich "Razem dla Miasta" (Coalition of Krakow Movements "Together for the City")
Filip Pazderski and Sonia Horonziak - Institute of Public Affairs
More about the CECEP project at:
https://www.isp.org.pl/en/central-europe-civic-engagement-project 
