Community Creates Vision: Building Local Youth Leadership
In Lomianki, a township outside of Warsaw, Poland, youth face many obstacles to realizing educational, cultural and recreational opportunities. Socioeconomic disparities between recent and long-time inhabitants have created a tension and division that often paralyzes the community. This divergence has especially impacted the town’s youth, resulting in poor educational institutions, street aggression, substance abuse, unemployment, and deteriorating family support.
In response to Lomianki’s needs, Partners-Poland developed and implemented a program to empower youth and the community as a whole to effect positive change. The process began with Partners-Poland staff conducting extensive interviews with the Lomianki mayor, City Council members, school principals, youth leaders, and other citizens in order to accurately assess the town’s social landscape and needs.
Based on this analysis, staff facilitated two series of workshops to develop a strategy for action: one with local government and adult community leaders, the other with youth from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. These sessions worked to build trust and morale among community members from various professions and backgrounds, and resulted in the formation of two committees, the Lomianki Local Committee and the Lomianki Youth Local Committee.
With these two institutions in place, the community improved its ability to address not only the existing problems it faces, but also to proactively tackle any new challenges that arise. The Committees, with the support of Partners-Poland staff, have achieved numerous concrete results in the brief time since their founding. The members of the Local Committee cooperatively formulated a “Vision for Lomianki” that details a ten-year plan for the development of educational, cultural and recreational facilities to improve the opportunities available to Lomianki’s youth. Meanwhile, the Youth Local Committee has been busy implementing a short-term strategy, planning and hosting cultural and recreational events for youth and families from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Its activities have included the First Annual Lomianki Festival of Culture and Entertainment; the publication of Zurnal, a cultural magazine produced entirely by and for youth; and soccer and rugby sporting events.
Partners-Poland staff continues to work with the Youth Committee, which has evolved into a legally registered group, the “Association to Help and Support Youth Initiatives.” This organization is furthering the Youth Committee’s mandate through projects such as the Second Annual Lomianki Festival, additional issues of Zurnal magazine, photography workshops for children, and tutoring for disadvantaged children. The Association has proven sustainable, receiving support from the European Union to continue its community-building activities. For all involved, the Association and its accomplishments represent significant steps in the empowerment of Lomianki’s youth and a sustainable youth movement for change.
Based on the continuing success of this program, Partners-Poland developed a case study and educational simulation game in order to share the lessons learned in the project with other organizations and communities. These tools capture the essence of the Lomianki program and demonstrate the tremendous possibilities for cooperation among diverse groups, as well as the impact that citizen participation can achieve in a community.
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