In 2021 we conducted a Social Cohesion in Europe Literature Review that examined how different research traditions have considered the concept of cohesion, and interventions and trends that have supported the cohesion.
We followed up with recommendations resulting from a youth policy event we organised across the Czech Republic, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland in March 2022. Going forward, we have engaged with young people from diverse backgrounds through training and project work.
The Polish edition of the Stronger Together for Social Cohesion programme is addressed to young people, especially from smaller towns and rural areas, who have ambitions and willingness to act for the benefit of their local communities but are still at the beginning of their activist path. We know that civic activity requires not only enthusiasm, but also a number of skills, and that is why we want to offer young activists training courses and workshops that raise their knowledge about social cohesion, building mutual trust, and develop skills for dialogue and cooperation across differences. We believe that such skills are not only particularly needed at the present time, when millions of refugees from Ukraine have arrived in Poland, but they are also used in everyday work for local communities, as well as in private and professional life, constituting a valuable investment in the future of the young generation, who will live in a challenging world.
Our programme, which we implement in partnership with non-governmental organisations working with and for young people, complements the existing offer for young people. It has been created in the process of cooperation and consultation both with representatives of future participants, but also with partner organisations from various regions of Poland.