Programmes
Grassroots democracy -- Creating Parent-Teacher Associations
Workshops for parents, teachers and school administrators introducing the Why and How of creating Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) as well as the basics of fundraising. Participants return to their schools with a mission statement, draft of a statute and develop their first project proposal. Once they have formally registered, they are eligible for a first mini-grant and can join our network of similarly civic-minded schools: the School Plus Network. For more details on the PTAs in the School Plus network, proceed to Regions.
Academy for Young Social Entrepreneurs (AYSE) Programme established in 2002 to introduce young people to the profession of social entrepreneur, and to support those who already have a vision of how to creatively solve their local communities’ problems. AYSE is a down-to-earth, very practical training for groups of youth (aged 18-25) to develop innovative approaches to problem solving and equip participants with team-building, capacity building and fundraising skills. Participants are chosen through a careful application process. They first go through a brief but intensive programme of initial stationary training (to date typically in Nowy Sacz, Poland), followed by an internship with ASHOKA Fellows (so far in Poland), and thereafter homework in their country of origin -- with the support, via e-mail -- of a mentor. The final evaluation takes place about 6 months after their return, to give them time to actually begin implementing their ideas. The project also includes Training for Trainers and a Workshop for Local Entrepreneurial Leaders which take place in the target country. Successfully piloted in Moldova in 2004, the programme results in the creation of new NGOs. One of these new organizations immediately became our partner in the next edition in Moldova (2005).
The programme was expanded to Azerbaijan and Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2005, and to Vojvodina, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Southern Serbia in 2006. More extensive reports on this programme are available upon request .
Public Achievement (PA) is a programme that, in a very practical and natural way, makes young people active and helps them become social entrepreneurs and responsible citizens. In PA, people of all ages learn the skills of public life and discover how, with democracy, ordinary people have the power to do extraordinary things. With the decision to take action and work with others, it is possible to have real, important and lasting impact. Public Achievement was created in 1990 as a partnership between the City of St. Paul, Minnesota (U.S.A.) and the Center for Democracy & Citizenship at the Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. It grew out of a series of focus groups involving over two hundred young people in a variety of settings. The youth were asked about problems in their schools and communities and about their views on politics and public life. They listed many problems, but saw themselves outside of the solutions and outside of politics and public life. Nobody had ever asked them what they could do about the problems that mattered to them. Public Achievement was designed to give young people the opportunity to be producers and creators of their communities, not simply customers or clients. The initial goals were to integrate civic education into institutions that work with young people and test whether young people could have an impact on problems in their schools and neighborhoods in a serious way and define this work in political terms. Indeed these goals have been met. Public Achievement has been recognized nationally in the U.S. as a promising model of youth civic engagement by the National Commission on Civic Renewal and in The Civic Mission of Schools report by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and CIRCLE (Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement). Outside the U.S., Public Achievement has taken root in Northern Ireland, Turkey, Palestine and across South-Eastern Europe. Also see: A brief history of Public Achievement in East / South-Eastern Europe:
SOLIDARITY – A PASSPORT TO DEMOCRACY
The main goal of this project is to promote Poland in Serbia, Moldova and Ukraine, and to support democratic changes in these three countries. To accomplish this, participants will explore the history and experiences of the Polish civic movement called Solidarity and will learn about the events that occurred between 1980 and 1991. This project provides the opportunity for participants not only to learn how to build civil society without using violence but also to teach them that average people have great potential which can change even hopeless situations. They will also be able to share best practices and experiences from their countries.
From July 7 to 15, 2007, 24 participants (12 from Ukraine, 6 from Serbia and 6 from Moldova), will take part in special workshops held in Nowy Sącz which will provide them with the skills needed to establish and run Solidarity Clubs in their regions. The workshops are intended to provide information about the Polish Solidarity movement and to offer some practical training to these future leaders. After returning home, the participants are expected to establish regional Solidarity Clubs. In addition to overseeing these clubs, project participants will organise an awareness day on August 31 to promote what they have learned through the project Solidarity – a Passport to Democracy. In the autumn, the most active participants will return to Nowy Sącz in order to sum up the work of their clubs. They also will visit the Polish capital city,
Street Law
Street Law is practical, participatory education about law, democracy and human rights. Through its philosophy and programs, Street Law empowers people to transform democratic ideals into citizen action. Street Law's programs do not end at the door of the classroom. Each student gains essential lessons that can be used for life. The Street Law Program began at
Street Law develops innovative educational programs aimed at empowering people through the study of law related-education. Law-related education is a unique blend of substance and strategy: students learn substantive information about laws, the legal system, and their rights and responsibilities through cooperative strategies that promote cooperative learning, critical thinking, and positive interaction between individuals and the community. A brief overview of the programme has it has developed so far in the School Plus network in East and South-Eastern Europe:
Extra-curricular programme for 8-12 years olds to teach them self-government and social responsibility. The children build a village to scale, choose a governing system and leadership, open a bank and a store, hold a call for tenders for public works, and start private enterprises. The fun is "living in" the village.
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