# Our Supraśl — Active citizens in an active town Supporting the residents of Supraśl in taking initiatives for their immediate surroundings. ## About the project Supporting the residents of Supraśl in taking initiatives for their immediate surroundings. The project will be carried out in the town of Supraśl and in the Supraśl municipality. It responds to three significant local problems present among residents of Supraśl housing estates. Residents have nowhere to draw knowledge from about how to solve problems in their immediate surroundings (for example on their estate), and their skills in acting effectively for the community are low. Because the actions they take bring no results — being ineffective for lack of knowledge or skills — residents of Supraśl estates do not believe in their own agency, and so they do not act actively for their own surroundings, which ultimately causes social activity and the bonds between residents to fade. The aim of the project is to increase the activity of residents of Supraśl estates on behalf of their local community. This will happen through greater knowledge, stronger skills and an increased sense of agency, which addresses both main problems of the target group: low participation of residents and the absence of professional non-governmental organisations. By creating and making available sources of knowledge in the form of an online educational platform (containing template documents, procedures for effective action, a map of competences and responsibilities, and infographics), the residents of Supraśl will be able to act effectively on the basis of these materials. Through four cycles of workshops (on mapping local problems, cooperation with institutions, self-organisation and networking, and cross-sector workshops), as well as open meetings with experts, 96 active residents of Supraśl estates will improve their skills, and a further 80 will learn modern methods of community work. Encouraging residents' activity will rely on the communication tools created (10 online forums or estate discussion groups) and on 20 practical actions in their surroundings, including fieldwork involving 250 residents supported by facilitators and volunteers. Thanks to the project, residents will receive comprehensive support enabling them to act independently for their own surroundings. Using the knowledge base created and the practical skills acquired during workshops and facilitation, together with active use of online communication and networking tools, will allow them to engage more actively and effectively in matters close to home, to contact local institutions and to bring about real change on their estates. Total budget: PLN 232,100.00. The project was financed by the National Freedom Institute — Centre for Civil Society Development, under the government programme CIVIC INITIATIVES FUND NOWEFIO for 2013–2020. ## Project details **Project period** 2018–2019 **Area** Community **Type of material** Activity archive **Total project budget** 232 100 zł **Funding** National Freedom Institute – CRSO, CIVIC INITIATIVES FUND NOWEFIO 2013–2020