A Living Lesson in Democracy: Young Leaders at the Heart of Polish Institutions
On June 24–25, 2025, a unique event took place in Warsaw as part of the D-EFFECT project – Lessons in Civil Society Democracy, implemented under the Interreg South Baltic programme. It was the first “living lesson of participatory democracy” in Poland, combined with an intergenerational and cross-sectoral dialogue. During this two-day study and monitoring visit, more than 40 young leaders from Elbląg, Dzierzgoń, Olsztynek, and Szczecin had the opportunity not only to explore Warsaw but above all to learn about the functioning of key democratic institutions in Poland.
Young people representing active Youth Councils and civic communities visited the Polish Parliament, took part in live parliamentary proceedings, and participated in a meeting at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, where an open debate was held with representatives of the ministry, including Deputy Minister Dr. Maria Mrówczyńska. The young participants asked questions about the real impact of youth on shaping policies and public activities. They also met with experts representing third sector organisations such as the Ważne Sprawy Foundation and the Impuls Dla Młodych Foundation, and learned about the activities of Warsaw structures supporting district youth councils.
The event was not only an inspiration but also a concrete step in preparing for further initiatives under the D-EFFECT project, including pilot Local Democracy Festivals, which will soon take place in Elbląg, Dzierzgoń, Olsztynek, as well as abroad in Denmark, Sweden, Lithuania, and Germany.
The experience gained during the Warsaw meeting will make it possible to design and implement future activities even more effectively, strengthening youth participation in public life at both the local and transnational level. Thanks to this, the project will develop a model for engaging young citizens that can serve as an example for the entire South Baltic region. We would like to thank all participants, partners, and honorary guests, including parliamentarians and representatives of the National Institute of Freedom, for their support and involvement in creating this living lesson of democracy!
Circular MuSe - meeting of project partners in Klaipeda
On June 16-18 this year, a project visit to Klaipeda took place.
The first day was full of valuable cooperation and concrete findings. They worked on solutions that support the development of municipal services in the spirit of a closed-loop economy.
The main issues of the day:
summary of previous activities and exchange of experiences,
jointly refining the structure of the solution catalog for municipal services,
analyzing the results of research on educational needs and planning mentoring programs,
discussion of proposals for pilot activities - together we look for the best solutions and share comments to help improve them.
Open discussions and international cooperation determined the next steps. Forms of further cooperation were also established and the first study visits were planned.
On the second day of the project partners' meeting, they visited Neringa Municipality on the Curonian Spit, where they looked at local solutions for municipal services and water management.
Hosts from Neringos paslaugos and Neringos vanduo presented their operations, infrastructure and approach to providing public services in a unique coastal setting. Among the topics discussed were water and wastewater management, energy efficiency, space management and the daily challenges of environmental protection in a tourist region.
The day's agenda included:
visits to utility service delivery points,
meetings with representatives of local companies and institutions,
discussions on solutions that can inspire other project partners.
These types of visits are an important part of international cooperation to better understand the local context and transfer good practices between regions. It is also another step towards creating a catalog of solutions that respond to the real needs of local governments.
The third day of the meeting in Klaipeda was a summary of joint work and planning of future activities. The focus was on specific tasks and schedules to move from concepts to implementations.
The main topics of the last day were:
further work on the catalog of solutions for municipal services,
refining the design of educational and mentoring programs,
designing communication and audience engagement activities from the very beginning,
presentation of the results of the working groups,
preparing the second progress report and planning the next stages of the project.
The work in thematic groups and joint discussions show how much potential there is in transnational partnerships. Each partner brings a unique experience that enriches the whole process.
D-EFFECT in the Spotlight during the Interreg South Baltic Monitoring Committee Meeting
Yesterday, during the Monitoring Committee meeting – held this year in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship to mark the Polish Presidency – we had the honour of presenting the D-EFFECT project. The meeting aimed to showcase the outcomes of projects implemented in the region and their impact on local development and the quality of life of its residents.
The D-EFFECT project – Lessons in Democracy for Civil Society: Integrating the Youth Perspective into Policy-Making at All Levels in Line with the Youth Strategy 2022–2027 – was presented by Marcin Żuchowski, Director of the Association of Polish Communes Euroregion Baltic (lead partner), and Maksymilian Grzeszczak, representative of the Municipality of Olsztynek (project partner).
During the presentation, the main objectives of the project were outlined, with a focus on the development of local democratic festivals as an innovative method of encouraging youth civic engagement. Specific tools were showcased, such as roundtables, live history lessons, cross-sectoral activities, and local civic initiatives. The speakers discussed the progress of project implementation and the challenges related to broad inclusion of young people and local communities. They also highlighted the local perspective by sharing concrete results and experiences from the project’s implementation in the Municipality of Olsztynek.
The D-EFFECT project was warmly received by members of the Committee, who expressed appreciation for its value and alignment with Priority 4.1 of the programme – strengthening cooperation between civil society actors in the South Baltic region.
SferaLab workshop finale
The finale of the WaterMan project workshop with young people from Braniewo - the last meeting within the framework of SphereLab is behind us. This time the Elblag Technology Park was visited by another class from the Senate of the Republic of Poland Primary School No. 3 in Braniewo, full of curiosity and commitment.
During the workshop, the youngsters:
tested simple experiments,
learned about innovative technologies,
learned how to save water and reduce their water footprint.
As usual, it was a meeting not only with knowledge, but also with real action.
Each group that took part in the series of workshops made its contribution to environmental awareness and concern for common resources.
We thank all students and teachers for their participation, openness and energy.
This is the end of the workshop, but only the beginning of real change.
SP 5 from Braniewo, another class on SferaLab
City of Elbląg on the map of Streets for the Youth activities
Today we held another meeting as part of our cyclical project meetings - this time at Elbląg City Hall. Together with engaged young people from the Elbląg Youth Council and Elbląg Deputy Mayor Katarzyna Wisniewska, we discussed the vision of the city 2050, how young people can really influence the appearance and functions of urban spaces and the selection of sites for pilot activities. We also touched on the future involvement of all parties in project activities and Elblag's participation in an international workshop in December.
SP 3 from Braniewo on SferaLab
WaterMan project - today again water was in the spotlight.
The Elblag Technology Park brought the topic of ecological awareness to the next audience - students of the No. 3 Senate Primary School in Braniewo. As part of the SferaLab workshop, participants learned how to save water resources, reuse them and how huge our daily water footprint is.
In addition:
conducted experiments,
learned about eco-technologies,
talked about water and the changes everyone can make.
Experiments, discussions and practical exercises made the topic of ecology close and understandable to them.
And tomorrow another group will assimilate the above knowledge.
