D-EFFECT and the Round Table in Elbląg

The D-EFFECT Project and Round Table in Elbląg – together for the future of democracy!

Today, a meeting was held at the Old Town Hall in Elbląg as part of the D-EFFECT – Lessons of Democracy in Civil Society project. It was a unique opportunity to talk about democracy, participation, and preparations for the upcoming Festival of Democracy with young people, international partners, and city representatives.

The program included, among other things:

inspiration from the Democratic Youth Festival in Denmark,

group work on the festival's content program,

discussions about the logistics and organization of the event,

creation of thematic teams.

We would like to thank all participants for their activity and openness—together we are creating a space where the voice of young people in Europe really matters.

D-EFFECT in Odsherred

On September 11, the D-EFFECT consortium met at Campus Odsherred during the YDF Festival – a vibrant event dedicated to democracy that combines peer learning, dialogue, and active youth engagement.

Highlights of Day 1:

Overview of upcoming pilots – analysis of challenges, barriers, and opportunities for their successful implementation.

Strategic planning for the consortium's future directions.

“Broader Perspective” seminar – linking local outcomes to the European perspective.

Evaluation, dialogue, and debates – while young participants split into groups to experience and practice democracy in action.

On the second day of our visit to Odsherred, Denmark, on September 12, we had the amazing opportunity to be part of the Youth Democratic Festival 2025. Under the slogan “Diversity, Politics and People,” we talked about diversity, politics, and responsibility in the world of social media.

Debates, workshops, concerts, and joint discussions with young people from different countries showed how important it is to listen to each other and build a future based on democracy and mutual respect.

It was a day full of inspiration, new ideas, and energy for action!

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!

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.

D-effect - Operation of Strategic Importance

It is worth recalling that D-EFFECT - Lessons in Civil Society Democracy, Bringing the Youth Perspective into the Policy-Making Process at All Levels in Accordance with the Youth Strategy 2022-2027, of which we are the leader, has been qualified by the Interreg South Baltic program as an Operation of Strategic Importance (OSI) project.

An online meeting on OSI was held yesterday, attended by implementers of the selected group of projects. The group included:

During the event, everyone had the opportunity to present the most important activities and expectations of the project. Participants were enriched with knowledge of the scope resulting from having the status of a strategic project, especially related to promotion and communication. A very important aspect of the meeting was also the opportunity to share visions of future activities or events and inspire each other.

D-EFFECT ROUNDTABLE IN ELBLAG

ROUNDTABLE IN ELBLAG - WE DISCUSS THE FUTURE OF YOUTH DEMOCRACY FESTIVALS!
As part of the implementation of activities from the D-EFFECT project - Lessons in Civil Society Democracy, bringing the youth perspective into the policy-making process at all levels in line with the Youth Strategy 2022-2027, today in Elblag's Old Town Hall we met at a “round table” to plan future Youth Democracy Festivals together with youth, local government officials and NGOs!
The program included such topics as:
joint reflection - what is a democracy festival for us?
inspiring examples of events from different
intensive group work using the world café method
thematic working teams (NGOs, local government, youth)
voting on the name of the event
and finally - concrete ideas, resources and actions for the future!
In the spirit of collaboration, we created the first skeins of an event to inspire, engage and give a voice to the young! It was a day full of conversations, sharing experiences and building real youth influence on society. And this is just the beginning!
The meeting was hosted by Karolina Pawlak and Michal Szostak - with energy, commitment and a smile