The Stefan Batory Foundation

Anti-Corruption Program

Local Civic Groups

contact: przeciw-korupcji@batory.org.pl

Grażyna Kopińska - Program Director
phone: (48 22) 536 02 58
Grażyna Czubek, phone: (48 22) 536 02 71
Adam Sawicki, phone: (48 22) 536 02 57

Report 2005

Report 2004

In 2000 we initiated the formation of a network of local civic groups to monitor the activity of the authorities and to organize educational campaign for a greater transparency of public life. Each year, we train a group of community leaders to monitor government policies and practices and advocate a greater transparency in public life. Trainings that consist of nine meetings, two days each, organized every 4-5 weeks concern team building and leadership skills, management, conflict resolution functioning of local government, and legal/social consequences of corruption. After completing the training the leaders form Civic Groups that act for the transparency of public life in their local community. Their activities include: monitoring access to information in local government offices, setting up citizens’ helpdesks, outreach, particularly among youth (anti-corruption lessons in schools), organizing public debates on corruption in cooperation with local media.

Over the last four years, we have trained 68 individuals who have established 20 local citizens groups in both small communities and in large urban centers such as Cracow and Warsaw. In October 2004, we ran the fifth and final cycle of trainings of 22 new leaders, which was completed in fall 2005.

We also provided technical and financial assistance to the Local Civic Group Leaders Association (registered near the end of 2003), which brings together active leaders of civic groups.

To help the groups in their work we have developed a series of advice manuals, practical guides and brochures, among others Notes on Democracy – Citizen’s Anti-Corruption Guide series and Notes for Local Civic Group leaders which contains materials about corruption, legal regulations, activities taken domestically and abroad to combat corruption and get access to information, about scrutinizing the transparency of local government institutions, as well as information about local activities on behalf of transparency in the functioning of public institutions. The manuals are available on Program's Polish website.