The Civil Affairs Institute (INSPRO)

INSPRO INITIATIVES TRUCKS ON RAILS Within this campaign we have mobilized citizens and decision makers to act on bahalf of transportation policies friendly to people and environment. It has been our postulate to carry more goods by railway.

We support the idea: ‚the user pays’, which calls for including into the petrol price the external costs such as the costs of car crash victims curations, noise,combustion waste. We want Poland to observe European Commission recommendations according to which the proportion of expenditures for railways and highways should be 40 to 60. ‚Trucks on Rails’ – a nationwide social campaign aimed at popularizing transit of goods across Poland using the railway. We have prepared a movable picture exhibition within this project which was viewed by people in more than a dozen cities. Securing funds (15 million PLN ) in the national budget for 2007 for a pilot programme ‘Trucks on Rails‘ was one of the effects of our activities here.

For more information please visit: www.tirynatory.pl

Swiss Ambassador opens expert seminar

CITY ON THE MOVE The initiative centers on engaging citizens into the debate on the aims and the metods of implementing transportation policy in their cities. We point out how big influence that kind of policy has on the quality of everyday life. We mobilize people to act in suport of pedestrian communication, limitation of car traffic, fighting against liquidation of tramway lines, development of bicycle paths network, creating city zones free of cars and bus passes, fighting against uncontrolled spreading of cities, known as urban sprawl.

City in Motion – the main objective of the programme is to promote public transportation in biggest Polish cities. We have organized two conferences in the Ministry of Environment, supported promotional events in almost 100 cities and published a report ‘Transport Policy‘ within our project.

For more information please visit: www.miastowruchu.pl

INSPRO experts in tv programme ‚Talk of the day’

HOME IS WORK We encourage women who work at home taking care of their families into being citizen active. It is our objective here to change the image of working at home (running the household and taking care of children), as well as, the image of women performing it. That kind of work deserves appreciation as being as important as the paid work done with an employer. The home is where civic attitudes are formed. We believe that the monetary value of housework should be included into Gross Country Income ( PKB) index, and people performing it full time should be included into old age pension system through dividing the spouse’s contribution in half.

A Nationwide information and education campaign for appreciation of women’s housework.We have prepared a report ‘Unpaid housework – how to treat it in order to efficiently build the basis for a caring society?’ within the project and organised press conferences in 16 voivodship capitals, as well as, prepared radio advertisements broadcast by Polish Radio Channel 1.

For more information please visit: www.domtopraca.pl

City action of women working at home

WORKS COUNCILS SUPPORT CENTRE The aim that stands behind that initiative is creating the right conditions for the forming and developing of works councils in Polish companies. Works councils perform a twofold task – on the one hand they aim at improving working conditions and access to information and, on the other hand, create space for workers where they can act together in the name of the mutual benefit of the workers and the company.

Works councils help forming trust and social capital in companies and create proper citizen attitudes.

Works Councils Support Centre – the main goal of the project is creating favourable conditions for establishing and developing works councils in companies. We have coached over 500 people, organized a conference in the Senate of the Republic of Poland and provided an info line for the project. We have also published an expert report presenting the results of a nationwide research on works councils.

For more information please visit: www.radypracownikow.info

Training for workers’ councils

NATURAL GENS The campaign aims at mobilizing customers and farmers to protect their rights connected with production and sales of foodstuffs, for instance such right as an obligatory marking of products containing genetically modified organisms (GMO). We believe that the food finds its place in the very centre of our fight for the future of democracy. Only the grass roots strong consumer movement may stop the monopolization of foodstuffs by international concerns. Such monopolization may lead towards losing the country sovereignty.

Natural genes – a nationwide social campaign dedicated to increasing public awareness of the facts and myths about genetically modified organisms (GMO). Objectives of the project include releasing the book ‚The World According to Monsanto’, publishing an expert report and organizing a seminar with specialists and Members of Parliament.

For more information please visit: www.naturalnegeny.pl

Press conference with Jose Bove

CITIZENS DECIDE The purpose of the campaign is to increase participation of citizens in public life. We want political parties to give to citizens a part of authority and responsibility. We act on strengthening country and local referendum. We are for higher standards efficiency of participating democracy, the efficiency created by citizen legislative and enhancement initiatives. We suggest sticking to good practice in the sphere of citizen participation. What is more, we look for new innovative solutions inciting citizen activities.

We are leading a citizen control of the process of looking for and exploiting shale gas in Poland. It is our aim to protect drinking water and earth from the greed of corporations and stupidity of officials and clerks. We ask for introduction of shale gas exploitation moratorium until all due social consultation have taken place. The voices of both the supporters of the idea and the opponents are equally important to us we want to confront them with the results of independent trustworthy scientific examinations.

For more information please visit: www.obywateledecyduja.pl

Action ‚Don’t pull our leg’ in front of Polish Parliament

THE KEY CENTRE The initiative aims at developing public engagement in Lodz voivodship and,in particular,it concentrates on suport for social organizations in their process of economization. Economization that is working out own means is a metod of building financial independence and sovereignty. The topic is especially interesting for those organizations which nobody wants to sponsor due to their controversial aims and methods of activity for instance the ones which instead of repairing the effects of the problems try to prevent the reasons of their appearance.

For more information please visit: www.centrumklucz.pl

The Key Center initiative

CITIZENS CONTROL We are leading a citizen control of the process of looking for and exploiting shale gas in Poland. It is our aim to protect drinking water and earth from the greed of corporations and stupidity of officials and clerks. We ask for introduction of shale gas exploitation moratorium until all due social consultation have taken place. The voices of both the supporters of the idea and the opponents are equally important to us – we want to confront them with the results of independent trustworthy scientific examinations.

For more information please visit: www.obywatelekontroluja.pl

‚Occupy Chevron’ Manifestation

CAMPAIGNERS’ HOTBED The main aim of the initiative is giving suport to social activists hoping to win citizen campaigns for mutual benefit. We base our hotbed on three foundations: the values, the attitude and the knowledge.

Thanks to that initiative the activists learn, frequent internet fora, strengthen their potential. We gain our inspiration, experience and knowledge from different sources, among others, from social initiatives, business, the army, monks’ orders the world of sport, science and nature.

The motto of Campaigners’ Hotbed is: ‚If someone is to lead a campaign he or she has to have an intention of scheming’.

For more information please visit: www.kampanierzy.pl

CITIZENS IN CHARGE Citizens in charge is a joint initiative of INSPRO and Department of Journalism and Social Sciences of Warsaw University. Our goal is to monitor all public declarations made by politicans in Poland and check how they are realised - whether politicans walk like they talk. We prepared a portal that using crowdsourcing method will track down all promises stated by our officials. The method is strictly scientific and validated by the University. In this way we want to raise the level of public debate and promote more responsible and accountable approach through political figures of Poland.

For more information please visit: www.obywatelerozliczaja.pl

Temporary look of portal Citizens in charge

CALENDAR OF EVENTS 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005 2004 2000 1998 ‚Campaigners’ Hotbed’ Convention

1996

1995

We harden social workers within the activities of Campaigners’ Hotbed We start the campaigns ‚Citizens Decide’ and ‚Citizens Control‘ The beginning of ‚The Key Centre’ initiative We start the new edition of citizen campaign ‚Trucks on Rails‘ Mobilizing the customers within the initiative ‚Natural Genes’ We get engaged In an international project ‚Added Value‘ ‚Works Councils Support Centre’ project started The beginning of the campaign underlying the importance of women’s housework ‚House is Work’ INSPRO supports the organization of ‚European Week of Balanced Transportation’ In 120 Polish towns Court registration of the foundation The Civil Affairs Institute (INSPRO) Publication of the first issue of ‚The Citizen’ paper Social disobedience action defending landscape park ‚St. Ann’s Mountain’ threatened by A4 highway construction works The beginning of the all Polish campaign for balanced transportation ‚Trucks on Trails’ organized with the assistance of Rockeffeller Brothers’ Fund and the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy First radio programme ‚Are you conscious?’and publishing of the book ‚New System - Same Values‘, or why contemporary human beeings destroy natural environment.

THE CIVIL AFFAIRS INSTITUTE (INSPRO) The Civil Affairs Institute (INSPRO) has been a non-government organization acting on behalf of mutual benefits since 2004. We have been specializing in leading citizen campaigns.

It has always been our dream to live in a society whose citizens are engaged in public life, take care of mutual benefits and are able to cooperate with each other being conscious of their rights and obligations.

Has been realizing its initiatives basing on citizens’ mobilization and an interdisciplinary group of social workers and experts. We have cooperated with various organizations, both Polish and foreign, among others, with NSZZ ‚Solidarnosc’, City Movements Congress, All Polish Federation of Non-government Organizations, the Centre for Balanced Development, Warsaw University, Military Technical Academy, Transport and Environment, Deutscher Fundraising Verband, Food and Water Watch, Alpen Initiative.

Within the framework of INSPRO initiatives we have been leading public awareness campaigns organizing debates and conferences, initiating happenings and pickets, appearing in radio and television programmes. We have collected signatures supporting various petitions, run internet services, organized mobile exhibitions and film shows, we have trained and advised citizens making use of new media (Facebook, Twitter, Google +, YouTube). We have prepared and distributed promotion and information materials (virals, folders, posters, labels, newsletters, tv and radio spots) we have led parliamentary dialogues, worked out analyses and studies, edited reports and book publications.

INSPRO acts thanks to financial suport of private and public donors, as well as, its own economic activity. We get our means from various sources as only the diversified budget allows us to keep our independence in the realization of our mission.

Manifestation for strengthening of referendum

Projekt realizowany w ramach programu Obywatele dla Demokracji, finansowanego z Funduszy EOG

Contact us: Instytut Spraw Obywatelskich The Civil Affairs Institute ul. Więckowskiego 33/107, 90-734 Łódź, POLAND tel./fax: +48 42 630 17 49 www.inspro.org.pl www.facbook.com/fundacja.inspro @rafal_gorski

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