School for Leaders Association
School for Leaders was established in
summer 1994 through the initiative of Dr Zbigniew A. Pełczynski of
Oxford University, as an autonomous programme of Stefan Batory
Foundation, and then - as a part of Robert Schuman Foundation. In
February 1997 our programme gained independence and School for
Leaders Association, which actions encompass the whole Poland. Our
mission is to support the development of a civil
society.
The Association is charged with
supporting the development of a civic society in Poland and
Central-Eastern Europe. We fulfill this mission by shaping new
leaders, supporting social activities in local communities, and
shaping public activists and educating young people in the area of
civics.
We meet these goals by educating people
involved in public duty - such as social organizations, local
government and political activities as well as motivating new
people to participate. We specifically support public activities of
young people, especially in the countryside and in small towns. We
do this primarily through training projects and activation, but
this is not the only way the School for Leaders Association
functions. It also organizes foreign internships, conferences,
public debates and publishes.
Our activity
According to its strategy, adopted in
1999, the Association focuses on the following three program
areas
international collaboration and the
exchange of experiences - this program encompasses the
transfer of our own experiences in the area of civil education and
Polish experiences concerning political change to Eastern and
Southern European countries. This program, started in 1996, is
aimed at providing education and training to public activists from
these countries and/or to helping them participate in the
Association's other programs;
regional development and
activation - we concentrate primarily on activating local
communities and promoting local partnerships and cooperation
between the different layers of government. Since 2002 we have
mainly promoted this program in Poland's eastern voivodships
(podkarpackie, lubelskie, podlaskie,
warmińsko-mazurskie).
Our objectives
supporting and stimulating social activism
in local communities assisting rural areas in the
transformation period assisting local communities in
crises promoting ethics among public
activists shaping leaders developing public activists bringing the civil society
together promoting European integration and
cooperation between Europe and North America international cooperation and the sharing
of experiences - transferring our knowledge and experiences in the
area of civil education and the political transformation to eastern
and southern Europe.
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