About SLA

School for Leaders Association- basic facts

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;
   
• nationwide civil education - this is the Association's core activity, launched with the Summer School for Young Social and Political Leaders. At present the project is focused on furthering the education of public activists and promoting real discussion about public affairs and matters of state;

• 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.