BONA FIDES
Bona Fides is a non-profit organization that has been active for over 15 years mainly in Katowice, but it also carries out its activities in other parts of Silesia and Poland. We are working mainly to build and support groups of inhabitants and local leaders, teaching local officers on how to conduct an open and effective dialogue with the inhabitants and non-profit organizations, and enabling European mobility of young people through the Erasmus+ program, giving them new experiences and skills through volunteering. The Association is based in the center of Katowice, a unique place that makes easier to achieve the aims and objectives of the organization.
“In our Association we believe that Polish villages, country towns and cities should be pleasant places to live in, and open to the needs of their inhabitants. To accomplish this, the involvement of individuals in activities in the local surroundings is important as well as the presence of reliable authorities who act in an open and transparent way and consider the voice of their inhabitants in the decision-making process.
We carry out our mission by organizing activities engaging the inhabitants in the life of their villages, country towns and cities. For that, we have organize the following activities:
– organize local neighborhood initiatives that act for the benefit of their local communities;
– provide legal, organizational and substantive support to local leaders; – educate inhabitants about their rights so that they will be able to use them effectively while cooperating with local authorities and other subjects.
We also support local authorities in building social dialogue. For that we:
– train local officers on how to carry out an open and effective dialogue with the inhabitants and non-governmental organizations;
– prepare projects of law acts and motions, whose purpose is to improve the standard of living and quality of life, make authorities more transparent and ensure better cooperation with citizens.
“Other important tasks of our Organization: Besides our local and regional activities, we are part of the great Erasmus+ web. In its fraim, we organize and manage European projects that give our youngsters the chance to live an experience abroad thanks to our wide range of partners spread all over Europe. Our programs are financed and organized by the European Commission: among them, the European Voluntary Service (EVS) and the European Solidarity Corps (ESC), which allows youngsters’ mobility abroad by volunteering in different activities. It offers young people opportunities to show solidarity, express their commitment to the benefit of communities and help solve challenging situations across Europe. At the same time, young people can develop their skills and get some valuable human experience in the process. In Bona Fides, we encourage Polish youngsters to benefit from this chance to explore other countries by offering them several projects, and at the same time we host foreign volunteers in our Association every year. We give them the opportunity to put in practice and improve their skills and passions, gain new competencies, and create a civic sense. All of it through different projects and activities in Katowice and Silesia, along with both local and foreign communities in the city.
At the moment we are carrying on two main projects related to the main foreign communities of our city: one aims at the integration of the Ukrainian community in the local life, and the other one is focused on facilitating all aspects of life for the European and non-European foreign communities living in this region, by fostering the development of local people, youngsters, and people with special needs. You can take a look at our webpage to see all the open vacancies we have now. To apply for these and more opportunities abroad check here: http://evs.bonafides.pl/category/aktualne-nabory/“
Partners
