Launched in 2021, the program supports local leaders who want to gain knowledge and competencies in conducting actions aimed at protecting the environment in their local communities and dealing with climate change, as well as effectively obtaining EU and other funds for implementation of their initiatives.
Natural environment degradation and climate change harm all our lives. The challenge is to mitigate them and introduce new, more sustainable ways of developing local communities. These are the assumptions of the ”Green Leader” program launched by PAFF and successfully tested in a 2021 pilot version.
The program exploits experiences gained in the implementation of many local pro-ecological projects within PAFF’s and other NGOs’ activities in the past.
The initiative is addressed to local leaders in villages and towns of up to 50,000 residents (towns with populations of up to 150,000 in justified cases); particularly PAFF program participants, as well as other civic and local government leaders who believe it is important to protect the natural environment and address climate change. From 2021 to 2024, 212 participants from 74 communes across Poland joined the program.
The main part of the program involves training and consulting. Its participants – leaders and their teams – can follow one of the three thematic paths: waste management, local water retention and counteracting droughts, or energy efficiency. They can also apply for a study tour grant – abroad or within Poland – that would enable them to establish cooperation with partners, acquire innovative solutions and, potentially, prepare ideas for joint projects. Through the program leaders will learn how to solve an environmental problem important for their local community, and/or climate change mitigation and adaptation. They will use these methods and tools to introduce change within the local community and apply for grants from the European Union and other funds for their own pro-ecological initiatives.
An important component of the “Green Leader” program is “The Green Euro-NGO Advisors” network, which is the national information and advisory system on the rules and mechanisms of managing environment and climate protection funds, mainly from the EU. The network supports NGO’s as well as local government partnership’s leaders in small towns and villages. The support is provided by specialized experts present in all Poland’s regions. At present, such support is delivered by 40 specialist advisors in each Polish region (2 experts per region).
PAFF Foundation has disbursed $842,339, including $246,426 for the current edition.
