Organisation of the Month: The Educational Society for Malopolska

Education is the foundation of an accountable, democratic, and efficient country 

The Educational Society for Malopolska (MTO) is a NGO founded in 1988 by a group of members of the Solidarity Movement (Polish trade union). In MTO we focus on several areas. One of the most important aims is to develop civic democracy from scratch, through educating local leaders, including leaders of civil entrepreneurship as well as civic education and legal education.

In Poland we conduct methodological trainings for teachers, ensuring education of wise, active, entrepreneurial and outgoing citizens. The Educational Society for Malopolska has a rich experience in working with young leaders in Poland and in other countries through various programs.
In the years 2001-2004 we established a network of so-called “Plus Schools” stretching the Balkans, from Albany to Moldova. The network also entered Azerbaijan and Georgia in 2011. Currently, the network constitutes over 65 associations of parents and teachers who support local schools.
A Public Achievement Program was implemented in the Balkans, in the Ukraine, in Azerbaijan, in Georgia, as well as in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary. The Program gave rise to over 400 groups engaged in civic activities. The Academy for Young Social Entrepreneurs (AYSE) Program, supported by the members of ASHOKA POLAND , Innovators for the Public, successfully inspired and prepared for independent operations 250 young people from Moldova, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, and
Montenegro.

Within the Study Tours to Poland Program (2007-2011), as one of the Polish-American Freedom Fund operators, we have already invited 129 students from Belarus, Russia, Moldova and Ukraine for 11-day study tours in Poland.

Since 2008 we have been present in Belarus targeting our programs at civic organizations and local media. The projects carried out there helped us realize the most urgent problems of the Belarussian civic society. In our activity in Belarus we trained about 50 young leaders from villages and small towns, and 24 journalists, who support and promote local initiatives. We have successfully built a network called Local Leaders Club, which supports socially engaged Belarusians through self-help and counselling of local and foreign experts. Since 2013 we have been conducting similar operations in Moldova.

MTO is a founding member of the Polish NGO platform “Grupa Zagranica” (Federation of Polish NGOs Working Abroad: www.zagranica.org.pl).

For more information please visit our website: http://www.mto.org.pl.

In the picture: children and teacher participating in one of the MTO programmes.


Information provided by MTO