Interview with Mateusz Wojcieszak- Fundacja Pole Dialogu, participatory budgeting in Poland
Description
From the Youth PP Project we have spoken with Mateusz Wojciesznak, president of the Pole Dialogu Foundation (Warsaw), thus continuing with the cycle of interviews on participatory budgeting.
Mateusz has exposed the work carried out by his foundation in the last ten years to promote citizen participation in the public life of his country and facilitate dialogue between people from the same community with various local and state organizations. Among the programs carried out by the Fundacja Pole Dialogu is the promotion of participatory budgeting, an initiative that, as he himself affirms, needs better promotion among citizens.
The director of the Polish foundation has exposed how difficult it has been to continue the project during the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. So when normalcy is restored, they will seek to establish a real connection between people and communities. Wojciesznak also wanted to highlight the aspects to be improved in the PP Youth project, among which the scarce participation and dissemination that it has among the civilian population stands out. However, he has been optimistic about the work carried out by organizations such as Medialab UGR and RadioLab in promoting the project.
To end the interview, Mateusz wanted to emphasize the need to be flexible when organizing a participatory budget project. While he has shown the convenience of setting guidelines when working with young people, he is also giving them independence and encouraging their own decision-making.