Solidarity today – CIVIC SCOUTS AT WORK in Gdańsk | THE CIVICS Innovation Hub

From 9 to 12 October, we gathered over 50 participants from four different countries (Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany & Hungary) to join us at the European Solidarity Centre in Gdańsk, Poland, to wrap up the programme CIVIC SCOUTS AT WORK. Representatives and participants from 17 of the 22 participating companies joined the meeting and presented their final project ideas for fostering diversity & inclusion, sustainability or participation and engagement.

In collaboration with the European Solidarity Centre and our regional partner in Hungary, the Power of Humanity Foundation, we organised a three-day programme that evolved around the following key questions:

Civic competencies and their impact: What are the benefits of civic competencies at work, and what are their benefits for companies and the broader society?
Innovations of the CIVIC SCOUTS AT WORK programme: What specific ideas and projects have CIVIC SCOUTS developed throughout the programme, and how do these initiatives reflect the goals and aspirations of the programme?
Corporate role in active citizenship: In what ways can companies actively contribute to protecting and strengthening democratic values?

Besides the CIVIC SCOUTS and company representatives, the programme facilitators were invited to Gdansk as well to reflect on the programme and identify room for improvement. All feedback gathered in Gdansk and throughout our national and transnational reflection groups will inspire the development of the programme’s successor: CIVIC SCOUTS 2.0.

The event featured engaging round table discussions that focused on different topics, including polarisation, civic competencies at the workplace, cooperation between civil society and companies, corporate civic responsibility of companies and responsible leadership. Together with the team of the European Solidarity Centre, we explored Solidarity as a movement – its origins as an uprising by the Polish Trade Union in the 1980s, making the shipyards of Gdańsk a site of historical momentum on worker’s rights and civic engagement, which reminds us of what solidarity means for us today.

Some of the main takeaways from this study trip were:

The programme’s focus on addressing specific needs and its flexibility were seen as unique and innovative features in the field of employee training. These qualities should remain the programme’s defining characteristics.
To involve a wider audience and attract more participation from the business sector, the terminology needs to be adapted to bridge the gap between the language used by civil society and the corporate sector. This applies particularly when considering concepts such as ‘civic engagement’ and ‘democratic competencies’.
Companies do not exist in a vacuum and thus are subject to polarisation just like the rest of society. Hence, creating a safe space to exchange and listen within companies is crucial.
To support the efforts of individual CIVIC SCOUTS groups, the leadership teams of each participating company should be more involved in the process.
A CIVIC SCOUT is not only an ambassador but also an observer and initiator for improvements in terms of the work and community environment.
Raising more awareness about the social and civic responsibilities of companies within the business sector is crucial.

We want to thank Anne Duncker, Natalia Grzywacz-Leszkowska, Olga Gulińska, Laura Osborne, and Grzegorz Piotrowski for their invaluable input as speakers, the European Solidarity Centre as our local partner who guided us through the exhibition and their workshop. A special thank you to our funding partners the German Federal Agency for Civic Education (bpb) and the Robert Bosch Stiftung.