Marcin Baron
At the citizens’ café
Guests arrive at the appointed time. Coffee is brewed, desserts are served. But the rest is no longer like a normal social gathering. Talks about who came from where – and there are school pupils, senior citizens, officials, entrepreneurs and activists alike – soon turn into a discussion about the economy of the Polish region of Silesia, climate policy and what lies ahead in the coming years. Topics such as the ageing population, young people’s start in adult life, attractive jobs or quality of life come up.
“We want to find out the opinions of people in the region about how they perceive the changes that are happening here and now. To translate the term just transition into a language close to each of us. And to find out how to better translate the needs of local communities into the conduct of development policy.” – said Małgorzata Staś, The Regional Director of Transition from the regional authority of Silesia, during a civic cafe in Rybnik. And as many as nine such meetings were organised this autumn. Zabrze, Ruda Śląska, Rybnik, Radlin, Rydułtowy, Sosnowiec, Lędziny, Czechowice-Dziedzice, Pszczyna – these cities opened themselves up to a discussion on the fears associated with moving away from a carbon-intensive economy based on fossil fuels, but also on the opportunities that citizens see in the background of this process.
It is safe to say that the above balances out. It is not only the people of the Sosnowiec – Dąbrowa Górnicza area who have become accustomed to thinking of their towns as post-mining towns. Even where meetings were held in the shadow of operating mining towers, people emphasised that change is inevitable, and often even that it is necessary. This does not change the fact that the participants in the cafés view the ongoing transition with caution. This in turn gives rise to ideas for local action.
For it is precisely to encourage small-scale grassroots action in support of large-scale economic and energy transition processes that the civic cafés were aimed at. “Residents of the region’s cities and towns have little influence on global trends or ministerial decisions. However, they can anticipate their shape and consider how to prepare for potentially difficult scenarios.” – comments one of the coordinators of the café action. – “In the collegial atmosphere of the café, arranged for the purpose of each meeting, we first considered what challenges the modern world presents to us. Then we identified ideas for civic projects and learned how to refine them so that implementation entails the least risk of failure.” Representatives of entities implementing EU projects aimed at supporting local initiatives also spoke at the meetings. They encouraged contact and offered their assistance to initiators.
Will the intentions of organising meeting places, community gardens or educational campaigns come to fruition? Because these concepts were raised most often during the café discussions. Time will tell. What we do know, however, is that the region’s residents are ready for constructive discussion and cooperation in intergenerational teams. It is therefore worth sitting down with someone over coffee, not just for gossip.
The original was published in the ‘Transforming Silesia’ supplement to Gazeta Wyborcza, 13 December 2024.
