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Poles' in Germany engagement in immigrant organizations and its determinants

Using the example of engagement of Poles in Germany in Polish immigrant organizations (PIOs), the article gives an insight into the problem of immigrants' social activity. Based on quantitative and qualitative sources, the analysis shows a low level of involvement in PIOs. That lack of engagement seems to be influenced by factors such as: general activist attitude, reluctance to long lasting involvement, focus on everyday life, especially work and cultural bonds with Polish society - the weak tradition of civil society and self-organization

The roles and functions of Polish immigrant organisations in Europe

The Polish migrant diaspora is both broad and diverse: at least 2.2 million Polish citizens originating from different migration waves live in other countries of the European Union. There are also estimates that at least twice as many people with a Polish migration background live in the EU. Polish diaspora in Europe has a long - in some cases lasting more than 100 years - tradition of self-organisation. Polish immigrant organisations are spread all over EU countries. The goal of the paper is to answer the question about the dominant functions of the Polish immigrant organisations PIOs in European countries (Germany, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Italy, France, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands) perceived from the perspective of various actors - organisations, Polish diaspora, and external experts. Such a multidimensional approach results from a larger research project based on the feldwork, which consisted of both quantitative and qualitative approaches

Revival of the civil society: development of the third sector in Poland 1989-2008

Development of the Polish third sector after 1989 has been hampered by the deficiency of resources (both human and financial), inadeqaute legal regulations and imperfect cooperation with public authorities. In the years 1989-2008, the functioning of the third sector has undergone substantial positive developments. The following can be named by way of an example: emergence of umbrella and infrastructure organisations, professionalisation, intensification in terms of cooperation with business and public authorities (more public funds being earmarked for third sector). The Public Benefit and the Volunteer Work Act has also been finally passed. In spite of these positive developments the Polish third sector still faces the following substantial challenges: stimulating social activism, establishing new sources of financing, as well as further increasing the influence that the third sector exerts on decisions of public authorities

Human resources in Polish organisations in Germany

Migrant organizations are said to fulfil important functions for the immigrant communities as well as for the host societies. One of the conditions that influence realisation of those functions are sufficient resources. The aim of the paper is to show, with the example of Polish organisations in Germany, that scarcities in human resources: members, professional staff as well as leaders might me important factor reducing effectiveness of organizations and liming their utility for the immigrant community

The Trap of Transnationalism - Polish Organizations in Germany

Often in the migration literature transnational relations of migrants and their institutions with the sending country are described as important factor strengthening or improving the situation of the migrants in the receiving country. The aim of the paper is to empirically prove that in some of the cases the set of multiple conditions affecting immigrant organizations may have the opposite effect. The example of Polish organizations in Germany shows that transnationalization may have as a consequence the limiting, and the degradation of immigrant organizations standing. The four analyzed factors determining the situation of Polish immigrant associational in Germany: the characteristics of immigrant group, the policy of the receiving country towards immigration and IOs, the diaspora policy of the sending country, as well as the bilateral relations between the sending and receiving country together constitute a combination that has a strong negative effect on the functioning of Polish organizations. This all produces an impression of falling into the "trap of transnationalism.

Challenging Urban Exclusion? Theory and Practice

Urban exclusion has become one of the most studied subjects in the areas of both urban studies and exclusion studies. The problem is interpreted as a range of serious issues affecting the very social order of contemporary cities. Urban exclusion hinders the equal and sustainable development of society, hence leading policymakers to try and employ different programmes focused on tackling urban exclusion.Although their overall aims are similar, their specific means and measures differ significantly. However, it is important to ask whether the phenomenon of urban exclusion is sufficiently specific enough to allow for the development of particular effective approaches to challenge it

"Cold, stony, dehumanized": Unexpected outcomes of revitalization on the sensory landscape and ambience of public space: The case of Cathedral Street (Ulica Tumska) in Płock

This paper shows how changes to the appearance of a street after the revitalization process influence the perception of the street, its sensory landscape and atmosphere. The example of Cathedral Street (Ulica Tumska), the high street in Płock, an average-sized town in Poland, is used to prove that such changes may bring some unexpected results by evoking negative emotions among the residents. The results of the study conducted using focus groups show that the contemporary ambience of Cathedral Street cause negative sensations perceived in four dimensions: touchscape, seescape, soundscape, and smellscape. Those feelings seem to be even stronger taking under consideration positive memories of the street before revitalization. As a result of the negative atmosphere of Cathedral Street and the unpleasant emotions it evokes, the residents’ activities conducted on the street are reduced only to fulfilling the most necessary needs. Such conclusion results in a postulate that when designing or redesigning public spaces we should always be aware of the consequences for the ambience of the street and the need to generate positive emotions