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First published in Polish by Maciej Bielawski

Local Activity Centres are venues that aim to support local activities, integrate community, provide space for activity and education, and create a homely atmosphere making everyone feel welcome. One example of such a place is a neighbourhood house, a venue for community activity. It is a place where all age groups, families, senior citizens, and children meet for various activities and actions.

It is an apolitical and non-religious setting open to various family-friendly, intergenerational social, cultural and artistic initiatives. A neighbourhood house has a very important role to play. It involves the local community in solving problems and supports them in meeting their needs, but does not take action on the residents’ behalf.

The history of neighbourhood houses began with the opening such centres in deprived urban neighbourhoods in the UK, Ireland, and the Netherlands to level the social playing field. Today, neighbourhood houses also operate in other areas. They have grown to become places that shape local communities, integrate residents and activate their potential for taking direct action. Residents co-create such centres with support from a network of organisations, institutions and private companies.

^{Photo by David Todd McCarty on Unsplash}

The first Polish Neighbourhood House was opened in Gdańsk as a grassroots initiative of a coalition of the Gdańsk City Council and NGOs working for local communities. Now, more than a dozen neighbourhood houses and clubs operate in various districts in the city. One such centre is Gościnna Przystań (Hospitable Haven), run by the Gdańsk Foundation for Social Innovation. The community of the neighbourhood house in the Orunia district of Gdańsk is multi-generational. The services offered by the home include a toddler club, community centre, youth club and senior citizens' club. Residents can pursue their passions, participate in self-help groups, and attend workshops and skills development courses. Gościnna Przystań also acts as a centre for local democracy. It houses debates and community meetings on urban planning and neighbourhood issues relevant to residents. A Housing Estate Council has its seat, and City Councillors from the City of Gdańsk serve their duty hours there.

The Neighbourhood House's mission is to create a place open to diverse people and activities. It is operated by the local community to strengthen its movement, identity and responsibility for the space in which it lives. 

A Neighbourhood House is a civic-minded venue that appeals to social solidarity and other values and is open to various family-friendly, intergenerational social, cultural and artistic initiatives. In a local community, it is a link promoting the process of social change. It supports local community activities by:

• strengthening interpersonal relations;
• building local community identity and citizenship;
• promoting taking joint action;
• taking responsibility,
• offering programmes/services in response to identified needs.

The Neighbourhood House is a space accessible primarily to residents, but it also remains open to city-wide initiatives, acting as an incubator for civic activity.

Local partnerships near a neighbourhood house should undertake joint activities to promote the residents' social and civic activities and improve their access to various social services and recreational and leisure facilities.

The main assets of a neighbourhood house include the residents, so we make every effort to involve and engage them in the process. From among residents, representatives of local organisations/institutions, and local leaders interested in creating a neighbourhood house should be appointed. The involvement of residents contributes to their identification with the place. They can be its hosts or co-hosts together with the staff of the institution/organisation running a neighbourhood house. In a neighbourhood house, residents can, for example, learn new things from one another (neighbourhood workshops and training sessions, organise meetings, or spend time together. The offer of a neighbourhood house is primarily based on the potential of local communities and organisations. On the one hand, it responds to the needs of residents. On the other hand, it is created by the local community and based on local resources. The catalogue of neighbourhood house activities includes:

1. Education (civic, cultural, vocational, historical, environmental). Varied forms of activities: workshops, discussion clubs, meetings, training sessions, debates, meetings with councillors, presenting proposals for resolutions of local authorities, civic budget proposals, etc.
2. Activation and integration; joint activities of residents, communal celebrations, art classes, thematic activities, interest groups, and providing financial support to residents' initiatives. Forms of activities: barbecue meetings, picnics, festivals, neighbourhood group meetings, neighbourhood initiatives, café, community gardens, neighbourhood walks, swap meets, open-air cinema, etc.
3. Personal development, self-help, neighbourhood movement, psychological support, career counselling, citizenship advice, volunteering, self-help groups, neighbourhood help, in-kind and financial support for people in need, and exchange of resources between residents. Forms of activities: information and consultation points, provision of rooms, meetings, cafés, advice centre, exchangers, etc.

A neighbourhood house is a friendly place where residents come together to learn about individual and group needs and play an active role in meeting them. It is also a place that involves residents in co-determination and taking action for the common good. The programme of a neighbourhood house is designed to strengthen the community and create a space for participants to develop competencies helpful in creating public space and making decisions concerning common interests. An essential link in programme development is the discovery and untapping of residents' potential; their empowerment fosters the emergence of autonomous and independent initiatives.

Maciej Bielawski – Expert in the field of social inclusion and social economy. Vice-President of the ESWIP Association, which has supported social and civic activity for 25 years. One of the initiators of creating the first Social Animators Forum in Poland. Animator of many initiatives, solutions, and local partnerships. Member of working groups creating public policies and planning the use of European funds in social inclusion.