leski-bieszczadzki

ABOUT PILOT AREA

The pilot area is located in the Podkarpackie Voivodeship in a mountainous area covering two districts: Leski and Bieszczadzki. The area is large in size, but at the same time one of the least populated areas in Poland. It is located on the border with Ukraine and Slovakia, covering the Bieszczady and Sanocko-Turczańskie Mountains. The inhabitants of this region face exclusion on many levels, including access to services, job opportunities, and educational opportunities. For some children, secondary schools are located about 50-60 km from their place of residence, there is a lack of nurseries and kindergartens. Many people work in the tourism industry, which is characterized by seasonality and the presence of tourists.

The pilot area has one of the highest unemployment rates in Poland, young people are flying away, but on the other hand, it has social potential. Research reveals that it has the highest saturation of nonprofit organizations per 10,000 inhabitants, which shows that where many things are lacking, residents take matters into their own hands and start grassroots activities.  

ABOUT VULNERABLE GROUPS OF THE PILOT AREA

Several vulnerable groups have been identified in Leski-Bieszczadzki area:
1. Women – living in remote mountainous rural areas, far from many educational and employment opportunities, lack of support in caring for children and the elderly, and household responsibilities resting on their shoulders are factors that cause the exclusion of women in particular from the labor market and financial security.
2. Elderly people – excluded largely in terms of transport, but also economically. There is lack of access to services, including health and care services, and lower digital skills contribute to seniors being a group in need of support.
3. Young people – living in peripheral areas means a limited educational and first job opportunities, a lack of entertainment, no opportunities for development. Some youths leave their family homes after completing primary school at the age of 14-15 and begin living in boarding schools, then move to other places, and some of them never return. 
4. Persons with disabilities – Disability is still a taboo subject, it is almost invisible in the public space. Exclusion consists of a lack of appropriate day care places, but also 24-hour care, a lack of appropriate activities, a lack of infrastructure and a systemic lack of support. The biggest problem is with people who are entering adulthood – there are no prospects for them, no job opportunities, no inclusion in various activities, no Professional Activity Facility.