Our association was founded on The International Day for Universal Access to Information – 28 September 2003. But the court did not register us until late November 2003. We were a group of people who completed a course for leaders of Local Civic Groups hosted by the Anti-Corruption Program at the Stefan Batory Foundation. These individuals, from all over Poland, were trained over several years. When we were starting out, all we knew was that we didn’t want to waste the positive energy generated during the course. However, we lacked common experience, language and purpose. What united us was exercising civic control and recognizing the special role of the right to information, both in preventing corruption and abuse of power and in protecting human rights.

Our first name was the Association of Leaders of Local Civic Groups. We used this name for almost ten years, until April 2013. We changed it because it no longer reflected what we do. We have defined our mission as striving to shape a responsible and open government, sensitive to social needs, ready for dialogue and subject to civil oversight. This is what watchdog organizations strive for. Also, local civic groups can organize themselves for very different purposes, not necessarily to scrutinize those in power. We have always been more interested in the duties of the authority. And hence the name change. There were also pragmatic reasons – the name was difficult to remember, abbreviate, and explain. It also assumed the creation of local civic groups, while we saw ourselves rather as a network of citizens united by a common idea.

On our 18th birthday (28 September 2021) we passed the real test of maturity. Not only did we become an organization with a brand recognizable in Poland and Europe, but also our members – citizens united by a common idea – told us about all the amazing things they do in their communities or areas of activity, using the knowledge and experience we gain together.

• Marzena Błaszczyk told us how she uses the right to information to protect trees.
• Alina Czyżewska discussed how the right to information affects the independence of culture
• Adam Dobrawy explained how access to information affects the efficient spending of public money
• Anna Gdula talked about how she uses the right to information to protect animal welfare.
• Krzysztof Jakubowski showed us how observing the work of councillors contributed to greater involvement in their work in the Council
• Jakub Jaworski told about his activity for the benefit of law-abiding performance of public institutions
• Kinga Kulik spoke about the right to information as one of the tools to protect tenants’ rights
• Ewa Majda talked about how she started using the right to information to protect forested areas
• Marcin Nieroda presented how the right to information helps to keep the roads safe
• Krzysztof Pietruszewski showed the importance of the right to information in politics
• Jacek Werder presented how he uses the right to information to prevent untreated sewage from entering the environment
• Bartosz Wilk outlined his activities aimed at transparency of sports funding
• Michał Zemełka presented the importance of asking questions and reliable information in public debate

Members of Citizens Network Watchdog Poland on its 18th anniversary