Aleksander Miszalski, Mayor of Kraków

Dear Members and Friends of ELFAC,

On 19th November 2019 in Brussels, Kraków joined the European Network of Family-Friendly Municipalities, at the very first European convention of this body. Thanks to the cooperation and exchange of experience with other municipalities across the continent, we are now able to act more wisely and effectively. We bet on improvement of local policy and care for constant development of our city so that it can best serve its residents.

75 urban parks and 43 pocket parks are our strong and continuedly extended assets. Kraków ranks among the most green European metropolises, and we aim for urban greenery to serve the families and promote social integration to the highest degree possible.

Our city boast numerous interesting and modern family-friendly projects, as implementing family policy is one of our priorities. We have 33 municipal and 334 non-public nurseries, 50 clubs for parents with children under 3 years old as well as 485 kindergartens and day-care facilities with attractive playgrounds and a rich variety of green spaces in their vicinity. Our goal is to provide conditions for stability, growth and active participation in community life to all families.

I will be delighted to welcome all the guests of the 5th Convention to Kraków in the early days of spring when you can enjoy the first glimpses of the city’s enchanting green side.

_________________________________________

“Green for families”: Strengthening Social Capital, ecology and sustainable development

All member municipalities and regions of the Network, as well as representatives of civil society, policy makers, researchers and all interested persons are invited to join us on Thursday 20 and Friday 21 March in the beautiful city of Kraków, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Please save the date, and stay tuned! More detailed information will be posted here.

➡️ REGISTRATION HERE
Join us in Kraków for this exceptional event that will inspire you 
to pursue your goals and make our cities family-friendly and sustainable!

DRAFT PROGRAM

09.30 Registration

10:00 Opening:

Moderator of the convention: Raul Sanchez, secretary general of ELFAC

Introduction: Marzena Paszkot, Plenipotentiary of the Mayor of Kraków for Family Affairs

• Aleksander Miszalski, Mayor of Krakow
• Monika Kolasa, Plenipotentiary of the Malopolska Voivode for Family Affairs, Deputy Director of the Malopolska Voivode’s Office
• Regina Maroncelli, general coordinator of the Network
• Radosław Waszkiewicz, president of ELFAC and ZDR3+
• Olgierd Geblewicz, vice president of the European Committee of Regions (CoR) and President of the West Pomerania Region (Poland)

10:25  Opening speech:

• Dubravka Šuica, Commissioner for the Mediterranean  and responsible for the implementation of the Demography Toolbox, European Commission (video-message)

10:40 Delivery of diplomas to new municipalities members of the Network

10:50 Coffee-break 

11.15 Experts panel:

Basis from research

• Jarosław Tabor, Deputy Director of Kraków Municipal Greenspace Authority: Greenery in every size. Green areas of Kraków as model solutions combining sustainable development with family-friendly activities
• Prof. Magdalena Frączek, University of Agriculture in Kraków (Faculty of Forestry, Department of Forest Biodiversity): The Green Mosaic of Kraków – Where People and Nature Come Together
• Prof. Fabrizio Coricelli, Department of Political Science and International, University of Siena (Italy): Social capital, relationships that strengthen local communities
• Mercedes Hernandez, Director of Partnership & Public Affairs of Masfamilia Foundation (Spain): The contributions of family-friendly companies to local territories

Bringing to practice

• Marzena Paszkot, Plenipotentiary of the Mayor of Krakow for Family Affairs, Krakow City Office (Poland): Good practices in building a green and family-friendly city – Green Energy and Healthy Water

12:30  Discussion: questions and answers

12:45 Lunch break

(Not offered by the organisation: many restaurants are available around the congress venue)

14:30 Best practices

Introduction:

• Regina Maroncelli, general coordinator of the Network, Presentation of the new Chart of the Network.
• Luciano Malfer, Bruno Kessler Foundation (Trento, Italy). How to make an environmentally and family-friendly strategic plan 
• Katalin Gyurko, Ministerial commissioner for the Ministry of Culture and Innovation, Hungary: New measures to support families in Hungary

Learning from each other: Presentation of best practices from municipalities and companies:

1. Juris Radzevičs, Chairperson of the Riga City Council Social Affairs Committee (Latvia).
2. Catarina Mendes, vice president, municipality of Albergaria-a-Velha (Portugal)
3. Maria José Gómez, Technician of the Large Families Association of Badajoz in charge of the Family Responsible Certification for Cities (Spain).
4. Maria Grazia Salaris, Councillor for family welfare, municipality of Alghero (Italy)
5. Joanna Skiba, International Office Włocławek, municipality of Włocławek (Poland).
6. Joao Rafael de Sousa, Vice president of the Monção City Council (Portugal).
7. Alessia Pezzota, HR specialist, and Anna Cattaneo,  responsible of sustainability and international relations, from Plastik SPA (Italy)

16:45 Discussion: questions and answers

17:00 Closing

19:00 Reception at the Kraków City Hall for participants

Friday 21 March

09:00 – 14:00 Study visit 

Ecological educational center and a modern family housing estate in Kraków (example of cooperation between the local government, NGOs and businesses/ entrepreneurs in order to create coprehensive family-friendly conditions).