Project “Drum of Democracy”

„Werbel demokracji”

Werbel Demokracji (The Drum of Democracy) is the first such a big campaign in Poland aimed at breaking stereotypes connected with homelessness. This professional campaign, whose name refers to the instrument producing a sound which is audible and easy to distinguish even in a tumult, is to draw our attention to the true nature of homelessness by making it noticeable and presenting it in a non-stereotypical manner. Werbel Demokracji (The Drum of Democracy) will take place throughout the year 2009 in the largest cities of the Pomeranian Province (Gdańsk, Sopot, Gdynia, and Słupsk). It is realized by the Pomeranian Forum in Aid of Getting Out of Homelessness in cooperation with Focus Ireland.

There are over 3000 homeless people living in the Pomeranian Province. They should not be judged because each person became homeless for different reasons. Homelessness is not only alcohol addiction, drug addiction or one’s choice. It is the result of unemployment, housing poverty in Poland, economic changes or crisis. Homelessness may be also caused by home violence, illness, disability, debts, breakdown of marriage, family problems or expulsion. Homelessness is experienced by men, women and children, young and old, educated and uneducated people. Anyone may “lose keys to one’s home” regardless of age, sex, education and experience.

You should know that in the Pomeranian Province:

One in four homeless people is a woman or a child. Nearly 80 per cent of women experience homelessness due to home violence, expulsion or change or permanent address;

Every second homeless person is elderly. Nearly 60 per cent of older people experience homelessness due to being disabled or ill, or because of a breakdown of relationship;

Middle –aged men constitute over 60 per cent of the homeless population. Over 60 per cent of these men are homeless due to unemployment, debts or eviction;

One in five homeless people is young. Nearly 60 per cent of young people become homeless as a result of family and domestic problems and expulsion;

Werbel Demokracji (The Drum of Democracy) campaign is aimed at presenting a great number of ways leading to homelessness and illustrating the fact that, with a number of factors, nearly anyone can face it.

The campaign is realised through the activities of:

Media Council

Task: developing the concept of the campaign

Members of the Council: journalists representing local media, a representative of a company offering advertising outdoor carriers (citylights and billboards), a graphic designer and a photographer creating visual aspects of the campaign, representatives of the Pomeranian Council for the Homeless, representatives of the Pomeranian Forum in Aid of Getting Out of Homelessness. The campaign is supported by the representatives of Focus Ireland.

Mentor Council

Task: social lobbying for breaking stereotypes towards the homeless, presenting solutions to non-discriminating way of presenting homelessness and awarding the title “Homeless Friendly Medium” to 10 journalists, radio or television broadcasting stations or newspapers  most committed to the question of homelessness.

Members: key figures in the Pomeranian Province – politicians, authorities, research workers and representatives of artistic circles.

• Presentation of media materials

Range: presenting a non-stereotypical nature of homelessness through press interviews, radio and television broadcasts, and information in web portals.

Billboards, citylights and posters presenting images of homelessness

250 citylights and 50 billboards on AMS outdoor carriers will be used to show four faces of homelessness. The campaign will be displayed in August 2009 in Gdańsk, Sopot, Gdynia and Słupsk and four characters – young and older woman and a young and middle-aged man will present images of homelessness. Each person depicts different cause of homelessness such as violence, illness, unemployment and expulsion. The information on causes of homelessness is presented with statistical data on homelessness and linked with the motto: “Do not judge me. Each of us is homeless for a different reason”.

People presenting four aspects of homelessness in Werbel Demokracji (The Drum of Democracy) campaign, two men and two women, are not homeless but work with the homeless and help them. The idea of not presenting the homeless themselves on billboards and citylights was conscious and stemmed from the fact that the homeless should not suffer further humiliation by being exposed as sick, unemployed, battered or unwanted people. Characters presented in the campaign are based on real people experiencing homelessness in the Pomeranian Province.

Happenings and a theatre group’s performances

Happenings and a theatre group’s performances will be organized at the end of July and the beginning of August 2009 in cooperation with ZNAK Theatre, and presented in the most important points and main roads of Gdańsk, Sopot, Gdynia and Słupsk. The central idea of the campaign, which should turn our attention to the problem of homelessness, will be reflected in the happenings through the motto: “It is so easy to lose the key to one’s home”. The performance of stilt walkers searching in vain the door to open with one of the keys is to show that homelessness is mainly connected with great solitude and houselessness. It is also the question of housing poverty and the lack of flats for those who lost it for different reasons. During the performance, actors will give out keys on key rings with an inscription: “It is so easy to lose the key to one’s home”. The campaign will be supported by the representatives of the Pomeranian Council for the Homeless. Keys which will be given out during performances have been collected for the last 4 months by the inhabitants of Pomerania who responded to the appeal of the Pomeranian Forum and Polska Dziennik Bałtycki, a co-producer of the campaign.

Web page WWW.WD.ORG.PL