Concilium Civitas

Concilium Civitas (Latin for 'civic council') is a Polish intellectual and civic initiative founded in 2019 by a group of Polish social-science professors working at universities outside Poland. Its stated purpose is to serve Polish public debate with expertise on key political, economic, social, cultural and civilizational problems, in the face of domestic and global challenges. The initiative was launched on the initiative of Jacek Żakowski, head of the Department of Journalism and New Media at Collegium Civitas, together with an Initiative Group comprising Prof. Grzegorz Ekiert, Prof. Anna Grzymała-Busse, Prof. Jan Kubik, Prof. Wojciech Sadurski and Prof. Jan Zielonka. More than 30 scholars responded positively to their Manifesto. The organization operates through several main activities. It publishes an annual Almanach containing texts by its members; the first Almanach 2019/2020, edited and introduced by Jacek Żakowski, appeared in print in June 2019 with 23 scholarly texts, all made publicly available under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Poland licence. It holds annual meetings, the first of which took place in Warsaw on 9–10 July 2019, featuring five public discussion panels also streamed online and attended by nearly 600 viewers. Between annual meetings, the 'Ambasada Concilium Civitas' (Embassy of Concilium Civitas) organizes lectures by its members and by leading world scholars specializing in social affairs, hosted by the Department of Journalism and New Media at Collegium Civitas. It also runs the 'Młode Concilium' (Young Concilium) programme, launched in December 2019 in cooperation with the Polish Teachers' Union (Związek Nauczycielstwa Polskiego), a competition for secondary-school leavers on the essay theme 'Ja, Polska, Europa, świat – 2040' ('I, Poland, Europe, the World – 2040'), with financial prizes or scholarships at four renowned private universities for the authors of the ten best works, and participation in meetings and discussions with members for the authors of the 100 best works. The organization is supported by the Fundacja Concilium Civitas, which accepts private donations; its Almanach is free but relies on private generosity. Concilium Civitas continues to be active, with a 2026 meeting announced for 19–21 July at the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, and the Młode Concilium 2026 competition under way.

Concilium Civitas was established in January 2019 on the initiative of Jacek Żakowski, head of the Department of Journalism and New Media at Collegium Civitas. An Initiative Group was formed comprising Prof. Grzegorz Ekiert, Prof. Anna Grzymała-Busse, Prof. Jan Kubik, Prof. Wojciech Sadurski and Prof. Jan Zielonka. The group prepared a Manifesto stating that the initiative aimed to serve Polish public debate with knowledge in the face of internal and global political and civilizational challenges. More than 30 scholars responded positively to the appeal. The first Almanach 2019/2020, edited and introduced by Jacek Żakowski, was published in print in June 2019 and contained 23 scholarly texts. All texts were made publicly available under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Poland licence, including on the organization's website. The First Meeting of Concilium Civitas members took place in Warsaw on 9–10 July 2019. During the public sessions, five discussion panels were held, also transmitted online, with nearly 600 viewers participating. In December 2019, Concilium Civitas announced, in cooperation with the Polish Teachers' Union (Związek Nauczycielstwa Polskiego), a competition for secondary-school leavers of the 2020 cohort on the essay 'Ja, Polska, Europa, świat – 2040'. The authors of the ten best works were to receive financial prizes or scholarships at four renowned private universities (Collegium Civitas, SWPS University, Leon Koźmiński Academy, and the Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology), and the authors of the 100 best works were to participate for two days preceding the Concilium meeting in Warsaw in meetings and discussions with its members. Between annual meetings, the 'Ambasada Concilium Civitas' organizes lectures by its members and guests from among leading world scholars specializing in social affairs. The host of the Embassy is the Department of Journalism and New Media at Collegium Civitas. The organization continues its activities. The official website announces the Concilium Civitas 2026 meeting for 19–21 July at the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw, and the Młode Concilium 2026 competition, with jury evaluation of submitted texts under way. It also publishes the Młody Almanach, containing the 20 best texts from the competition co-organized by the Polish Teachers' Union and the Collegium Civitas Foundation and supported by partner universities; laureates are invited to Młode Concilium and to participate in the Ambasada Concilium Civitas. The Almanach remains free but relies on private donations to the Fundacja Concilium Civitas.

• 2026

  Concilium Civitas 2026 meeting announced for 19–21 July at the Palace of Culture and Science in Warsaw.

• 2019

  Concilium Civitas founded in January on the initiative of Jacek Żakowski, with an Initiative Group of five professors.

• 2019

  First Almanach 2019/2020 published in print in June, containing 23 scholarly texts.

• 2019

  First Meeting of Concilium Civitas members held in Warsaw on 9–10 July, with five public panels and nearly 600 viewers.

• 2019

  In December, Młode Concilium essay competition announced in cooperation with the Polish Teachers' Union.

A non-profit, privately funded community of Polish social-science professors abroad, providing expert analysis and public debate for Poland.

• Almanach

  Annual publication of texts by Concilium Civitas members, free and available under Creative Commons licence.

• Młody Almanach

  Publication containing the 20 best texts from the Młode Concilium competition.

• Ambasada Concilium Civitas

  Series of lectures by members and leading world scholars, hosted by the Department of Journalism and New Media at Collegium Civitas.

• Młode Concilium

  Essay competition for secondary-school leavers, with prizes and scholarships.

1. 1Concilium Civitas - Concilium Civitasconciliumcivitas.pl
2. 2Concilium Civitaswikidata.org
3. 3Concilium Civitaspl.wikipedia.org