The city honored people and institutions involved in supporting families, as well as long-term partners of the “Rodzina Trzy Plus” Program, in an event held on 23 March, 2023 . The municipal project dedicated to large families, implemented 10 years ago, covers 92% of them, and Lublin is among the most active Polish cities in the implementation of pro-family activities.
“Our proprietary program “Rodzina Trzy Plus” has been a platform for agreement and cooperation in the field of family and economic policy of the city for over ten years, and Lublin is today perceived in Poland as a leading center of multi-faceted projects for large families. The confirmation of the right direction of our activities is the award of the “Family-Friendly Local Government” certificate to Lublin and membership in the European Network of Family-Friendly Municipalities. On our way to obtaining this title, we were supported by both local partners and those associated in national and European associations, for which I thank them very much. However, above all, this success was possible thanks to the involvement of Lublin families, their openness and trust they placed in us” – says Krzysztof Żuk, Mayor of the City of Lublin .
In 2012, Lublin was the first city in the Lubelskie Voivodeship to implement the innovative program “Rodzina Trzy Plus”. Its introduction was an innovative step in thinking about the future of residents, and the initiative became an impulse to undertake pro-family activities by successive local governments in Poland and a model for the nationwide Large Family Card. As part of the introduced solution, cooperation between the local government administration and the private sector was intensified to emphasize by supporting the family that it plays a key role in the development of the local society. To date, more than 21,000 have been issued. Family Trzy Plus card and over 4,000 were covered by the Program. families. Large families currently constitute 8% of the community of all Lublin families.
“Openness and readiness for changes and new challenges are the values without which the social development of our city would be impossible. The involvement of members of the nationwide Association of Large Families “Three Plus” and partners of the “Rodzina Trzy Plus” Program in building and creating the city’s family policy was and is the most important link in its functioning. I would like to express my appreciation and gratitude to all those who contribute to the development of our city’s community. I am grateful for motivating to act for large families, popularizing good practices, building a space for good cooperation, as well as promoting Lublin as a family-friendly city” – says Monika Lipińska, Deputy Mayor of Lublin for Social Affairs .
The ceremony at the Stary Theater in Lublin was a summary and the last stage of the 10th anniversary of the “Rodzina Trzy Plus” program . For its implementation, Lublin was honored in 2015 with the European Public Sector Award (EPSA), the Certificate of Good Practice and the title of “Family-Friendly Local Government” .
The functioning of the program is possible thanks to the involvement of over 220 partners offering numerous discounts . Among them are both nationwide chains and small local entrepreneurs, and the discounts apply to educational, training, sports and cultural activities, as well as, e.g. automotive, medical and gastronomic offer. 52 partners who have been co-creating the “Rodzina Trzy Plus” program from the very beginning were awarded medals for their involvement in activities for the benefit of Lublin families . Their involvement in activities for the benefit of the local community has been ongoing for 10 years and stands out from other entities in a special way.
The award winners
The Medal of Merit for the City of Lublin was awarded to:
- Joanna Krupska – psychologist, psychotherapist, educator, mother of seven children. For years, she has been involved in promoting the idea of large families and supporting them. Co-founder of the National Association of Large Families “Trzy Plus”, for 13 years she was the president of this organization. Currently, she is the President of the National Council of the Association of Large Families “Three Plus”. A long-term partner and inspirer of the City of Lublin in the field of creating new social services that allowed for the transformation of Lublin, which is currently one of the most attractive cities in terms of the variety of activities aimed at families.
- The Association of Large Families “Three Plus” is a nationwide association that has been actively and effectively influencing the shape of Polish family policy since 2007. He takes actions to include the legitimate interests of the family in the legislation of Poland and the European Union. The Union was also a postulator of the introduction of the National Large Family Cards in Poland. Members of the Association have been actively involved in activities for large families in Lublin for years, including work leading to the introduction in 2012 in Lublin of the municipal Action Program for large families “Rodzina Trzy Plus” or the organization of the 2nd National Congress of Large Families in 2014 in Lublin.
- Bożena Pietras – educator, speech therapist and social activist, mother of six children and grandmother of six grandchildren. Since 2008, she has been involved in work in the Association of Large Families “Three Plus”. She is the initiator of the Association of Large Families Association in Lublin. Currently, she is the Coordinator of Social Activities of the Association of Large Families “Trzy Plus” and a negotiator in the field of servicing the National Large Family Card. Actively involved in activities leading to the introduction in 2012 in Lublin of the communal Action Program for large families “Rodzina Trzy Plus” and the organization of the 2nd National Congress of Large Families in 2014 in Lublin.
The medal of the President of the City of Lublin was awarded to Judyta Kruk – mediator, political scientist, experienced in working with families and in the field of social policy, mainly in non-governmental organizations, mother of six children. Co-founder and expert of the “Linia 3 Plus” hotline, co-author of the “Tu Mam!” initiative. As a spokeswoman for the Association of Large Families “Trzy Plus”, she represents the organization at the level of government and local government administration and during the conference of Public Benefit Organizations in the European Parliament. Coordinator of the Certification of the Pro-Family Policy Strategy of the Association of Large Families “Three Plus” project. She cooperated in a group of experts evaluating the functioning of solutions at the Ministry of Justice at the Plenipotentiary for Constitutional Family Rights.
Benefits for large families
All parents and their spouses who live in Lublin and bring up a total of at least three children under the age of 18 or until the age of 25 if the child is attending school or university can participate in the “Rodzina Trzy Plus” program.
An important form of assistance for large families, offered by the City, are the reductions in fees in public kindergartens introduced since 2013. Their amount varies from 50% for one child to 100% for the third and subsequent children. An important element supporting large families is also the possibility of using a family ticket in public transport. In total, more than 23,000 have been issued. family tickets for big families in Lublin. As part of pro-family activities, additional criteria were introduced for considering applications for admission of children to nurseries run by the City of Lublin. One of the preferential criteria is admitting children from large families with three or more children in the first place. Lublin’s large families can also take advantage of reductions in fees for municipal waste management.
The rich package of services of the “Rodzina Trzy Plus” program is complemented by the offer of schools in Lublin, 8 of them offer families free access to their swimming pools every year. During the decade of the programme’s operation, over 4.5 thousand tickets were issued to large families in Lublin. free passes. Among the achievements of the Programme, cyclical activities promoting both parenthood and various forms of intergenerational integration of families should be pointed out. Many of the undertaken initiatives have become a permanent part of Lublin’s cultural calendar.
