Raising Awareness and Engagement for a Just Transition in Mining Regions

The RAISING Project focuses on increasing public awareness, particularly in small local communities, about the need to transform hard coal and lignite mining regions and promote new visions for sustainable development.

Through a combination of educational and participatory activities, the project aims to support just transition strategies, engaging local stakeholders in dialogue on the future of mining regions and fostering intersectoral cooperation with local authorities, businesses, and community representatives.

© THGA/Volker Wiciok

The project is built on three main components:

• Identification of transformation premises – providing policymakers and the public with open access to user-friendly socio-economic and environmental data, as well as accessible information on global decarbonisation trends and greenhouse gas reduction.
• Strengthening public participation – engaging stakeholders from small local communities in the transformation process. This includes dedicated support tools such as workshops, webinars, public debates, and the creation of an interactive catalogue of good practices with recommendations for innovative solutions in mining regions.
• Educational and awareness campaign – implementing communication activities to support the sustainable development potential of mining regions, using diverse public relations tools and targeted dissemination through local and industry media.

The 24-month project is funded by the Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) and integrates expertise in land use planning, stakeholder analysis, heritage conservation, and socio-economic assessment of post-mining regions. The FZN is collaborating with four universities and institutions from Poland and the Czech Republic to ensure a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to the project objectives.

Project duration: September 1, 2025 – August 31, 2027