We are PDCS. We help people and organizations to grow and enjoy the change.

Our mission is to educate people and help them to reach a consensus directly, to engage them in public decision-making processes, to understand the distinct worlds people live in, and to cope with the changes around us. We try to keep people talking. We are a non-governmental organization from Slovakia, which is where we do most of our work. However, our activities and projects transcend Slovakia’s boundaries, as they reach pan-European dimensions. We are also part of the global Partners Network - 22 organizations from Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, and Latin America that are connected by the values of democracy and non-violence.

_We are PDCS._ We help people and organizations to grow and enjoy the change.

“For as long as I have been following you, you have been giving me good reasons to think.”

Our values

  • Blurred boundaries

    Blurred boundaries

    We want to cultivate a life of freedom, without forced physical or virtual boundaries. We want to teach the art of enjoy... Show more >

  • Colorfulness

    Colorfulness

    We perceive minorities as a value for a healthy, functioning society regardless of our sympathies with specific minoriti... Show more >

  • Non-violence and public policy dialogue

    Non-violence and public policy dialogue

    We want non-violence and dialogue to become the norm during the creation and enforcement of public policies. We are work... Show more >

  • Real life – not just academic research

    Real life – not just academic research

    We want to see the change that happens. We want to feel “everydayness”, a wonderful world that we know not only from lib... Show more >

Do you want to support us?

Our mission may be fulfilled thanks to you and together with you. All the money we acquire is used for work in strategic areas that we were unable to fund ourselves. We organize conferences, implement educational projects, publish books, and work pro bono in areas where there is both public interest and a lack of money. If you want to support us, follow us on social media, visit our international conference, take part in our projects, read and share our blog posts, podcasts and videos. And mainly, debate and discuss with us. That brings us the most joy. Follow us on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram. 

We are members of various initiatives and international networks

Our organisation is a member of international and Slovak networks and initiatives. Together we can more easily resolve conflicts, educate, enrich each other. Together we are stronger and we can do more.

  • Platform for Democracy
  • European Network for Non-Violence and Dialogue
  • Partners Network
  • Initiative for Civic Education

Our history

Our story in three chapters

Throughout its history, PDCS - Partners for Democratic Change Slovakia has changed along with Slovak society as well as the surrounding world. Our programs, countries of operation, clients, and ways of funding have changed; our team of people has been growing and developing. What remains unchanged, however, is our loyalty to our fundamental values - the belief that democracy means open dialogue, non-violence, and a multicolor focus in all its meanings.

  • 2015 to the present

    Certainty in Change

    At this time, the values of democracy and non-violence are being questioned, and for this reason we have adapted our programs and services to meet the current global challenges. We address the issues of radicalization and polarization of society as well as value clashes and a method of transforming them in a non-violent way. Through trainings, consultations, publications, blogs, podcasts and videos, we strive to promote a culture of dialogue.

    Our clients are ministries, state administration authorities, local governments, and NGOs. We help them to involve citizens and different stakeholders in public decision-making. Together, we are looking for ways to deal with different interests in decision-making or in the formation of regulations and laws.

    Every two years we organize an international conference on global conflicts and the possibilities of civil actors in mitigating and transforming them. We invite top experts from all over the world, publish and summarize the latest world knowledge, and look for solutions in both the Slovak and the wider European context. We are becoming a European player in the field of value conflicts, both in online space and in real life. We have a network of European partners in which we are one of the leaders in both knowledge and experience.

    • Certainty in Change
    • Certainty in Change
  • 2003 - 2014

    As we grew and developed

    Not only in Slovakia, but also abroad; not only among NGOs, but also in business or public administration; interest in our services has increased. We have implemented major projects for the long-term education of civic organizations in Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and elsewhere in Europe.

    We started by providing educational courses for mixed groups of participants, and we still offer them in this form. (Earlier, we provided the courses only within projects for groups of participants we had chosen. However, many people from different organizations asked if they could participate in our courses, so we made the decision to open the courses to the public). Our budget was no longer dependent solely on grants or donations, but was also fulfilled by contracts for paid services. We invited foreign experts with whom we shared the Slovak experience of democratic transformations, successes, and mistakes.

    We have traveled widely around the world for long and short periods. Thanks to our own projects we have educated, consulted, and helped not only in Europe, but also in the Americas, the Middle East, Central Asia, and North Africa. We have published more than 20 books that have sold like hotcakes, and we have translated some of into several languages.

    • As we grew and developed
    • As we grew and developed
  • 1991 - 2002

    Starting a new path to conflict resolution

    Partners for Democratic Change Slovakia was originally established as a university project at Comenius University in order to spread a culture of non-violent conflict resolution. From the beginning it was part of the international peace network. It was founded by Dušan Ondrušek, Anna Zemanová, and Vladimír Labáth. Dušan and Hanka are still a part of PDCS.

    It was a period of democratic transformations in Slovak society that were naturally connected with conflicts. These were both the “thawing” of old conflicts, which became visible thanks to freedom (e.g. minorities versus the majority, Slovaks versus Czechs), conflicts connected with ongoing changes (e.g. unemployment), as well as conflicts related to the new, multicolored democracy.

    We have educated and assisted directly in conflict resolution between workers and employers, in conflicts related to environmental impact assessment processes, in family mediation, and in conflicts at schools, whether among pupils or between teachers, leaders, and supervisors. We have established citizens' conciliation councils in Slovakia, which have been operating for several years in Levice, Nové Zámky, Prešov, and other districts with a significant proportion of Roma and Hungarian minorities. We have helped with civil society development and conflict resolution between citizens and local governments.

    • Starting a new path to conflict resolution
    • Starting a new path to conflict resolution
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People in PDCS

We are one team.

Are you interested?

Are you interested in our work? Would you like to meet with us? Call us or write us.

PDCS, o.z.

Štúrova 13, 3rd Floor

811 02 Bratislava, Slovak Republic

phone: +421 2 5292 5016

e-mail: pdcs@pdcs.sk

IČO (Company Identification Number): 317 82 451

DIČ (Tax Identification Number): 2020978223

Bank details:

Tatrabanka,a.s.

IBAN: SK60 1100 0000 0026 2580 6011

BIC (SWIFT) TATRSKBX

Legal Representatives

  • Karolína Miková

    Karolína Miková

  • Dušan Ondrušek

    Dušan Ondrušek

  • Anna Zemanová

    Anna Zemanová

We are transparent and proud to show our achievements

  • Would you like to contact us?

    Are you interested in our services and you would like to establish cooperation with us? Are you looking for project partners in the topics we deal with? Contact us.

  • PDCS

    Partners for Democratic Change Slovakia

    / +421 2 5292 5016