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

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.

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.