Dorota Komornicka is Ashoka Fellow since 2010. She is establishing community foundations to provide small grants for youth-initiated projects. By doing so, she is empowering rural, underdeveloped communities in Poland and other parts of Central Europe. In 1976, she started informally (and in 1986 registered) the association ZDANIE, which served as a club for dissidents and others interested in progressive social reform issues during the communist era. Dorota Komornicka serves as a councilwoman and on the Local Government Committee of the European Union’s Council and the European Mountain Forum. Dorota is actively involved in the international educational programs for school students from Germany, France, Czech Republic, and the Slovak Republic. From 1995-1999, she brought together over 3000 children from the region annually to participate in environmental festivals and events