(Self-) organizing and organization in Polish civil society volunteers’ Ukraine Action, 2022–2023

The Russian invasion of Ukraine caused millions to cross the border into Poland. Neither the Polish government nor international humanitarian organizations had prepared for such exodus, which placed civil society volunteers in the key role as aid providers. The article asks how volunteers managed to organize humanitarian aid on such a massive scale, using as case the ‘Ukraine Action’ performed by the Polish Scout and Guide Association. The article presents ‘Ukraine Action’ as a phased response, involving initial self-organizing, the intermediate stage of structured networking, and, finally, civil society organization in the form of a partnership between ZHP and UNICEF.