Maroš Chmelík is the Executive Director of the Centrum Komunitného Organizovania (Center on Community Organizing) in Slovakia (www.cko.sk). He has seven years’ experience in the field. One of his favourite experiences connected to his work is in 2017, when Maros participated in an initiative to defeat an unpopular, far-right governor of the Banska Bystrica region. Maros was able to lead different campaigns, events, and marches against the politicians intolerance and hate, leading to the politician being defeated handily in the next election. Maros finds this to be so important because it showed that community-based action and organizing can be incredibly effective and powerful.Maros believes that organizing is a way for people to realize their own role in big decisions and utilize their power together to influence positive change. It can also be a way for people to express their own dignity. Organizing can also help people feel that they matter and that their voices are being heard and respected. For Maros, ECON is and will continue to be a hub where a diverse set of groups can come together to exchange knowledge, expertise, and ideas. Maros also believes that ECON can shift and adjust to constantly be best meeting the needs of member organizations and community organizing in the region as a whole. Maros wants ECON to build its current capacity and increase its’ notoreity and visibility in the region.