Description
There is a lack of communication and network between local governments and communities. The decision-makers do not consider the messages from local societies thus the investments do not embedded to the settlements, and local societies have negative attitudes towards them. The possibilities of community planning are not known. The main objective of the project is to transfer positive planning experience to several settlements, and develop the Hungarian version of E-Democracy. The project promoter ensures direct developer support and strengthens the advocacy skills of communities. The organization establishes new partnerships and collaborations. The target group includes 10 experts, who will learn the theory and practice of e-democracy; local governments, civic organizations and concerned professionals of 3 settlements. The project promoter will organize a study trip to its Icelandic partner, Íbúar Samráðslýðræði ses/Citizens Foundation that was the founder of the so called ‘Your priorities’ software. The partner ensures the knowledge transfer and counselling, also contributes to the Hungarian adaption of the software.
Summary of project results
There is a lack of communication and network between local governments and communities. The decision-makers do not consider the messages from local societies thus the investments do not embedded to the settlements, and local societies have negative attitudes towards them. The possibilities of community planning are not known. The main objective of the project was to transfer positive planning experience to several settlements, and develop the Hungarian version of E-Democracy. The project promoter paid attention on the preparations (e.g. personal meetings with the possible collaborative partners, consultation with the IT professionals), and organized working group meetings continuously in order to follow the development processes. Representatives of the Icelandic partner organization held a 3-day-long training about the e-democracy software, and the methodologies of their project. During the project implementation the field work was continuous in 5 settlements which were managed by volunteers - 56 members joined to the organization. In each settlement, the partners met 16-22 times according to their needs and processes; community and county planning workshops were organized. A data collection was concluded which is available on the prepared website. As a result of the project involved settlements became aware of the method of community planning which was a common learning process for the local, committed citizens, decision-makers, civic organizations, institutions and churches etc. This was an experimental project, thus the knowledge and experience of participants has grown as they learnt both the theoretical and the practice parts of the method, they prepared situation analyses together and got know the your priorities online software. The results were published and the method was presented in the closing event.
Summary of bilateral results
The main objective of the project was to transfer positive planning experience to several settlements, and develop the Hungarian version of E-Democracy from Iceland. Representatives of the Icelandic partner organization held a 3-day-long training about the e-democracy software, and the methodologies of their project. The cooperation with the Icelandic partner was successful and efficient, and the metholdogy was successfully adapted in Hungary. It was formal partnership in the frame of this project, but there is no information if this collaboartion will be maintained after the closure of the project or not.