Description
Romania faces social mistrust and low levels of association for civic action. The phenomenon is exacerbated in big urban centers, like Bucharest, where the sense of community is weak and the lack of trust prevents people from working together for common goals. The project aims to build capacity for 4 civic initiative groups from Bucharest to reach out to the community and attract new members and supporters for future civic action. The project is expected to increase leadership abilities for 32 members of 4 civic initiative groups, to attract 80-100 new members from the community and to lay the foundation of an informal network of grassroots initiatives. Tailor made workshops, coaching and ongoing support will be provided to civic initiative groups, doubled by community events like the Neighborhood Days and the Civic Initiative Fair. The project targets 4 neighborhoods of Bucharest, but other grassroots groups and Bucharest residents will benefit from the project activities.
Summary of project results
The project "Leaders for Communities" addressed the social mistrust and the low level of association for civic action among Bucharest inhabitants. The main objective of the project was to increase leadership skills for 32 members from 4 informal civic groups, and to build their membership base in the community. It also aimed to create the premises for an informal network of civic groups at city-wide level and to promote civic participation to a wider public. In terms of organizational development, the goal was to improve CeRe’s capacity to work with informal groups by developing staff’s know-how on adult education methods. Overall, the main objectives of the project have been reached. 39 people from 5 informal civic groups increased their leadership and recruitment skills, 3.750 persons from 5 neighbourhoods were informed about the groups and were invited to join them, the groups gained more than 70 new members and hundreds of people involved in their advocacy campaigns and neighbourhood events. Moreover, 9 other groups and organizations have benefited from the project through training and networking. Among the highlights of the project, we can mention the first "Civic Initiatives Fair" organised in Bucharest. 22 civic groups and organizations and 200 residents of Bucharest have attended. The event laid the groundwork for a future network of civic groups active at city level. Another accomplishment of the project was the visibility it brought as the message about citizens’ engagement in the community reached over 250.000 people. The project resulted therefore in empowered leaders and 4 informal groups with a stronger presence in their neighbourhoods that will carry on their civic work. It also brought greater visibility and trust in the results citizens’ collective actions can bring. The project also increased CeRe’s team ability to work with informal groups and adjust its intervention in the community.
Summary of bilateral results