Description
The project reflects and responds to the need to support cross-sectoral cooperation and active citizenship on the local and regional level in Eastern Slovakia. Project is aiming to strengthen the role of NGOs and improve conditions for civil society in the region by strengthening capacities of NGOs, their leaders, involvement of young people and creation of enabling environment for more effective cross-sectoral dialogue and collaboration. Project activities are contributing to capacity building of NGOs, their formal/informal networks and local/regional cross-sectoral partnerships in order to develop strong coalitions for better operation of civil society. It will also promote the concept of voluntarism mainly among young people and local/regional NGOs and contribute to creation of good environment for involvement of young people into civil society in order to mobilize the existing potential and ensure the continuity of active citizenship. The project outputs include: peer to peer couching meetings which will create space for group meetings of NGO leaders devoted to the topics of their utmost interest (leadership, sustainability of the organisations, involvement of young people, volunteering etc.); cross-sectoral lunch seminars will create a discussion platform on similar topics for the local self-governments, NGOs, businesses and public sector; the on-line portal of volunteer cooperation will create platform for connecting the offer with the demand – volunteers with NGOs. The target groups include: self-governments, NGOs, active young people. The project partnership is to contribute in a better interaction, communication and collaboration of the key actors of the local development.
Summary of project results
The project answers a need to support and enhance civic society in the region of Eastern Slovakia which lacks functioning cross-sectoral partnerships and networks, active young leaders and innovative approaches to solving local and regional problems. The project introduces modern approaches (informal networking and education of the NGOs’ leaders), innovative tools (on-line application/service) and sustainable measures (involvement of young people) in the field of the non-governmental sector capacity building. The project results’ sustainability is safeguarded through involvement and motivating the young generation that is searching for a free and open space for realization of their own ideas and for a meaningful fulfilment pf their own needs. Informal meetings and networking of the NGO leaders (the so called peer-to-peer couching) is useful and demanded and that is why the involved leaders agreed on searching other opportunities for a follow-up. Cross-sectoral meetings by which we initiated colaboration with the local selfgovernment within the project are planned to be incorporated into the next project intents of the Foundation. This platform, in particular, needs more time, more energy and more targeted initiatives in order to make some progress. The major benefit of the project comes with the opportunity to address, inform, motivate and involve the target group into the activities focused on development fo the civil society int he region. The Foundation has benefited also from the unique posibility to build on the results of a previous project (Active Citizens Everwhere, 2013 – 2015, Active Citizenship and Inclusion Programme) and to develop activities which have proved to be relevant in stabilization of the NGO sector in this region.
Summary of bilateral results