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Description
Our association is a network founded on the territorial principle: our members are community centres from Vidin Municipality. We aim to cover the whole Vidin District with this network through the project. We are facing the same problems of high unemployment, low living standards and a demographic crisis. These problems bring us closer and if we can unite our efforts we can contribute to improving the quality of life of the people living in the poorest region in Europe. We need new approaches, methods, knowledge and skills, joint targeted and persistent work. Community centres can and should be part of this project. By setting up a network of community centres at district level, the organizations will have their organizational and functional capacity boosted. Real conditions will be created to encourage them to cooperate among themselves to transfer know-how and good practices. Their capacity for advocacy will be boosted for certain recommendations and opinions regarding policies and decisions of the local, regional and national authorities. A training programme will be carried out under the project and 120 representatives of community centres from the district will take part in it. They will obtain new knowledge and improve their skills in key areas related to the work of the institutions. The latter will improve the financial and organizational sustainability of the community centres. An online platform will be developed under the project to promote the network and its members among the general public and create conditions to facilitate contacts, exchange of ideas and good practices. The platform will also have a virtual resource centre offering not only various informational resources but also online counselling.
Summary of project results
The main objective of the project was to increase the capacity of the Vidin fund “Chitalishta" and the community centers in Vidin Region by promoting its cooperation with them and the creation of a working network for the exchange of information, knowledge, and experience. As part of the project, a community centers’ network was established in the region, of which a total of 70 community centers are currently members. All are united around the prepared documents for the activities of the network - Code of Ethics and Regulations, and around the idea of the network’s role and the need for close cooperation to achieve development and sustainable results. By participating in modular trainings, network members have increased their organizational and functional capacity. The training program was attended by 79 representatives of the community centers of the region. They acquired new knowledge and increased their skills in key areas related to their activities. The Final Forum of the project, which took place online and outlined many and varied opportunities for the future development of the network, also contributed to this. The project established an Internet platform that promotes the network and its members to the general public, creates new more accessible channels for information and consulting services, as well as conditions to facilitate contacts, exchange of ideas and good practices.