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Description
This project responds to the needs of the municipality of Vrbanja and target groups: 7 local CSOs, 80 youth and 105 elderly people. Key problems are lack of educated human resources for development and implementation of projects based on local needs, lack of space for work and lack of funds for implementation of activities. Local CSOs have a low level of cooperation and depend on modest financial support from the local and regional authorities (underdeveloped with the low level of annual budget). Besides, the Vrbanja municipality face the problems of aging population and migration of young people to developed towns or countries.
Encouragement of active citizenship responds to the needs of vulnerable groups and contributes to creating equal opportunities and programs tailored to their interests and needs, which affects the ability to develop their own skills, progress and acquire knowledge, especially among young people.
Through connecting and partnering among target groups, networking and stronger regional representation is encouraged, which clearly defines the role of CSOs in designing and implementing activities in the local community. In this way, the investment of additional financial capacities for the development and work of a wider range of CSO activities will be encouraged. The expected results are intergenerational cooperation and strengthened key stakeholders for projects that create new opportunities for the local community. Also, through the partnership with CSOs and the study visit, young people will expand their horizons for applying new knowledge in their environment. This project will continue with project activities that will contribute to the development of the local community (e.g. strengthening the capacity of CSOs, development of inclusive volunteerism, continuous exchange of information and new opportunities for cooperation). Added value of project partners are their experience and knowledge of work with and for youth and elderly people.
Summary of project results
The municipality of Vrbanja covers an area of 191 km2 located in the southeastern part of the Vukovar-Srijem County (VSC). According to the last official census from 2011, the Municipality of Vrbanja had 3,940 inhabitants distributed in three settlements: Soljani, Strošinci and Vrbanja. Since it is located in the southeast of the county the municipality is a border territory. According to the register of associations, 33 CSOs are actively operating in the territory of the municipality of Vrbanja.
On the territory of the municipality of Vrbanja, there is a civic initiative for active involvement in the life of the local community, which contributes to the creation of additional cultural, sports and tourist content, thereby contributing to raising the quality of everyday life in the municipality. Nevertheless, CSOs face numerous difficulties and challenges every day when implementing their programs. In the area of the municipality of Vrbanja, but also in the rest of the county, the biggest problem is the lack of staff, especially trained experts for project implementation.
In VSC, there is an initiative and desire of the population to be actively involved in the life of the local community, thereby contributing to the quality of life. However, there are many challenges they have to face in order to be able to act proactively (inappropriate spatial conditions, lack of financial resources for daily operations and further development) and they are forced to rely on local and regional authorities in order to survive. Considering the limited financial capacities of both local and regional self-government units, a large number of organizations and associations are struggling for existence and are shutting down. Therefore, it is necessary to find ways and models to support them in their work. One of the ways is to invest in the development of human resources with special emphasis on additional education of people in writing project proposals and implementing projects. Through their own engagement and investment in strengthening their potential, they can reach other sources of financing, and not only function on funds from the state, regional and the local budget.
In addition, the lack of systematic support for vulnerable groups such as young people and the elderly is evident. There is no possibility of providing equal opportunities to implement programs adapted to their interests and needs, which affects the impossibility of developing one''s own abilities to progress and acquire knowledge, especially among young people.
Through the systematic support to vulnerable groups and their empowerment, we encouraged young people and people of the third age to encourage intergenerational cooperation, to encourage solidarity, togetherness and the importance of social contribution to the local community. By launching initiatives to inform vulnerable groups about the relevant legislative framework and public policies, we had a positive impact on the local community, considering that 251 people in 8 towns of Vukovar-Srijem County participated in the initiatives. A large number of those interested in participating were middle-aged, however, we also took their opinion into account when filling out the questionnaire. Through recording the problems and needs of the target group, talking and consulting, we got closer to the local community and encouraged them to become more involved in activities. By implementing a volunteer campaign involving 30 volunteers of different age groups, we started a long-term campaign in which the local community will be happy to participate. The Green Cleanup united different age groups for the benefit of the local community. As for increasing the capacity and sustainability of civil society, civil society organizations are encouraged to network and become members of the Croatian Network for Rural Development.
Through the project, we included 2 civil society organizations with diverse sources of funding. 5 civil society organizations effectively and transparently manage the organization, while 7 participating organizations are working on it. All organizations have completed training for the development of transparent and responsible management processes and procedures in CSOs. Through the project, 7 civil society organizations were included, that regularly share information about their activities and results with the public in order to raise citizens'' awareness of the importance of CSO work. 8 civil society organizations participated in the Learning Initiative - Acquiring new managerial skills and thus influenced the strengthening of their capacities. 10 CSO leaders successfully completed the Training - Development of leadership skills.
By evaluating the organizational capacities of 8 civil society organizations, conducting an analysis and evaluating CSOs, we laid the basic foundation for further implementation of activities. By creating an organizational development plan, organizations received help and encouragement for further work in the local community and beyond. By conducting the study visit to Split, partnership cooperation with a larger association - CERURA RH was achieved, and joint actions are planned to begin in the coming period. During the implementation of the project, training was also held for effective public communication and community work. In this way, 6 employees from 3 different civil society organizations were trained for the purpose of public information about the work of CSOs.
Although the project was implemented, the achieved results fell short of expectations. While promotional materials were created and placed in public areas to raise awareness about supporting smaller civil society organizations, the impact on the community and the organizations themselves was limited. Educational activities provided some encouragement for skill development among users, but the outcomes were not significant. A partnership was established with CERURA RH in Split, offering some inspiration for future efforts, yet the overall goals of the project remain unmet.