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Description
The aim of the project is to strengthen the capacity of the association “Development Agency “We&You” for the improvement of civic competences of the residents of Latgale region.
Main activities: development of the association’s strategy, development of the association’s human resources, stabilization and diversification of the association’s funding sources.
Results:
- the development strategy of the association will be developed, having identified the potential and growth opportunities of the association;
- a training course will be organized for the association members and Board members in the amount of 40 academic hours. The planned number of participants - 20 people. The management and marketing competences of the association members and Board members of the association will be increased;
- the thematic range of non-formal education activities and the quality of education will be expanded, which will make it possible to attract more participants and thus increase the share of non-project revenues;
- at least ten new members will be involved;
- at least ten new volunteers will be involved;
- the website of the association will be developed, thus increasing the digital capacity of the association. This will enable the association to regularly inform the public about its activities and improve the association’s recognition, as well as the availability of non-formal education and, by attracting more members, increase the association’s income.
As a result of the project, the activities of the association will be evaluated, applying the approach of setting goals and evaluating their achievement, development directions and results to be achieved will be determined.By improving the quality of the association’s human resources, the quality of the association’s activities will be increased, which in turn will provide an opportunity to increase the association’s income in order to increase the civic competences of the population and promote civic activity.
Summary of project results
The Society''s activities to date have been planned in the short term, without a clear future perspective and action to achieve its objectives. Changes in public life and the need to reach a higher level of maturity made it necessary to study the current situation in more depth and to develop a new strategy with the involvement of an expert. It was necessary to define the Society''s most important long-term goals and objectives, to define lines of action and to identify the resources needed to achieve these goals.
The Society had insufficient capacity to implement its objectives and administer its various activities, and therefore needed support to develop the competences of its members, which would contribute to their professional and personal development and thus to the success of the Society.
Existing competences were no longer adequate to develop new services and attract new members. There was a lack of practical knowledge in managing projects, other activities and fundraising. More active involvement of the Society in new projects, including international ones, was needed. This required building the administrative capacity of the Society, strengthening the Society''s activities aimed at developing democratic values in society, and expanding the Society''s activities in the field of civil society and integration.
In order to be able to implement its strategy, the Society needed to improve the management and marketing communication competences of its members, as well as digital competences in line with the latest trends and approaches.
The Association''s activities have so far been supported by project funding and income from its economic activities, offering various types of educational and developmental activities, counselling and other forms of support to the population. One of the objectives of the Society is to activate and develop the human potential of the region, including by promoting civic and social participation. The funding raised by the Association was not sufficient to meet the objectives and new solutions were needed to provide regular free non-formal education opportunities for groups at social risk and to carry out studies on civic participation.
Modern facilities were not financially available to the Association. The personal computer equipment of the members was used, which is often outdated and does not meet the educational needs.
Main activities:
- development of the association’s strategy,
- development of the association’s human resources,
- stabilization and diversification of the association’s funding sources,
- promoting the Society.
Description of activities
1. to assess the Society''s activities to date, to carry out a SWOT analysis, to define the Society''s vision, medium-term objectives and deliverables. A strategic working group, composed of members of the Board and members of the Society, representatives of educational institutions, young people and members of other NGOs, developed a strategy for the development of the Society. Representatives of the municipality and an expert were consulted during the development process. The members of the association gathered information on the needs of existing and potential target groups through surveys, interviews and personal meetings.
2. The training module "Leadership Mastery" (40 academic hours) and the non-formal education programme "Using Digital Services to Strengthen NGO Capacity" (20 academic hours) were implemented. This enabled participants to develop key leadership skills to plan their own and their team''s development, to learn digital technologies. The programme was attended by members of the Association''s Board of Directors and members. Leaders from other NGOs also participated in the training. To promote the activities of the association, the seminars were also open to employees of state and local authorities and entrepreneurs.
3. New non-formal education programmes were developed.
In order to learn from the experience of other NGOs in attracting funding and diversifying the activities of the association, exchange trips were organised to the Zemgale and Kurzeme NGO Centres.
The capacity building of the Society has resulted in an increase in the share of non-project income.
4. The Society''s website www.we-you.lv has been developed and information on the Society''s activities and events has been updated both on the website and Facebook profile and through face-to-face meetings with community representatives.
A booklet has been produced and distributed to promote the activities of the Society.
The activities of the association were promoted, which improves its visibility.
Results achieved as a result of the activities
- A strategy for the development of the Society has been developed;
The general public was informed about the strategy, the lines of action, the results achieved, the projects implemented and the capacity building project. This enabled a more active participation in the activities of the Society as access to information was improved.
The implementation of the Society''s development strategy allows to better target membership recruitment activities, raise additional funding, clarify responsibilities, set deadlines for tasks, plan the budget, promote public participation.
- a training course for members of the Board of Directors, members and representatives of other non-governmental organisations has been organised 60 Academ. 60 hours. TOTAL number of unique persons involved in the activities - 23 people. As a result of the course, the management, communication and digital competences of the members of the Board of Directors and members of the Association were increased, which will enable the Association to apply effective working methods in its daily work and in the implementation of projects;
- three new non-formal education programmes have been developed, improving the quality of the education, enabling more participants to be attracted and thus increasing the share of non-project income;
- seven new members have been recruited;
- six new volunteers have been involved in the activities of the Society, which will enable it to achieve its objectives in a better way;
- a website has been developed, enabling the Society to keep the public regularly informed about its activities, attract more members and increase its income.
As a result of the project, the quality of the Society''s activities will be improved, which in turn will enable the Society to increase its income in order to raise the civic competences of the population and promote civic participation.
The implementation of the project promotes intercultural integration processes by involving minority populations in all project activities and ensuring equal opportunities for all to benefit from the activities offered by the association.