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Description
The aim of the project is to increase public participation of residents of the Suchy Las Municipality by encouraging them to vote online. We want to promote the Internet voting platform and convince the local government that with such a tool it is possible to activate the residents and engage them more in the local affairs. The project addresses the problem, caused among others by the COVID-19 pandemic, of the decreasing number of in-person communal meetings in the Municipality, as well as the smaller number of people participating in voting. In response to the request of 29th October, 2021 to the Office of the Suchy Las Municipality concerning access to public information, the following data was obtained illustrating the diagnosed problem: in the village of Biedrusko the number of communal in-person meetings in 2018 and 2019 was 3 and in 2020 – only 1, in the village of Złotniki–Osiedle there were 4 meetings in 2019, and in 2020 – only 1, in the Grzybowe neighbourhood and in the village of Suchy Las East there were 2 meetings (each) in 2018 and 2019, and in 2020 – only 1. As part of the project, we will elaborate a draft resolution to allow online voting in the of Suchy Las Municipality. We will consult the draft with the Youth Municipal Council, other NGOs and local government officials, and then submit it to the Council of the Municipality. We will conduct an information campaign in social media, online portals and local press, as well as produce and distribute leaflets. We will organise and conduct online voting for local projects’ ideas submitted by residents. The winning projects will be implemented. Thanks to the project there will be an increase in the awareness of residents of the municipality about voting via the Internet as well as in their knowledge of the benefits of such a solution. A resolution on online voting will be elaborated, and the residents will submit their projects ideas, vote on them and implement local projects together.
Summary of project results
The E-Locals in the Suchy Las Municipality was primarily intended to solve the problem of the low level of participation of the local community in decision-making, taking initiatives, networking and co-creation. While diagnosing the problem, we also noticed the inability of young people under 18 years of age to participate in activities carried out in the commune and their lack of participation in deciding on events.
The activities included an information and educational campaign, both in the form of a project opening meeting and a social media campaign, leaflets and articles in the local newspaper. The project concerned stimulating activity through joint implementation of civic activities selected through online voting, for which a license to the Consultation Platform was purchased. After selecting the projects, together with the originators, they were implemented.
First of all, the project met its assumptions in the area of stimulating civic activity. Nearly 1,800 residents took part in the vote, groups were formed to jointly submit actions, and other non-governmental organizations from the commune got involved. As part of the implementation of the winning ideas, a mural was created for the 100th anniversary of smallpox, a meeting place was created for the local community, 65 nesting boxes for birds were installed and an educational eco picnic for children was organized. As part of the project, a draft resolution on the participatory budget was created and submitted to the commune council.