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Description
The project focuses on the development of personal skills and abilities of young people in the areas of community leadership, with regard to the selection of participants from marginalised Roma communities and rural areas. In the form of intensive training programmes under the guidance of experienced mentors, the project educates young leaders on the topic of the functioning of the communities and municipalities, inform about fundraising, and opens to them the possibility to create their small projects. The project engages different regions of Slovakia and highlights the good practice of young community leaders from the chosen region. Through the alumni network enables networking and cooperation of the future community leaders.
The Children of Slovakia Foundation will provide an intensive educational program under the guidance of experienced mentors, create networking opportunities, help young leaders establish contacts with experienced civic activists, and provide resources to implement specific community activities of young people. It will also inform the public about the current needs of young people through a communication campaign.
The project aims to prepare young community leaders aged 15-25 from all over Slovakia for 3 years through an intensive training program: 3 follow-up training sessions for 25 participants per year (9 training sessions for 75 participants in total). It includes mentoring under the leadership of experienced community activists from all over Slovakia and support for the implementation of community projects. Networking of participants and their further development will be supported by 3 summer alumni schools. The young community leaders will also network with each other and creating their own small projects.
Summary of project results
The involvement of young people in political and civic life in Slovakia presents various challenges. On one hand, young individuals lack trust in the formal institutions of a democratic state, while on the other hand, they exhibit a positive attitude towards actively engaging in activities that benefit their areas of interest and local communities. However, they often lack sufficient information, skills, and guidance for such engagement (e.g., research by the Youth Council of Slovakia, Institute for Public Affairs, Eurobarometer).
Similar findings and experiences are shared by the implementers of the project within the Friendly Communities for Children and Young People program. This program, successfully running for 7 years, continuously assesses the needs of young people, supporting their participation in the life of the local community. The Foundation for Children of Slovakia, in the proposed program, builds on these insights, drawing from over 20 years of experience working with youth and organizations involved in youth-related initiatives. This includes educational initiatives (such as Think Big, Development of Life Skills, New Needs of Children, Effective Public Administration, etc.) and grant activities (e.g., Hour for Children, Safely at Home, Safely in the Community, etc.).
Over the course of three years, the project implementers worked intensively with a group of young community leaders. Through comprehensive education, these leaders learned how to assess community needs, communicate with the public, collaborate with partners, especially local authorities, and most importantly, how to carry out community projects—from their creation, through management, project leadership, and teamwork, to evaluation and accountability. Throughout the program, they developed their life skills and leadership abilities. The project included an annual intensive informal education program that educated 25 young community leaders each year (a total of 75). The program not only networked them with each other but also with established community activists in Slovakia through mentoring, providing them with the opportunity to implement their own small projects. The educational program repeated for three consecutive years:
- Weekend training (September): Skills of a young leader
- Weekend training (November): Local government and working with the community, networking with successful projects in Slovakia
- Weekend training (January): Project creation and implementation
- Implementation of their own projects in the local community (February – July)
Between the training sessions, young leaders completed practical assignments that guided them through the process of community leadership, which they then worked on in the subsequent training. Throughout the entire annual training cycle, young people had mentors and consultants, not only from experts at the Foundation for Children of Slovakia but also from established community activists and workers from the regions where the participants came from. The project also included a communication campaign aimed at informing the public about the needs and potential of young people.
Over the course of three years, the project implementers worked intensively with a group of young community leaders. Through comprehensive education, they were taught how to assess community needs, communicate with the public, collaborate with partners, especially local authorities, and, most importantly, how to implement community projects—from their creation, through management, project leadership, and teamwork, to evaluation and accountability. Throughout the program, the focus was on developing their life skills and leadership abilities. Together with 14 mentors, who provided over 4,100 mentoring hours, they successfully implemented 61 local community projects. The projects addressed various areas, focusing on community development, environmental protection, education, public space restoration, or culture. Young people, along with their peers and volunteers, managed to create several educational trails, build an online quiz library, develop a methodology for teaching using 3D printers, construct various workout and children''s playgrounds, or organize a city festival of visual arts.
One of the project''s goals was to engage a broader audience, especially young people. Due to the well-executed community projects, they managed to involve many more participants than originally planned—over 4,000 participants. An important part of the program was also the communication of the implemented activities. Thanks to 16 videos and a communication campaign, the project succeeded in reaching thousands of young people. Due to this interest, the project implementers decided to organize an event in Banská Bystrica for participants and the general public at the end of the project. During one day, five public discussions were held, and event attendees could learn more about non-governmental organizations working with young people or try out activities implemented by young community leaders.
Several activities were carried out in collaboration with partners—most commonly local authorities and non-governmental organizations, which could have a significant impact on their sustainability.