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Description
The project will address the main obstacles to: a) Citizen participation in the public sphere, b) their effective involvement in the public debate and c) their substantial contribution to the decision-making processes. The main barriers to the above are lack of time and lack of knowledge. These problems will be addressed by providing training and information in the form of digital content (animated videos and e-booklets) which will deliver complex and multilevel information in an easily assimilable format and in the shortest possible time. For citizens already involved in public consultation, the project will create an infrastructure which will provide them with specialized knowledge in order to enhance their ability to engage in the public discussion and strengthen their effective intervention in the decision-making process. In addition, the project will launch and complete a campaign involving potential volunteers with the view to transfer know-how in the areas of volunteering with the view to empower them to undertake their own initiatives in the area of volunteerism. Upon completion of the project, forty (40) people from an informal group of active citizens will have been trained and will be able to take the next step in participating in the public sphere, ten (10) people will strengthen their presence in the deliberation area and twenty ( 20) people will be able to undertake voluntary initiatives. The project will be implemented by the non-profit “SOCIETY for DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION”.
Summary of project results
The project implemented a series of actions in the fields of digital content production, educating and informing citizens and disseminating information on the topic of citizen participation in municipal affairs and volunteering. The deliverables of the project were: One (1) IT platform was designed, installed and put into operation for the purpose of analysis and summary presentation of the municipal budget. This platform enables the citizens to have substantive summary information on the annual budget of the municipality and allows them to have an informed view during their public debates such as the budgetary vote by the Municipal Consultation Committee. Seventy-two (72) citizens were trained in the topics of "Volunteering and Public Participation". Citizens were trained and informed about their participation processes in the community and became aware of the benefits of volunteering in the local community. Two (2) videos were produced to promote "Volunteering and Public Participation". The videos were presented during the training sessions and promoted to the general public through digital marketing. Five (5) videos were produced on the subject of citizens'' rights in their transactions with the municipality. These videos are in the form of animated videos and explain what citizens can do in order to enact their rights in their transactions with the municipality. The videos were promoted to the general public through digital marketing. One thousand five hundred (1500) leaflets on Volunteering and Public Participation were printed and distributed to citizens. The leaflets were distributed mainly to people who are not comfortable with the use of technology. In addition, seven (7) digital marketing campaigns were completed. Last but not least, the digital content produced by the project was promoted through social networks (Facebook & Youtube).