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Description
SudActive aims to coagulate, through a strategic intergenerational approach, 4 local civic groups in two of the least developed socio-human and economic regions of the country, South and South-East, regions generally characterized by a low degree of associativity, with few civic initiative organizations, according to the FDSC study „Romania 2017. The non-governmental sector ”. The project develops an efficient mechanism of cooperation between the APD and 2 locally active NGOs (with experience in intergenerational projects), GEAC and Helping Hands Association to act together in Giurgiu, Fundulea (Calarasi), Tulcea and Rahova-Ferentari area, from Bucharest. As a common denominator, the 4 areas are marked by poverty, a low level of human education, a precarious degree of association and the lack of civic initiatives and. In this context, 40 young high school students and seniors from the 4 areas will form the civic nucleus at local level and will benefit from training projects from experts on topics such as: good governance, advocacy, public policies, communication with LPA and so on. Supported by the project team, the 40 will have the role of coagulating the community, so that, finally, 250 young people and seniors from the 4 areas will be able to identify the needs of the community, to plan projects and propose solutions, to put pressure on decision makers to solve 7 problems identified in their communities, to promote their actions and to encourage people to join them and thus become active citizens.
Summary of project results
The project targeted two of Romania''s most socio-economically underdeveloped regions: the South and the Southeast. These areas are characterized by low levels of civic engagement and community organization and a scarcity of civic initiative organizations, which has hindered local development.
The SudActive project managed to coordinate four local civic groups in this region through a strategic intergenerational approach. The four groups were responsible for gathering other citizens around them to establish the main problems the communities face and that can be addressed in an advocacy campaign. With the support of the project team and the interested citizens, six campaigns were carried out.
The project successfully established a foundation for civic engagement in the targeted regions by training 44 participants in key aspects of civic involvement. One of the immediate outcomes was the increased awareness among participants that they have the power to initiate change through advocacy campaigns. The project not only empowered these individuals but also began the process of strengthening community bonds by fostering a sense of responsibility and collective action among the participants.
Some concret results that followed the advocacy campaigns are: in Tulcea, part of the buses was marked with numbers both on the side and on the back, and in Fundulea, with the involvement of the community, the playground was inaugurated.