Public participation for all

Description

The Project “Public participation for all” implemented by the Resource Center for Public Participation is promoting the activism and public participation, as means for growing democracy and solving different problems. The project will enhance the general interest for participation through actual examples, in order to generate powerful tools for people’s involvement and inspiration. The energy resulting from these activities will be passed over through the Activist 24/7 platform - an instrument that will facilitate activist initiatives – addressed to people outside the NGO realm. The Project is targeting the general public and some specific categories: potential activists, leaders and employees from private companies, journalists, bloggers, citizens action groups, public administration. Citizens Foundation will contribute by organizing a study visit in Iceland to offer a fresh perception on activism and how citizens can lead the decision making in a country.

Summary of project results

The Project “Public participation for all” implemented by Resource Center for Public Participation is promoting the activism and public participation, as means for growing democracy and solving different problems. In the framework of the project, a wide awareness campaign was developed and implemented, using concrete examples of citizen participation that show what kind of changes regular citizens can achieve if they get involved in the decision-making process. The campaign messages reached more than 200,000 citizens. Two editions of the Public Participation Awards Gala were organised within the project. The winners (www.ce-re.ro/g3p) were celebrated by the public of the event and promoted afterwards, including through a "Decat o Revista" magazine special issue, which has provided subscribers beautiful stories written about people who did not obey and managed to determine important changes for their communities. The 24/7 Activist Platform - www.activist247.ro - was developed and launched; it brought together activists, organisations and groups of citizens who managed to make big changes in their communities. The most recent example is the contribution of 24/7 Activist at determining local authorities in Merisani to clean more water sources, including the public water distribution network from Merisani. With the help of 24/7 Activist, For You Partner Association managed to attract activists who sent e-mails to city hall and the local council. In a matter of days, a big part of the brackish water became drinking water. Last but not least, within this project, CeRe strengthened its own capacity, managing to grow its donors' base and diversify its fundraising mechanisms, raising 28,000 Euro which will further be used to encourage and support citizens' participation.

Summary of bilateral results

CeRe worked in partnership with Citizens Foundation from Iceland. Citizens Foundation was considered as partner because of its involvement in creating and promoting instruments for citizens to participate in the decision-making process in Iceland. Iceland as a country represents a good example of how the citizens can be included in the governance process. Citizens Foundation team contributed though sharing their experience with the platform Your Priorities - an instrument used by 500,000 citizens - and had an inspiring speech during the 2015 edition of the Public Participation Awards Gala. They explained how they found electronic democracy as a solution for citizens' participation. Citizens Foundation also facilitated a great exchange of experience in Iceland, helping Romanian participants gather meaningful information about instruments used in Iceland to enhance citizens' participation. Citizens Foundation representatives' visit in Romania had some interesting media coverage, with interviews and articles reporting interesting information about initiatives such as Your Priorities or Better Neighbourhoods: http://totb.ro/trebuie-sa-i-facem-pe-oameni-sa-uite-ca-va-veni-un-salva… http://www.ziaruldeiasi.ro/stiri/islanda-vazuta-prin-ochii-lui-gunnar-g… http://www.islanda.ro/islanda-vazuta-prin-ochii-lui-gunnar-grimsson-i/ http://www.socialeast.ro/gunnar-grimsson-oamenii-inteleg-mai-bine-acum-… http://m.hotnews.ro/stire/20258454