Residents of the Sumy territorial community increased their awareness of civic participation tools and developed proposals for community development within the framework of the "Active Voice: Community Recovery" project.
The CSO “Sumy Public Circle” successfully implemented the "Active Voice: Community Recovery" project with grant support from the Council of Europe project “Strengthening democratic resilience through civic participation during the war and in the post-war context in Ukraine”.
In November 2024, the Centre for Public Initiatives was launched as part of the project. This centre serves as a platform where active community members can receive consultations on participatory decision-making and monitor the implementation of these decisions by local authorities. Within its first week of operation, four people sought consultations, reflecting the community's interest in the centre’s activities.
As part of the "Active Voice: Community Recovery" project, two two-day training sessions were conducted for 36 residents of the Sumy community, including activists, volunteers, youth leaders, and internally displaced persons (IDPs). 75% of participants reported a significant improvement in their knowledge of civic participation tools, such as information requests, e-petitions, and public hearings. 35 out of 36 respondents stated that the information provided was valuable and relevant and that they intend to actively engage in community life. "An excellent training! It inspired me to contribute to the recovery of both my community and the country as a whole. Now I want to join a civil society organisation (CSO)," shared one participant.
24 representatives from local authorities, businesses, CSOs, and the community took part in a Strategic Session, where they discussed local challenges and developed 17 proposals for community recovery. The key recommendations include:
- Mentorship programmes for entrepreneurs, particularly women, veterans, and IDPs.
- Creation of mobile shelters in public spaces.
- Addressing educational losses among schoolchildren.
- Health prevention programmes.
Moreover, CSO “Sumy Public Circle” conducted a survey involving 408 residents to assess the level of civic engagement in decision-making processes. Based on the study’s findings, recommendations for local authorities were developed to improve civic participation.
The project also included Monitoring of the participatory process. This involved analysing the use of civic participation tools by residents in their interactions with Sumy City Council departments throughout 2023 and the first half of 2024. Additionally, key indicators were developed to evaluate public decision-making processes, and the social impact of decisions adopted by the Sumy City Council from January to July 2024 was assessed.
In 2024, CSO “Sumy Public Circle” received a grant from the Council of Europe project “Strengthening democratic resilience through civic participation during the war and in the post-war context in Ukraine”. This grant aimed to support civil society organisations in Ukraine in strengthening citizen engagement in decision-making processes. Five Ukrainian CSOs were awarded this support.
The Council of Europe project “Strengthening democratic resilience through civic participation during the war and in the post-war context in Ukraine” is designed to support the implementation of the objectives set out in the Council of Europe Action Plan for Ukraine “Resilience, Recovery and Reconstruction” (2023-2026) to strengthen the democratic processes and address the challenges public authorities are facing in the time of war and in post-war context through active and effective civic participation at the local, regional and national level.
