Στα πλαίσια του Ευρωπαϊκού Προγράμματος DEVICE- Developing European Volunteers
International Civic Engagement, συμμετείχα σε συνέδριο που διεξήχθη στην Φοινίκη της Αλβανίας (Βόρεια Ήπειρο) εκπροσωπώντας τον Δήμο Δερύνειας. Στην δική μου παρέμβαση
ανέπτυξα τις θέσεις μου πάνω στο θέμα: Εργαλεία
ενθάρρυνσης της συμμετοχής των πολιτών στα κοινά.
Ακολουθεί ολόκληρη η παρουσίαση
μου όπως την έκανα στα αγγλικά.
Tools
for civic participation: financial support, networking capacity.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear delegates!
I am Victor Karayiannis from Cyprus and I represent
the municipality of Deryneia.
The Municipality of Deryneia is a community of about
7000 inhabitants and is geographically located on the east coast of Cyprus and
about 5 km south of the center of the Turkish-occupied city of Famagusta.
The northern part of Deryneia is occupied by the Turks
and the Buffer Zone divides the village in to two.
Despite the problems, deprivations and difficulties
caused by the Turkish Occupation, the inhabitants of Deryneia did not cease to be
active citizens and volunteering minds.
Regarding our current issue which is the Tools for civic participation given by the local
government, I would say that it is limited to moral support, because the local authorities
in Cyprus are not self-sustained and depend heavily on government sponsorships.
For this reason, the local government in Deryneia (Municipality) does not have
the financial capacity to run serious programs for the young people.
Some forms of volunteerism can be found in the
activities of the Youth Committee, the Environment Committee and the Welfare
Committee.
More serious forms of volunteerism in Deryneia can be
seen in the activities of the Organized Social Groups.
The best example of volunteerism in Deryneia is the
Strawberry Festival which is organized by the municipality and it is runned completely
by volunteers.
In the other hand the Central Government have the
ability to offer in various ways the appropriated tools for civic participation.
These essential tools are offered through various
programs runned by the Youth Board of Cyprus.
Such programs are the following:
E-Participation.
E-Participation is about fostering civic engagement
and open, participatory governance through Information and Communications
Technologies (ICTs). Growing evidence points to the rapid expansion of
e-Participation as a tool for engagement and strengthened collaboration between
governments and citizens. Its objective is to improve access to information and
public services as well as to promote participation in policy-making, both for
the empowerment of individual citizens and the benefit of society as a whole.
At this point I have to note the importance of having
in mind the Virtual Reality when we use Social Media as a tool for civic
participation and I suggest to avoid it as such. We better use Social Media as
a tool of promotion and a source of information than a tool for civic
participation.
European
Voluntary Service.
Volunteering projects is part of the new EU initiative
“European Solidarity Corps”. Young people aged 18-30 have the opportunity to
offer voluntary unpaid solidarity services for a period up to 24 months at
public organizations or NGOs in their country or abroad.
Other bodies offering Tools for civic participation
are the:
Commissioner
for Volunteering and NGOs
The main work of the Office includes the following so
far:
Promotion of volunteering as a tool for personal
development and as the best prevention tool against addictive substances, crime
and delinquency.
Modernization of legislation with emphasis on
financial transparency and good governance, participation in Parliamentary
Committees contributing in this way to the improvement of legislation by
submitting suggestions, approvement by the Council of Ministers of the
Declaration of “Volunteer Rights and Responsibilities of the Volunteers’’, and
the “Civil Society Policy Paper”, the creation of infrastructure such as the
innovative “Volunteer House”, the creation of the Pan Cyprian Coordination
Center for Humanitarian Aid, which is used in emergencies.
Establishment of the volunteer management protocol,
which provides insurance to volunteers, making Cyprus one of the few countries
that provide insurance, issue protocols, organize online volunteer training,
and, when necessary, provide the necessary equipment.
The operation of the electronic platform “Prosfero” which
gives free access to NGOs, so that they can create an interactive means of
communication with citizens.
The
Pan Cyprian Volunteerism Coordinative Council (PVCC)
The Pan Cyprian Volunteerism Coordinative Council
(PVCC) is an umbrella organization representing more than 415 national and
local non-governmental/voluntary organizations.
The main work of this council is the:
Coordination amongst the voluntary organizations,
Development of policy for the voluntary sector.
Social policy consultation with the voluntary sector
and cooperation with governmental authorities.
Active
Citizens Fund.
The European Economic Area and Norway Grants, formed
using contributions from Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway, are supporting
Cypriot Civil Society through funding the “Active Citizens Fund 2014-2021”
project. The NGO Support Centre and GrantXpert Consulting has been selected as
the Fund Operators of the project following a competitive public bidding
process. The consortium will be responsible for the creation and coordination
of the project in Cyprus.
The project aims to support civil society and
active citizenship, and empower vulnerable groups, and aspires to contribute to
the reduction of economic and social inequality in Cyprus. The project will
include a public open Invitation, with a budget of 1.2 million euros, and will
be aimed at non-profit, non-governmental organizations in Cyprus which focus on
the Active Citizens Fund main pillars. The project’s main Areas of Support are:
a) Democracy and Human Rights, and b) Social Justice and Inclusion of
Vulnerable Groups. The Cypriot “Active Citizens Fund” project will place
special emphasis on youth-oriented activities and support bi-communal
cooperation and inter-cultural dialogue. Furthermore, the Fund aims to
encourage closer cooperation between Civil Society Organizations in Cyprus,
Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway.
In my opinion volunteerism is formed within the family
and it is improving through education.
For this reason the Local Government should find ways
to convince parents and teachers to become good examples of active citizens and
volunteering minds.
Another good tool for the youth’s civic participation
is the “Youth Municipal Council” in which the young people will practically get
involved in civic participation and it will make them feel useful and important
to the local society resulting in boosting the civil participation.
Thank you very much.
Victor Karayiannis.
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