The Community Foundation "Podilska Hromada" is launching a new project titled "Community in Action: Participation Tools for Recovery". Its goal is to strengthen cooperation between the government and the public through the practical exploration and application of participatory tools. The project involves a step-by-step process consisting of several stages — from dialogue to the practical implementation of developed solutions.
The first step will be dialogue meetings in a "government–public" format, which will take place in cooperation with the Vinnytsia City Council. Representatives from relevant departments will join the discussions, allowing for the integration of the public’s practical experience with the administration’s vision and actual decision-making mechanisms. Participants will discuss which participatory tools are effective in the community, what challenges they face, and how to make these mechanisms more accessible and effective. In particular, the discussion will cover tools such as e-petitions, participatory budgeting, public hearings, citizen appeals, and more.
"Participation tools are not a formality or an additional element to community work. They are a way to make better decisions by taking people’s experiences and needs into account. But they only work when there is understanding, trust, and a practice of using them. That is why this project is structured as a process —from dialogue to real-world application", — comments Myroslava Zhylina, Program Director of the Community Foundation "Podilska Hromada".
Based on these discussions, a visual exhibition in the style of scribing will be created. It will use simple language to show what participation in community processes looks like and what opportunities it opens up. The next stage will be the development of a simulation card game that will model real-life situations of interaction between the government and the public, including roles, scenarios, and tools for participation. This format will allow participants not only to learn about participation mechanisms but also to “experience” them in a safe environment. After the game is created, a series of play sessions and its dissemination will take place so that the developed approaches can be used more widely. The final stage of the project will be a concluding forum that will bring together representatives of the government and the public to discuss the results, exchange experiences, and determine next steps for establishing effective interaction.
The "Community in Action: Participation Tools for Recovery" project aims to make participation in public life understandable, accessible, and effective — for both residents and local government representatives.
The "Community in Action: Participation Tools for Recovery" project is implemented by the Community Foundation "Podilska Hromada" as part of the "Phoenix: The Power of Communities" project, which is implemented by the Eastern Europe Foundation with funding from the European Union.
