Main aim and activites: 

Dúha na východe will organize a series of 5 educational programs which are mainly intended for young LGBT + people who are interested in getting involved in NGOs and various initiatives and are interested in public affairs, but have lack of theoretical knowledge and practical experience. The ambition of the project is to support civic participation of these young people. The main aim of the project is to train them so that they can fully participate in the mentioned activities, which will directly contribute to the strengthening of civic participation in Slovakia, to serve in the selected region. The aim of the project is also to contribute to strengthening the capacities of the Slovak LGBT + movement, which has been undersized for a long time.

Project timeline: 01-11-2021 – 31-12-2022

Main aim and activites: 

In Slovakia, we perceive a strong polarization of society on certain topics. There is a lack of cultivated – respectful debate on burning topics. The aim of the project is to put into practice the concept of so-called respecting debates. At the beginning, the moderators will be trained in cooperation with a Norwegian partner. In the next 10 months, they will organize model debates on local current topics in the regions of Slovakia. Ideological opponents or people from different branches of society will discuss. Also from the overlooked minorities e.g. Hare Krishna, Vietnamese community, Ruthenians, Ukrainian community, various immigrants, etc. But also from jobs whose meaning still needs to be explained: non-profits, charity, field social work, art, or non-gender-stereotyped jobs. These discussions should be “locally relevant”, focusing on existing issues in the region, with domestic guests.

Project timeline: 01-01-2022 – 31-12-2022

Main aim and activites: 

Slovakia is experiencing a decline in social cohesion. One of the indicators is the data from Eurobarometer 90, according to which only 47% of the population is satisfied with the development in the country or the current level of the population´s willingness of the Slovak Republic to respect anti-pandemic measures in the long term.  Social cohesion is the social forces that cause human communities to hold together. The presented project aims to understand and address the disintegration of social cohesion, which must be preceded by its study, for which it is necessary to have relevant data. We obtain data on the company’s value setting through the World Values ​​Survey (WVS) and then combine them with public datasets within the rough structure of state institutions, which often do not share them and thus do not use the potential of their synergies for the benefit of the country and its people.

Project timeline: 01-11-2021 – 31-10-2022

Main aim and activites: 

The LINK Academy project is an extension of the successful Social Impact Academy project, which was implemented in the years 2019 – 2021 thanks to the ACF – Slovakia grant program. The aim of the project is to help at least 30 young people develop their key competencies such as entrepreneurship, innovation and creativity, who complete the entire training cycle. It is intended for Social Impact Academy graduates, high school students, university students and people from disadvantaged backgrounds. The educational program will be implemented on-site and online. Each participant will go through 10 training workshops. Another goal of the project is to create an innovative educational web platform and thus provide young people with systematic access to education. The online platform will serve as a freely available tool for non-formal education.

Project timeline: 01-11-2021 – 31-12-2022

Main aim and activites: 

This project will contribute to strengthening social cohesion, trust and preventing the radicalization of young people at the local level through the preventive activities of a network of actors highlighting the role of the police force. It will create a mechanism for the prevention of radicalization of young people that can be used at the local level throughout Slovakia. The mechanism will be designed in close cooperation between the police force, local authorities, NGOs and young people’s representatives (through a working group and consultation workshops). The basic pillars of the project will be research (quantitative and qualitative) of the perception of this topic and the role of the police in it among young people and participatory methods (working group, consultation workshops, advocacy activities), which will involve more than 200 young people in creating a mechanism to prevent radicalization local level.

Project timeline: 01-10-2021 – 31-03-2023

Main aim and activites: 

The aim of the project Together We Are Slovakia.Digital is to remove barriers that prevent participation and enable the general public to engage in eGovernment issues. We bring important topics that are easy to process so that people can easily and quickly find their way around them and then choose which activities to take part in. The pandemic has increased interest in all electronic services, pointed out shortcomings, and we want to make the most of this situation and involve people in improving the state’s electronic services. The main activities of the project are: Informing about eGovernment events and motivating to participate, Creating a space to discuss eGovernment events and policies and collecting suggestions for improvement, Involving people in community activities, policy making and developing eGovernment-related solutions, Building partnerships on promoting the public interest in the field of eGovernment, controlling the public interest and obtaining information through legal acts.

Project timeline: 01-01-2022 – 30-04-2023

Main aim and activites: 

The issue of tackling climate change in the world, as well as in Slovakia, is currently one of the most important. According to the European Commission, an important part of the move towards climate neutrality is educating the next generation and preparing them for civic engagement in the field of the environment. For this reason, there is a Green School program in Slovakia, which is the largest environmental education program, involving 309 kindergartens, primary, secondary and special schools (30,000 students) in various regions, cities and municipalities. The aim of the project is the creation of 10 inspiring centres in the various regions of the Slovak republic through training of 20 teachers, who will become leaders of civic engagement.

Project timeline: 01-06-2020 – 30-11-2021

Main aim and activites: 

In Košice (eastern region of Slovakia), there is a lack of systemic support for non-governmental organizations, informal community groups and individuals who strive to promote contemporary culture, develop the community and initiate social change. The fact that throughout the year Tabačka Kulturfabrik is contacted by about 15 – 20% of new – potential representatives of initiatives coming up with various initiatives for cooperation, is perceived very positively. The Tabačka´s ambition is to provide them as much meaningful support as possible. However, this ambition is difficult to fulfil due to the lack of suitable premises, human and financial resources.

Project timeline: 01-06-2020 – 31-10-2021

Main aim and activites: 

Gemer is ​​a Slovak region with a very high unemployment rate. There is a flight of young people from this area, no strategic investors are coming, no infrastructure is being innovated. After the decline in mining, environmental burdens remain unresolved. These regional manifestations are multiplied by the global threat of climate change due to environmental pollution. The project aims to point out the current global situation associated with the impact of climate change in the chosen region. The impact of these changes on the population is more sensitively perceived in the context of their definition in their immediate surroundings. The project aims to find ways in which individuals/citizens, local government representatives, local organizations, with the help of experts, experiences and examples of good practice from abroad, can contribute from their position in their city/municipality to reduce carbon footprint and mitigate negative environmental impacts.

Project timeline: 01-10-2020 – 31-12-2021

Main aim and activites: 

Global barometers show an alarming decline in confidence in democracy and a greater gap between the elite and the majority population. In Slovakia, citizens’ satisfaction with the functioning of democracy is declining. At the same time, support for anti-system and extremist parties increased. The number of people believes in conspiracies is increasing – every second Slovak already believes them. Most citizens think that a greater commitment from decent people would help democracy. The project aims to build a sustainable and coordinated network, connecting active citizens and initiatives throughout Slovakia and to provide voluntary assistance for solving local problems with an overlap to the defence of the public interest. The project also focuses on least developed regions, where citizens feel helpless in pursuing the public interest. The project contributes to the return of confidence in democratic mechanisms.

Project timeline: 01-05-2020 – 30-04-2021

Main aim and activites: 

The project aims to create a low-threshold program for young people in Bratislava. It will help build a network of support for young people, families and community members in Bratislava housing estates, community centres and directly in families. This network includes a comprehensive package of services – leisure, counselling, educational, cultural and community activities with an emphasis on civic participation. An important point is to draw attention to the current needs of youth in selected localities. In the form of fieldwork, work in clubs, for example in the Rača or Karlova Ves districts, or a direct visit to families, the project will assist in the form of education, hobby activities, counselling, communication activities etc. Through 4 community activities, it will try to create a bridge between the community and the municipality.

Project timeline: 01-07-2020 – 31-10-2021

Main aim and activites: 

Slovensko digital is concerning with the functional problem and efficiency improvement of the eGovernment, and also the approval of IT project decisions in Slovakia in connection with corrupcy. A functioning online space, including the awareness of citizens about public affairs, should be part of a well-functioning state. The project, You are Slovakia.Digital Too, points out the lack of information, corrupt practices in the field of large IT orders, low quality of emerging electronic services etc.

Project timeline: 01-07-2019 – 31-03-2021

Main aim and activites: 

Active citizens are the foundation of a functioning democratic state. The project is supporting the citizens interested in being part of the decision-making processes, in their attempt to positively affect the public affairs. Despite the interest of people, there are many barriers. For example, some laws and administrative processes are unclear and also there is a lack of functioning tools helping people participate (petitions). The project aims to encourage the widest possible participation of individuals, informal local initiatives and functioning civic associations in decision-making processes. It also aims at strengthening the legal skills of the active public, providing professional legal advice and creating a reliable and privacy policy of a secure petition website that enables the public to be effectively activated.

Project timeline: 01-06-2019 – 30-04-2021

Main aim and activites: 

The basic prerequisite for civic participation of citizens at the level of self-government is knowledge of the competences of individual local-policy actors. However, a frequent problem is the lack of knowledge of the legislative frameworks allowing the participation of the public – the Act on Free Access to Information, the Act on the Support of Regional Development and others. The project aims to improve the enlightenment and education by creating an e-learning platform Get oriented to self-government, which will bring important information about the functioning of municipalities and the possibility of involving the widest possible range of people.

Project timeline: 01-5-2019 – 31-10-2020

Main aim and activites: 

The project, Re-Start is focusing on one of Slovakia´s marginal regions, Gemer-Malohont and specifically the city of Rimavská Sobota. People are more sceptical in these areas and more likely to believe in misinformation. It leads to the voting of extremist political parties which can slow down the progress and deepen the problems in the interpersonal relations with the national minorities. People need to know what is happening in their city and it is necessary to involve them in the decision-making processes.  The main objective of the project is to contribute to the building of a successful city and region through the activities of the Naša Sobota citizens association, as well as activities supporting the development of small and medium enterprises.

Project timeline: 01-07-2019 – 28-02-2021

Main aim and activites: 

Generally, young people in Slovakia know that they would like to do something more for themselves and the planet, but many times they do not know how to do it. In many cases, they misinterpret individual media outcomes, which lead to wrong decisions. On the other hand, media education in schools is mostly missing or failing to reach the required level. The project, Object-lens 21: Young reporters for civil society, responds to the need to develop media and civic literacy of pupils in schools. The project contributes to the media skills of the youth by creating a methodological handbook for the 2nd grade of primary school, which deals with the topic of civic participation, climate change, city planning, waste and the question of where to turn if we encounter any problem in society. Each package will include a short video and methodological material, focusing on classroom work and interactive activities.

Project timeline: 01-07-2019 – 31-03-2021

Main aim and activites: 

Young people in Slovakia have many opportunities for personal development and career growth, but they show no interest in participation and public affairs. Some have an idea for a project but are afraid to implement it or have no experience how to do it. The project is helping young people develop entrepreneurship, which can reduce the percentage of young people leaving the region and increase their employment, which indirectly develops not only the city but also the region.

Project timeline: 01-07-2019 – 31-12-2020