Civil society development
Civil society development
SEEmotion – Youth Participation in the Public Decision–Making Process
„CHF-PWP” – Community Labour Program in Flooded Areas
Citizen Advice Bureau in Odorheiu Secuiesc: In the Service of Citizens
Partnership program for under-privileged youth
SSEEmotion – Youth Participation in the Public Decision–Making Process
The SEEmotion project is a crucial part of Civitas Foundation’s work, as it strives to develop civil society and encourage citizens to participate in public decision-making processes. Its purpose is to present best practices in the field of youth policies from Romania and Croatia, to other communities in Romania, as well as to other South-Eastern European countries. Through this project, Civitas Foundation, with the support of a team of experts, advised in the preparation of the local action plans for the youth, in six communities in four countries: Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In November 2005, the project team started to organize meetings for the preparation of these local action plans for youth. The activities in the territory, the preparation of documents and the preliminary activities connected to these plans in the six target communities were performed between January and April 2006. In each of the countries involved, the preliminary activities for the local action plans for youth were performed as two-day training courses named “Initiation of a Local Action Plan for Youth”. The 75 participants were young people, locally active, representing youth organizations and institutions involved in youth problems.
The training courses were followed by three work sessions in each of the six local communities, which brought together the participants of the training course and other persons from the community interested in the future of the youth.As a result of these meetings, at the end of April and the beginning of May, the young people in Carei, Zalau (Romania), Pirot, Indjia (Serbia), Tuzla, Zvornik (Bosnia Herzegovina) prepared their own action plans to be submitted for the approval and implementation by the local authorities.
Please visit the web page of the project: www.seemotion.org. The website serves as an information source in the field of citizen participation and preparation of youth policies, a virtual office for our team of experts and a place where anyone may obtain information about the phases of this project.
Period of implementation: October 2005 - April 2006
Project coordinator: Suciu Diana
Partners: Citizen's Pact for South Eastern Europe - General Secretariat - Montenegro, Helsinki Citizen's Assembly Tuzla - Bosnia Herzegovina, Local Council of Youth Zalau, Town Hall of Zalau Municipality, Local Council of Youth Carei, Town Hall of Carei Municipality
Funder: German Marshall Fund - The Balkan Trust for Democracy
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„CHF-PWP” – Community Labour Program in Flooded Areas
After the flooding in the Odorhei area on August 23rd, 2005 (it rained over 160 l/square meter), our organization and partners in the social network became involved in improvement projects to remedy the negative effects of the floods.
Our foundation collaborated with humanitarian organizations, and in collaboration with Wolter Foundation and our organisation helped rebuild the village of Taureni. We worked together with the other organizations and local public administrations to develop a viable strategy to solve the problems of these communities. We organized several community meetings to work on both medium and long term planning.
We also joined a partnership project – CHF International with USAID support. Together with Wolter Foundation, and the Reformed churches in Taueni and Hoghia, we completed a priority project, within the Community Labour Program. The project we completed, was to clean and clear the bed and area surrounding the Cireseni river. In two months, with the help of 42 persons, the assistance offered by Wolter Foundation, and the support of Hungarian Chatolic Karitasz, we cleaned 5 km of the river bed.
Period of implementation: August 2005 - October 2006
Project coordinator: Orbán Árpád
Partners: Wolter Foundation – Taureni, Reformed Church – Taureni, Reformed Church – Hoghia
Funders: CHF International – Romania, Community Labour Program by the support of USAID, LIA e.V. – Jugenddorf Lokod – Germany, Hungarian Catholic Karitasz
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Citizen Advice Bureau in Odorheiu Secuiesc: In the Service of Citizens
Since opening in September 2002, the Citizen Advice Bureau of Odorheiu Secuiesc has been working for the citizens in Odorhei area, providing information and counselling services for citizens, in order to support them in solving their problems and in exercising their rights and obligations. The information and counselling is offered confidentially, free of charge, impartially and independently, insuring access by all citizens. Health, social assistance, social security, work relations, consumer protection, civil rights and obligations, property, taxes and duties, education, notary procedures, child protection and public services, equality between women and men, European information, services offered to companies, business world, nongovernmental organizations, etc. are the fields in which the services are offered.
The information necessary for counselling, offered by a Citizen Advice Bureau, are provided by a national information system, periodically updated with the amendments of the legal provisions relevant to the targeted fields of activity and with information specific to the local level. 
From it’s opening, until the end of 2006, almost 9.500 persons have taken advantage of the information and counselling services provided by the Citizen Advice Bureau. To that date, there have been 5.732 different cases registered, but many times, 2 – 3 citizens came together to solve one problem. In 2006, we registered 1150 cases which mean almost 2.000 citizens counselled in that year alone.
In 2006, after the conclusion of a partnership with the newspaper „Udvarhelyi Híradó”, the Citizen Advice Bureau in Odorheiu Secuiesc started a column with useful information for citizens. The regional newspaper has a circulation of 10.000 copies daily. Since August 2006, our articles have been published weekly, every Wednesday or Thursday.
The Citizen Advice Bureau in Odorheiu Secuiesc has an important role not only because of the information and counselling services provided for the citizens, but also because of the work performed on other social projects in the region, collaborating with other organizations, institutions and using the experience gained during our activities. Thus, we have participated several projects / activities with local social partnership, especially those involving the problems of children and young persons who are in or have recently left the protection system. 
The Citizen Advice Bureau Odorheiu Secuiesc was formed by Civitas Foundation in partnership with the Town Hall of Odorheiu Secuiesc Municipality, as part of the PHARE for Civil Society Development Program, financed by the European Union.
In 2006, Civitas Foundation, with the support of the Town Hall of Odorheiu Secuiesc, insured the functioning of the Bureau. At the end of 2005, Civitas Foundation – through the services provided by the Citizen Advice Bureau in Odorheiu Secuiesc – received credentials as provider of social services. Because of this, in 2006, we finalized a contract with the Town Hall of Odorheiu Secuiesc Municipality for social services provisions. The Bureau, through CIVITAS Foundation, is a member of the National Association of Citizen Advice Bureaux. This body represents the interests of 51 non-governmental organizations which have formed Citizen Advice Bureaus and mobile lucrative facilities in over 60 urban and rural localities around the country.
Period of implementation: Since 2002
Project coordinator: Mihály István
Partner: -
Funders: Civitas Foundation – of its own sources, Town Hall of Odorheiu Secuiesc Municipality
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Partnership program for under-privileged youth
Civitas Foundation’s “SANSZ” program is dynamic and in a state of continual growth. In this program, we focus on issues connected to Roma, and under-privileged, and underserved members of the community. We continue to develop the social partnership started by Civitas in 1997 with the project “Budvar Social Centre”. The partnership was formed by several local actors, who work in the social field. The purpose of this partnership was the preparation and efficient implementation of a social development strategy in Odorheiu Secuiesc Municipality and neighbouring areas, based on identified local realities.
The project “Local partnership for increasing efficiency in social work 
– Social Map of Odorheiu Secuiesc Municipality” gave new initiatives to our work in 2003. (www.sansz.ro). From the beginning, our team agreed to deal with the problems of orphans and under-privileged youth. We offer information, guidance and counselling, professional courses, trainings, assistance in looking for and keeping a job. We offer temporary shelter and other services which aid orphans to integrate into society.
In this project, between November 16th and 18th 2006, we organized a national conference on “Cooperation for the support of the under-privileged – orphan youth and intellectual disabled people over 18 years” in Locodeni / Harghita. 
Civitas is still close with members of the network we developed at this conference. We work continuously to expand and improve these valuable professional relationships.
Civitas Foundation led a team of civil society representatives from the Secui area at the Civil Days in Tatabanya – Hungary, which took place in October 2006. Upon the invitation of the Peron Music Foundation, we participated to the exhibition, and we inaugurated the photo exhibition “Secuimea”.
At the “Gala societatii civile – 2006” (Civil Society Gala), the Local Social Partnership, through Civitas Foundation, received the Special Award for the category „Social services of under-privileged categories”.
Period of implementation: Since 1997
Project coordinator: Orbán Árpád
Partners: Wolter Foundation, Youth Foundation of Lókod - LIA, Town Hall of Odorheiu Secuiesc Municipality
Funders: LIA e.V. - Jugenddorf Lókod - Germany
