Newsletter Czech Healthy Cities and Regions

The Summer School of Healthy Cities discussed health support, excluded areas, clean mobility and housing

This year's summer school was opened by introductory seminar dedicated to the issue of strategic planning and management in the cities and municipalities. Representatives of Regional Environmental Centre introduced the possibilities of collaboration and information from the field of clean mobility and alternative transportation, Petr Stepanek of the Czech Office of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development presented collaboration of municipalities with business sphere and relations with the quality of housing and the social topic and possibilities of preventing origination of excluded areas. Best practice of municipalities in the same area was dealt with in the contribution by Association for Social Inclusion. The event naturally also included presentations by the host city of Mlada Boleslav as well as collaboration with Skoda Auto, whose training area Na Karmeli hosted the whole three-day event of municipal and regional representatives.

The afternoon section was dedicated to health support in the municipalities. MUDr. Stanislav Wasserbauer of the CZ Ministry of Health introduced the possibilities and tools that the municipalities can use for support of their inhabitants' health, partners that they can collaborate with and approved examples of best practice as well as possible outlook of financial resources that the municipalities could use for health prevention projects’ support.

The second day of Summer School of Healthy Cities was dedicated to trainings and education, this time on the subject of media promotion and PR, and its participants practiced communication with media and PR work for Healthy Cities. More experienced participants verified and trained their rhetorical skills and public appearances at the prepared rhetoric training. Targeted consultations dedicated to the subjects of strategic management, planning with the public etc. for all those interested in progress to Healthy City or Region took place during the whole three-day event.

The delivered presentations including photographs and other information will be available here.

The nearest event dedicated to similar subject - Autumn Healthy Cities School - will take place on November 6. - 8. in the Healthy City of Hodonin.

The event was a part of HCCZ project "Strategic Management in Communities - Quality and Effective" that is financed with ESF funds through the Operational Programme of Human Resources and Employment and through CZ State budget.

The Healthy Cities take part of this year's "Injury-Free Days"

The "Injury-Free Days" campaign, annually participated in by a number of Healthy Cities, Municipalities and Regions, usually takes place in the first half of June and concentrates on injury prevention. The campaign features awareness-raising campaigns that concentrated in particular on injuries in traffic, at school or sports fields. Children and seniors form a group that is most threatened by injuries. It is for this reason that Injury-Free Days lectures take place in kindergartens and basic schools along with special events concentrated on the safety of seniors. Training of how to provide first aid in case of injury also forms an integral part of the campaign.

Targeted prevention can effectively reduce the number of injuries and alleviate their impact, which was verified by the measurements in a number of cities. Cities can use tried and tested methodologies for prevention of injuries in traffic, such as "Safe Route to School" programme or "Biking Only With Helmet On" campaign. "Injury-Free Days" are also supported in the Healthy Cities, by the National Institute of Public Health, or its respective local workplaces.

The programmes of Injury-Free Days campaigns in the Healthy Cities, Municipalities and Regions are available at www.ZdravaMesta.cz/dbu.

"World No Tobacco Day 2013" was focused on prohibition of tobacco advertisement and non-smoking restaurants

The World No Tobacco Day, dedicated to the prevention of diseases related with use of tobacco products, annually falls on May 31. World No Tobacco Day is supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and last but not least by the Healthy Cities of the Czech Republic (HCCZ). The campaign points out not only the general risks related with smoking, but also the current topics, such as reduction of tobacco products advertising or prohibition of smoking in restaurants. On the national level, the campaign also included a seminar in the CZ Parliament Senate.

The Healthy Cities, Municipalities and Regions traditionally prepared a number of awareness-raising events, such as "Journeys for Fresh Air", fine art competitions with anti-smoking theme and other events dedicated to smoking prevention, with special focus on children and the young.

• The programmes of No Tobacco Day campaign in the Healthy Cities, Municipalities and Regions are available at www.ZdravaMesta.cz/dbt.

Tisková zpráva ke kampani

Seminar of Healthy Cities proved municipal interest in public service and development of volunteering

Thematic Section of Healthy Cities of the Czech Republic (HZZC) titled "Public service and volunteering - the current situation and development opportunities in municipalities" took place on May 16, 2013 in Prague at Novotneho Lavka. The aim of the event prepared in collaboration with National Volunteering Centre HESTIA was to introduce approved procedures and offer inspiration on how to use the potential of public service and volunteering in municipalities efficiently.

At the beginning, Petr Svec, NSZM director and Jiri Tosner, HESTIA chairman, introduced the joint project on the subject of volunteering and public service. The men talked about planned events, such as trainings, seminars and conferences, about 6 pilot projects, prepared by volunteering centres together with municipalities or the region, but also about preparation of tactical guidebook for municipalities on how to develop the area of volunteering actively. P. Švec mentioned collaboration with foreign partners from Slovakia and Finland.

The first half of the seminar featured panel discussion attended on the national level by Stepan Hosna, adviser to the secretary of minister of labour and social affairs, Monika Zelenkova on behalf of CZ Employment Office and Radek Jiranek on behalf of the Ministry of Interior. The local level and application of public service in Vsetin was presented by the vice-mayor Kvetoslava Othova, the view of volunteering centre in Usti nad Labem was presented by its director, Lenka Cerna The most extensive discussion took place on the very subject of public service and its current legislative foundation. Both Vsetin and representatives of other cities made an appeal to maintain public service as a suitable tool for return of the long-term unemployed into the working process. However, they accentuated the necessary motivation for those who perform public service, be it in a form of certain financial bonus or motivation by way of preferential treatment in the process of mediating employment. They especially pointed out the voluntariness of the applicant's decision to participate in public service. The discussion further dealt with support required for public service coordinators in the cities, whether directly in the offices or collaborating organisations. S. Hosna discussed the possible planned proposals for legislative changes, nevertheless, he admitted that the cities probably will not see these completed until the end of 2013. R. Jiranek of the Ministry of Interior spoke about the law on volunteering service and about accreditation of volunteering organisations or programmes as well as about consequent subsidies that the MoI provides to these organisations and programmes, especially for obligatory insurance of volunteers, their travel expenses, aids or supervision. "An event of this kind and general activities of Healthy Cities in this field present a very suitable form of how to further develop volunteering in practice and further raise the prestige of volunteers themselves", added Jiránek. L. Cerna with another thematic contribution added an interesting example of organising and coordinating volunteering activities in the area of two regions jointly, all this owing to the Council of Volunteering Centres of Usti and Karlovy Vary Regions. She mentioned the important role of self-governments for the development of volunteering, be it by the above stated coordination, sufficient knowledge, but especially the component of motivation and strengthening of volunteering's and volunteer's' prestige. Practical experience brought very inspiring contributions from Prachatice that presented activities of the young generation of volunteers within the KREBUL organisation. City representative, H. Rabenhauptova further added a number of interesting activities and events dedicated to the subject, as supported by Prachatice. For their approved procedures, all three cities – Vsetin, Prachatice and Ustí n. Labem received a special HCCZ "stamp" proving their best practice (see photograph). At the end of seminar, representatives of HESTIA introduced a successful seniors' volunteering programme 3G, where seniors offer help by spending free time with children. The end of the programme featured an example of very interesting approach of VODAFONE to the subject of corporate volunteering - whether through its offer of company experts who can operate in non-profit organisations for one year with the company covering their wages or support of volunteering projects brought by the employees of the company themselves.

All the featured presentations as well as photographs from the event have been posted at the event website.

The event has been supported with financial resources of ESF and from the state budget within the Operational Programme of Human Resources and Employment.

Czech Fair Trade cities joined the world declaration

The Healthy Cities of Litomerice and Vsetin and towns of Volyne and Cesky Krumlov were among the first in the Czech Republic to receive the title of Fair Trade City. The cities therefore undertook to official support of fair trade concept that supports small craftsmen and farmers from the so called developing countries. Now the mayors of the first three above stated cities also signed the declaration of „Fair Trade Beyond 2015" in which the representatives of local governments ask UN to create a systematic strategy for the protection of human rights, collaboration with workers in developing countries and fight against poverty. The declaration proposes support of development partnership among governments, local communities, enterprises and citizens - e.g. right through the fair trade principle. Further applicants for the Fair Trade title include the Healthy Cities of Brno, Hodonin, Hlucin, Chrudim, Kromeriz, Mlada Boleslav, Trebic and the Tisnov Town.

"I welcome every effort for awareness raising, not only within the city as such, but also within a global campaign. The idea of a movement - a just and sustainable world in which every human is given his human rights - is worth promoting," stated the mayor of the Healthy City of Litomerice, Ladislav Chlupac.

Find out more information to the campaign here.

Database BestPractice.cz contains more than 200 inspiring examples

Volunteering activities from various places of the country, treatment of parks with participation of the public and many others can be found in the database of Healthy Cities at www.DobraPraxe.cz. The database contains interesting information, inspiration and best practice examples from the cities, municipalities, sub-regions and regions. Currently, you will find there more than 200 best practice examples from various areas of life in the municipalities, such as living environment, transportation, social services, free time etc. The database also includes model solutions, so called thematic circles or so called "fragments" - short clear examples of what has proven successful in practice and what may inspire others. You will find them directly on home page or at dobrapraxe.cz/cz/priklady-dobre-praxe.

Among others, the database newly contains these new examples:

BROUMOV: Restoration of Alejka Park with the public

PRAHA 8: Logopaedic school garden

KAMENICKY SENOV: Establishment of two municipal parks

MORAVIAN-SILESIAN REGION: Electro-mobility for regional office

USTI NAD LABEM: The Council of Volunteering Centres of Usti and Karlovy Vary Regions

USTI NAD LABEM: Volunteer coffee as a location of public engagement

PRACHATICE: Volunteer in each of us

VSETIN: Christmas charity evening for Charity Vsetin

VSETIN: Work therapy in Elim reception centre

Healthy City Forum: information about forty meetings in one place

Healthy City Forum is a meeting with the public, attended not only by the local inhabitants and local administration representatives, but also by the representatives of non-profit organisations, schools and other external experts. The forum offers inspiration to interested parties from other cities, municipalities or regions. The participants of Healthy City Forum define the main problems in a given municipality and vote to determine 10P - ten problems that are consequently verified in a poll, involving a wider circle of citizens. The participants of the event also find out more on how their problems raised at the previous year meeting had been dealt with.

Healthy City Forum has taken place or will take place at 40 locations of the Czech Republic this year. You can find the list of locations and dates of Forums on the website of www.ZdravaMesta.cz/forum. The website also contains information about10P - ten problems raised at the previous meeting in a given location.