Newsletter Czech Healthy Cities and Regions

POUR FÉLICITER 2015

The team of Czech Healthy Cities Network wish you a successful year 2015. We would also like to thank you for your support and cooperation.

PF 2015

The Czech Healthy Cities Network has 119 members

The Czech Healthy Cities Network reached a total of 119 members at the end of 2014 – cities, Prague city districts, towns, micro-regions and local action groups. We sincerely welcome all our new members to the association and we wish them much success in all their activities, related to their membership.

The successes of Healthy Cities on a nationwide level

At the beginning of the year 2014 it was not only members of the HCCZ who won awards for their activities in the field of the quality of public services. Healthy cities Chrudim, Koprivnice, Litomerice and Vsetin and Healthy town Krizanky were all awarded the silver prize for quality in the field of public administration for 2013 and for realisation of a local Agenda 21 (LA21). The Healthy cities of Koprivnice (model CAF), Prestice and Sternberk (ČSN EN ISO 9001) were awarded the silver prize for other methods of quality in the field of public administration. Representatives of Healthy cities Hlucin, Jihlava, Prostejov, Prestice, Ricany, Tabor, Trebic, Uherske Hradiste and Velke Mezirici, the Healthy Moravian-Silesian Region, the Healthy Vysocina Region and the Healthy Prague 21 City District took receipt of the Bronze prize for application of LA21. The representatives of Healthy city Nove Mesto na Morave (model CAF) and the Regional Office of the Moravian-Silesian Region (EMAS) took receipt of the bronze prize for other methods of quality in the field of public administration. The prestigious prize for innovation in the field of public administration for 2013 was awarded to the Healthy city of Jihlava (Commenting on the town plan on-line), Koprivnice (Improvement of the effectiveness of utilisation of the results of quality methods and tools in the field of public administration for management of the Town and Municipal Office in Kopřivnice), twice to Uherske Hradiste (The agenda of the Department of Administration of Municipal Property within the Internet/Intranet environment and e-Analysis of security) and the Healthy Prague - Libus City District (The Prague - Libuš city district’s approach to transformation of migrants from third countries through new legal working habits to an active resident under the conditions of a small city district, particularly using the project titled “Everyone together on the employment market” and other projects).

Healthy cities Chrudim and Trebic met all the criteria for allocation of the title of Fairtrade city in 2014 and joined hundreds of other towns worldwide supporting fair trade, which enables people from developing countries to earn a living under dignified conditions. Only eight towns in the Czech Republic have met these criteria as yet, including other members of the Czech Healthy City Network: Hodonin. Litomerice, Mlada Boleslav and Vsetin.

Last year Healthy city Tabor won the Routes in the Cities competition, which focuses on traffic calming. The city of Tábor was awarded first prize in this competition (organised by the Partnership Foundation) in the line solutions category for the project titled Revitalisation of the Tismenice Valley – 2nd phase.

The Makropulos Prize for care of seniors, which is awarded every year by the Life 90 Association, was awarded to Healthy city Prachatice last year. This prize was awarded for long-standing and systematic improvement of the quality of life of local seniors, which Prachatice residents cooperate on with non-government organisations, school facilities and churches.

Czech Healthy Cities regularly meet at nationwide events. All interested parties are also invited

A number of regular and one-off thematic events, which the Czech Healthy Cities Network (HCCZ) prepared not only for its members, took place throughout the year. The three-day HC Schools, which are part of the professionally accredited education system, always also includes introductory seminars focusing on current topics and are open to all interested parties from among representatives of towns, cities and regions and their professional partners. The HCCZ also organises methodological meetings for regions and Prague city districts for the purpose of sharing best practices. The HCCZ thematic section titled “Involvement of young people in cities“, the ”Volunteering in towns - how to?“ conference and interesting and popular events with international participation on the topic of “Housing estates - what next?“ all took place in 2014.

An inspirational presentation of cities, towns and regions – the so-called “on-site inspections“ in municipalities, which have progressed the furthest in the local Agenda 21 (LA21) method, took place in the autumn months. You can find a summary of these events, at which representatives of the cities of Chrudim, Koprivnice, Litomerice and Vsetin, the town of Krizanky and the sub-region of Drahanska vrchovina, presented their practical procedures, results and experience, here. These members were also awarded prizes by the Ministry of Environment and the National Healthy Cities Network during the Nationwide HCCZ Conference, which took place at the end of November in the Kaiserstejn Palace in Prague, for their activities.

You can also start looking forward to a number of inspirational events, which the HCCZ is preparing for 2015. More information is available in the schedule of nationwide events for 2015.

Volunteering in the Czech Republic? Examples of cooperation in municipalities

The two-year project by the Czech Healthy Cities Network and other partners from the Czech Republic and abroad, titled “Volunteering and Community Service (performed by unemployed) in Municipalities?“, ended on the last day of November. The topic is not new – a number of elements have been running for many years in this country and abroad. But the interconnection between municipalities and regions and the search for what voluntary work provides them with and, on the contrary, what municipalities can do for voluntary work, is new. Thanks to support by the European Social Fund and the Human Resources and Employment Operation Programme, hundreds of representatives of municipal and regional offices, as well as not-for-profit organizations and other interested parties from all over the Czech Republic could receive training on this topic. Demonstration events were organised, partnerships between municpalities and volunteering organisations were established and interesting publications for laypersons and professionals and a short inspirational film were created.

The HCCZ was involved in the “Volunteering and Community Service (performed by unemployed) in Municipalities?” project in cooperation with HESTIA, the National Voluntary Center, and with the participation of foreign partners – the CARDO Slovak Voluntary Center and the Baltic Association of Healthy Cities. The goal of the project was to present voluntary work not only as a beneficial activity, but also as an effective tool for developing work competence and increasing the qualifications of people who are currently unemployed for example. The project also demonstrated the benefits gained from establishing a stable partnership between towns and volunteer centres. Five sites were actively involved in cooperation from the very beginning – Healthy Cities Prachatice, Vsetin, Opava and Usti nad Labem, the city of Sobeslav and the Healthy Vysocina Region. A number of educational events took place at these pilot sites for current and future volunteers – for example discussions with students and unemployed people, volunteer coffee shops, etc. Many educational events for organisations working with volunteers also took place, more systematic cooperation was established between centres looking for and training volunteers and offering their help, between organisations accepting volunteers and between the cities which are able to support this activity – particularly by providing information, promotion and finances. Similarly to Czech cities and partner organisations, foreign partners also offered their tried and tested procedures and good practice, which were regularly published on this thematic website. Additional practically utilisable outputs included the prepared methodology, which offers tested procedures and recommendations on how best to support and develop voluntary work in municipalities, for instance who to work with and how and how to involve selected target groups. An interesting publication mapping the aforementioned good practice and inspirations from the Czech Republic and abroad, was also published. A short documentary was shot in Vsetín, Ústí and Labem and Opava, which attractively acquaints viewers with selected activities taking place in pilot cities and their volunteer centres, and in which the volunteers themselves describe what they gain from this activity. Find more project outputs at www.ZdravaMesta.cz/dobrovolnik.

Consultations for members of the Czech Healthy Cities Network – personal, by telephone and now also regular webinars

Another service was launched for members of the Czech Healthy Cities Network in 2014. A regular Internet webinar was added to targeted personal or telephone consultations, which are the association’s service most valued by city coordinators.

The webinar represents an on-line methodological seminar, where any number of invited guests meet in a “digital environment” at the specified time – by means of the internet and their earphones, and possibly web cameras. Coordinators and other representatives of Healthy Cities, Towns and Regions can ask questions here, send materials and, in particular, listen to discussion of various practical problems, which concern realisation of the Healthy City Project and the local Agenda 21. The advantage is that there is no need to leave your office during this nationwide methodological consultation and you can still find out plenty of interesting information pertaining to your work from HC National network consultants and from your colleagues from all over the Czech Republic.

Five webinars have taken place so far and more will follow in 2015. Subjects will include public forums and tested methods for inviting participants, preparation of annual plans for Healthy Cities and forms of assessment of activities and preparation of health plans and their connection to analytical materials and other documents created by the city. Coordinators are regularly informed about dates of related webinars and technical details.

The Healthy City Forum is always open to the opinions of residents. The young generation is particularly active

The Public Healthy City Forum is a meeting during which participants determine the biggest problems in the area. This meeting is attended not only by local residents and self-government representatives, but also representatives of not-for-profit organisations, schools and other experts from outside. The Forum also offers inspiration to other interested parties from cities, towns and regions nearby. During the Public Healthy City Forum participants are able to vote on the 10P – ten problems, which are subsequently verified by a questionnaire with the participation of a wider group of residents. Participants of this event are also informed how previous problems, which resulted from the public meeting last year, were resolved.

A Public Healthy City or Town Forum took place in 51 places in 2014. The Public Healthy City Litomerice Forum was attended by the most participants, the event was visited by 200 citizens. You can find a summary of Forum dates and venues on the website at www.ZdravaMesta.cz/forum. You can also find information about the 10P – the ten problems, which originated from the public meeting at the specific place, the related strategic documents, contact information and also invitations to the events here.

The Public Healthy City Forum also includes so-called youth round tables. Representatives of the younger generation are active participants in public meetings, they formulate their needs clearly and plainly express what is important to them in the place they live. Attendance of young people at events and their direct confrontation with the opinions and needs of adults also represents their preparation for their future positions in cities, towns and regions.