Public education through "Civic Academy's" activities to engage citizens in self-governance (BAMOD0001)

Commitment ID

BAMOD0001

Commitment Title

Public education through "Civic Academy's" activi to engage citizens in self governance

Problem

Citizens of the Municipality of Modriča are not sufficiently familiar with the structure and competencies of the local self-government, the services that the municipal administration provides, as well as with the rights they can exercise. Insufficient information about the competencies of local self-government affects the exercise of rights and the provision of services to citizens.

The "Civic Academy“ should provide continuous, modern education about the rights and obligations of the local self-government. A modern approach, multimedia content, but also direct contact with young people who are preparing for academic life, are a good basis for ongoing education.

Status quo

The impact of public hearings in the municipality of Modriča cannot be measured in a way to understand how the policy-making process worked. This is significantly contributed by closedness in work, lack of resources, and capacity to implement regulations, which avoids the focus on risk prevention in the application of public policies, and is closer to short-term solutions.
Many policies can be difficult to formulate and implement well because they depend on the level of knowledge and consistent application of the principles of good management, control and monitoring.
One of the reasons for the lack of citizens' motivation to participate is not the complete lack of announcements and notifications, but their content and their effective transparency and availability.
All of the above affects the quality of public discussions, the degree of inclusivity in decision-making, the quality of the policies themselves, their acceptance and enforceability.

Action

Two units are planned as part of the "Civic Academy".
The first part refers to the organization of the "Open Day" event. Graduates of the final grades of primary and secondary schools will spend one day in the municipal administration building, where they will learn about the work of municipal departments. A conversation with the head of the Municipality or one of the heads of the Department will be organized at the end of the visit. Participants of the Academy will have the opportunity to present proposals on what they would improve in the work of the local self-government unit. Also, they will be given the opportunity to submit their proposals via e-mail to the municipal official in charge.
The second part refers to the creation and distribution of multimedia content that educates about the responsibilities of local self-government and is then distributed through various communication channels.

How will the commitment contribute to solving the public problem described above?

The right of the public to know how the democratic government decides on its behalf implies the existence of an efficient system of informing the public about issues that are important for the social community and citizens.
The right to access information enables citizens to access information that is in the possession of public authorities and that such information, as a credible indicator of the work of public authorities, is used to encourage positive changes.
The purpose of this obligation is to direct information and communication activities to specific needs of citizens and reduce the risk of wrong communication, thus ensuring that the desired information is expressed in the form that is clearest understandable and usable for citizens.

What long-term goal as identified in your Open Government Strategy does this commitment relate to?

Continuous involvement of citizens in the work of local self-government, examination of satisfaction with the provision of services, as well as education of young people, directly corresponds with the principles set out in the Strategic Vision of Open Government.
The Municipality of Modriča, as a unit of local self-government, decided that in the Local Action plan to launch new initiatives for open government, that is, to advance existing and ongoing reforms which are already stipulated by obligations in existing strategic documents and local plans.

Primary Policy Area

Civic Space, Right to Information

Primary Sector

Education, Other/NA

What OGP value is this commitment relevant to?