center za razvoj in podporo participativnih praks / center for participatory practice development and support

Program Center za razvoj in podporo participativnih praks je vsebinski podporni center na prednostnem področju demokracije, namenjen celostni in dolgoročni krepitvi zmogljivosti manjših ter lokalnih nevladnih organizacij za kakovostno, strukturirano in trajnostno vključevanje v participativne procese. Program sistematično odgovarja na izzive nizke stopnje participacije, omejenega vpliva civilne družbe na lokalne politike ter pomanjkanja praktičnih orodij za vključujoče in transparentno odločanje. Aktivnosti se bodo pretežno izvajale na območju Podravja, deloma pa tudi v drugih slovenskih regijah.

Program združuje razvoj in uporabo inovativnega orodja za merjenje stopnje participacije, modularna in praktično naravnana usposabljanja, individualno mentorsko podporo ter strukturirano medsebojno učenje med organizacijami. S tem nevladnim organizacijam omogoča krepitev notranjih demokratičnih procesov, poglobljeno vključevanje članov, uporabnikov in širše skupnosti ter utrjevanje njihove vloge kot relevantnih akterjev lokalne demokracije in zagovorništva.

Pričakovana sprememba pri končnih uporabnikih je večja sposobnost samostojnega in reflektiranega uvajanja participativnih praks, okrepljena legitimnost njihovega delovanja ter trajnejši in vidnejši prispevek k razvoju demokratične kulture v lokalnem okolju.

Načrtovani rezultati

Rezultati programa bodo vidni v konkretnih spremembah pri delovanju vključenih organizacij:

• Razvito in validirano bo orodje za merjenje stopnje participacije, ki ga bo testiralo najmanj 14 organizacij. Orodje bo omogočalo dolgoročno spremljanje kakovosti participativnih procesov in načrtovanje izboljšav.
• Vsaj 75 % vključenih organizacij bo izkazovalo izboljšano znanje in praktične kompetence za načrtovanje in izvajanje participativnih procesov, kar bo potrjeno z evalvacijami pred in po usposabljanju.
• Najmanj 8 organizacij bo ob mentorski podpori uvedlo vsaj en konkreten participativni proces v svoje redno delovanje – na primer vključevanje uporabnikov v načrtovanje programov, soupravljanje ali strukturirano vključevanje skupnosti v odločanje.
• Vzpostavljena bo okrepljena mreža sodelovanja med organizacijami, nastala bodo nova partnerstva in skupne pobude na področju demokratične participacije.
• Program dolgoročno prispeva k večji vključenosti civilne družbe v procese odločanja, krepitvi demokratične kulture na lokalni ravni ter večji legitimnosti in trajnosti delovanja nevladnih organizacij.

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The Centre for Participatory Practice Development and Support is a thematic support centre in the priority area of democracy, dedicated to the comprehensive and long-term strengthening of capacities of small and local civil society organisations for high-quality, structured, and sustainable engagement in participatory processes. The programme systematically addresses the challenges of low levels of participation, the limited influence of civil society on local policymaking, and the lack of practical tools for inclusive and transparent decision-making. Activities will be implemented primarily in the Podravje region, and partly in other Slovenian regions.

The programme combines the development and application of an innovative participation assessment tool, modular and practice-oriented training sessions, individual mentoring support, and structured peer learning among organisations. Through these components, the programme enables civil society organisations to strengthen their internal democratic processes, deepen the involvement of members, users, and the wider community, and consolidate their role as relevant actors in local democracy and advocacy.

The expected change for end users is an increased capacity to independently and reflectively introduce participatory practices, enhanced legitimacy of their work, and a more sustainable and visible contribution to the development of democratic culture at the local level.

Expected Results

The results of the programme will be reflected in concrete changes in the functioning of participating organisations:

• A participation assessment tool will be developed and validated, tested by at least 14 organisations. The tool will enable long-term monitoring of the quality of participatory processes and structured planning of improvements.
• At least 75% of participating organisations will demonstrate improved knowledge and practical competences for planning and implementing participatory processes, confirmed through pre- and post-training evaluations.
• At least 8 organisations will, with mentoring support, introduce at least one concrete participatory process into their regular operations — such as user involvement in programme design, co-governance mechanisms, or structured community engagement in decision-making.
• A strengthened cooperation network among organisations will be established, leading to new partnerships and joint initiatives in the field of democratic participation.
• In the long term, the programme will contribute to greater civil society involvement in decision-making processes, the strengthening of democratic culture at the local level, and increased legitimacy and sustainability of civil society organisations..