2022 Award "Best Practice in Citizen Participation"

Based on our previous experience with the city-wide participatory budget, which has been taking place for 6 years, we know that a small number of young people are participating. We wanted to change this fact and involve more young people in decision-making about their surroundings and later on about their city and the country. Our main goal was to teach young people the basic principles of democracy. The Participatory budget for schools seemed to us to be the most suitable tool. This participatory budget was launched in 2020 and the holding of the 3rd year of the Participatory budget for schools is confirmed.

Out of the total number of 65 primary schools administrated by the city, 27 primary schools applied for the first school year, the second year it was already 32 schools and now the third year is being prepared, in which 40 primary schools confirmed its participation.

Thanks to this growing trend of registered schools and feedback from schools from the previous years, we can see that there is great interest in participatory budgeting and pupils want to decide about their nearest surroundings.

The main innovation in this project was the creation of a web-based online platform in which school coordinators, pupils and our Participation Department have access and where everything is at one place. This platform is easily transferable with minimal adjustments to schools in other cities and it is also the basis for participatory budgeting for secondary schools.

As a result, we expect greater involvement of young people in the city-wide participatory budget, as well as increasing interest about their surroundings and greater participation in elections, both municipal and national.

https://skoly.damenavas.cz (External link)