During the first methodological workshop, which took place in Vremia Media Centre on September 28, everyone was able to find out how to receive a grant from the public platform “All-Ukrainian Union “Public Initiatives.”
It should be noted that the new public union was presented in the beginning of September in Kharkiv by Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Feldman. According to his words, “Public Initiatives” is a public platform, which is open absolutely for everyone regardless of political sympathies or antipathies. “The single criterion for cooperation is the availability of pragmatic and realistic initiatives and their undeniable benefit for the city of Kharkiv and its residents,” Oleksandr Feldman emphasized.
The representatives of NGOs dealing with the development of Kharkiv, volunteers and journalists took part in the workshop. The organizers tried to give answers to all questions concerning the directions, where it is possible to get project funding, as well as the peculiarities of preparation of applications. The participants of the workshop obtained application forms, in which they were able to write down their project proposals.
“Basic directions of “Public Initiatives” are divided into 6 clusters: Fair Kharkiv, ECO-Kharkiv, Sports Kharkiv, Volunteer’s Kharkiv, Cultural Kharkiv, and Smart Kharkiv. This list may be extended – everything depends on the proposed initiatives. Our task is to guarantee as transparent public evaluation as possible, and to support them organizationally, informationally and financially. It should be also emphasized that not only NGOs, but also individuals may become grant applicants,” one of the coordinators of “All-Ukrainian Union “Public Initiatives” Serhii Burlakov told. “Nevertheless, the initiators must understand that they are the actual curators and executors of their projects. It is not enough just to propose the idea. It is necessary to provide the real mechanisms of its implementation.”
The participants of the workshop have discussed the issues concerning citizen journalism, which is also in developmental plans of “Public Initiatives.” One of the coordinators of “All-Ukrainian Union “Public Initiatives” Olena Stronova told that the work on the establishment of an open media-platform with the working title “Kharkiv All Day Long” is already in progress. It will become an additional resource for the informational support of public projects.
“With the development of new electronic media, micro-blogging, a lot of people obtained the opportunity to openly express their point of views and thus to form public opinion. Citizen journalism appeared, but it is not a competitor and not an alternative for professional journalism. The task of the latter is to create a common field for cooperation, to share tools and experience, and to boost professional development,” Olena Stronova noted.
Project funding within the frameworks of “Public Initiatives” will be carried out based on grants with the obligatory procedure of open competition. The first tranche has already been allocated by the International Charitable Foundation “Oleksandr Feldman Foundation.”
