Competition of social initiatives “We are the city”

Competition of social initiatives “We are the city”

ukraine

Period of implementation of the project:

2013 – to this day

Challenge: 

Non-profit organizations, municipal institutions, initiative citizens can take part in the competition. Participants must independently formulate problem issues in their projects, prove their relevance to the city or region, suggest ways to solve problems that may arise, and implement their projects. The winners of the competition receive grants up to UAH 100 000.

Projects should be aimed at creating innovative approaches to address important social issues in the following areas: improving infrastructure; culture, education, sports; volunteering and patriotism.

The competition consists of three stages:

  1. Collection and technical processing of project applications, training seminars.
  2. Evaluation by members of the Expert Council of the winners of the competition, examination of projects.
  3. Financing and implementation of projects, monitoring, reporting.

Solution: 

Tasks of the social program:

  • improving the social microclimate;
  • increasing the activity of the local population and involving people in solving social problems;
  • improving the infrastructure of the region;
  • supporting for current projects aimed at sustainable development of the region and improving the quality of life in society in Zaporizhzhya and Zaporizhzhya region.

The program «We are the city» consists of the following large-scale content components that have proven themselves over the years of the competition:

  1. Social project school.

For 7 years, the grant program transformed into a curriculum for social projecting. During the period from the beginning of the acceptance of applications to the final meetings of the Council of Experts, open trainings and master classes on writing project applications take place (up to ten trainings per year). Mentors are reputable public figures in Zaporizhzhya, specialists in grant programs. Thus, every year about 500 Zaporizhzhia residents receive valuable social projecting skills free of charge, which provide an opportunity to participate in international grant programs and give impetus to the implementation of their own ideas.

The difference of the grant program is also the presence of a stage of public defense of projects.

Another feature of the competition is to give full responsibility for the project to its authors: competitive elaboration of certain positions that must be purchased to start the project, preparation and justification of estimates, coordination of legal aspects of the project, forecasting implementation dates.

  1. Accelerator of social startups

The contest «We are the city» became the only accelerator of socially useful startups in Zaporizhzhya region. Thanks to financial and mentoring support, residents of the city and region get the opportunity to start and scale their best ideas.

  1. Platform for social cohesion.

Results: 

The contest has been transformed into one of the important factors of the region’s development. As an educational platform for social design and an accelerator of social startups, the competition has become an integral part of the Zaporizhzhia ecosystem.

For 7 years of work of the program “We are the city” inhabitants of Zaporizhzhia and the area sent 1653 competitive applications. 330 projects received grant support totaling UAH 22 300 000, and are successfully implemented.

2019 was a record year for the number of submitted project applications – 420. In 2019, 100 projects won the competition, for the implementation of which the enterprises of the METINVEST Group allocated UAH 7 000 000.

Over the years, we have managed to implement really important initiatives. So thanks to the competition there is a significant development of education in the region. In 2017, with the support of “We are the city”, after almost eleven years of oblivion Children’s Planetarium in the city was revived. In 2018, thanks to a grant from the competition, the city’s first Children’s Robotics School Smart Kids was created, whose students achieved great success: in 2019, the girls from the School became winners of the international IT competition and presented their mobile application in ecology in San Francisco.

Zaporizhzhia has become a center of large-scale social festivals, which have become the city’s business card.

With the support of the competition, local residents are implementing unique projects aimed at improving the quality of life of people with disabilities.

More and more people in Zaporizhzhya are starting to take an active position in life, which is one of the main goals of the competition. 

Category: Peace

Applicant: Zaporizhzhia. Joint Action Platform

Zaporizhzhia logo

About the company: 

Public organization “Zaporizhzhia. Joint Action Platform” coordinates the contest of social initiatives»We are the city» for the second year in a row.

Sustainable Development Goals

GOALS_Ukr-03
GOALS_Ukr-04
GOALS_Ukr-09
GOALS_Ukr-11
GOALS_Ukr-17

Partners

PJSC “Zaporozhogneupor”

PJSC “Zaporizhstal”

PJSC “Zaporizhzhia Coke Plant”

Zaporizhzhia Foundry and Mechanical Plant