Let's Beautify and Arrange Our Kočevje Initiative
Let's Beautify and Arrange Our Kočevje Initiative, Tanja tajdohar
Categories: cultureheritageagriculture
Organizers: civil initiative
Lokacation: Kočevje, various locations (45.64107981033516, 14.861369132995605)
Where good practice takes place: outer space
About good practice
A description of the location
The initiative works in Kočevju. which economically and developmentally lags behind the country, which is often reflected in the appearance of the area, which is often neglected, degraded or forgotten.
The reason for the emergence of good practice
The initiative for the operation of the civil initiative was born from the vision of the architect Mateja Dekleva, who wanted to improve the public space in Kočevje and encourage the inhabitants to treat the environment more responsibly. Gradually, a core group was formed, which held its first meeting in January 2014. Today, the group consists of eight members. The main goals of the initiative are to enlighten and educate people about the importance of space and to change their attitude towards the environment. The initiative strives for long-term changes that will improve the quality of life in Kočevje. Each member contributes their knowledge and experience, which enables a comprehensive and effective approach to projects. Cooperation with the wider community is also key, because only in this way can permanent changes and greater awareness of the importance of environmental protection be achieved.
The operation of best practice
One of the group's activities is to warn the owners of lots in important locations in the city by sending out leaflets with a friendly address and photos that highlight opportunities for improvement. They also organize participative workshops, striking work campaigns and plan events to promote cycling, garage sales and raise awareness about dog excrement. After more than a year of operation, the group remains an independent civil initiative without its own resources and financing, which enables creative and teamwork and connection with the local community. However, the lack of formal competence poses a challenge in the implementation of some actions.
After a year and a half, the initiative is well embedded in the local context and has a mostly positive reception from the residents, despite some problems with local services. They are currently studying ways to formalize the work in order to gain greater validity and opportunities for cooperation in spatial matters.
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