Community on the Web
Duration of the case: 4 months (spring 2006 – summer 2006)
Prepared by: Norbert Vrabec
Citizen Action, Slovakia
June 2006
Abstract
The main goal of the project was to create a new website www.klokocina.sk that could serve the
local community of the Klokočina neighborhood in Nitra, Slovakia. Nitra is located 85 km from
Bratislava with the population of 90 000 inhabitants. The Klokočina neighborhood is the biggest
neighborhood in the city. About 33 000 people live in high rise buildings.
In spite of this high concentration of people, local citizens did not have any source of information
(local newspaper, radio, TV, etc.) This project significantly improved citizens’ awareness of
community life and contributed to their active participation in decision making processes.
Background
Civic association Citizens Action in Nitra decided to increase citizens’ awareness of life in
their local community of the biggest neighborhood in Nitra. The target group of this project
were all citizens of the Klokočina neighborhood, but mainly adults and youths. Citizens
Action raised 15 000 Slovak crowns (USD 500) for this project.
About the organization
For detailed information about the organization please visit www.ova.sk , more info about
project you could find on www.klokocina.sk.
Concept
The main goal of this project was to create content and structure a new community web site
that could be used by citizens of the biggest neighborhood in Nitra.
Insuring proper content and operation of the website were important conditions for citizens’
awareness of community life and contributed to their active participation in citizens’ life.
The operation and actualization of the website work on the partnership principle between
citizens, NGOs working in the neighborhood and local government.
Maintenance of the website is financed from the grant that the Civic association received
from Community Foundation in Nitra.
Goals
Long terms goals:
 To create conditions for involving citizens of Klokočina neighborhood into solving of
problems that are touching their life in community
 To empower partnership principles and active participation of citizens on decision
making processes
 To ensure cross-sectoral cooperation between local government and public, non
government, educational and business organizations in solving the practical problems
of the big neighborhood
Short terms goals:
 To evoke interest of citizens in the neighborhood and actively influence life in the
community where they live, work and spend their free time
 To develop communication between NGOs, citizens and local government about
possibilities of problem solving in the biggest neighborhood of the city
Activities and project implementation
Activity 1: Organization of the initial planning meeting of the members of Civic association
Citizens Action Nitra and others stakeholders that helped with the creation of the website.
During that meeting the tasks, competencies and responsibilities were assigned. Also a
detailed plan of the project realization was prepared.
Activity 2: Creation of the structure and content of the website. During this key activity, civic
association’s members on their two planning meetings agreed on the content and structure of
the website.
Activity 3: Technical assistance of the website. The web hosting and design of the website
was ensured. In the same time, we trained 10 activists from local young people with some PC
skills who will actualize the website.
Activity 4: Start of the website. During this activity we started the trial run of the web site that
eventually came into the fully operated web site.
Activity 5: Promotion of the website. During this activity we tried to promote the website
among local people as much as possible. We distributed the information leaflets to mail boxes
and put the information posters on the most frequent public places. We also gave information
materials to the members of partner organizations in the neighborhood.
Usefulness of the project for the community
The project was oriented on the mutual participation and communication between the target
groups:
 Citizens of the Klokočina neighborhood in Nitra
 Representatives of the nongovernmental organizations that have an interest to
contribute to the future vision of the neighborhood
 Representatives of the local government for whom improvement of the quality life of
citizens should be one of their priorities
 Independent experts on the local level that are specialized in the field of community
development, education, drugs prevention, etc.
Our long term aim was to achieve maximum involvement of local people into all strategic
decisions concerning the neighborhood. Citizens of the neighborhood are receiving through
the website important information from the community life; they could lead the discussion
forums, comment on the decisions of the city concerning the neighborhood, etc.
Results and Lessons learned
Citizens of the neighborhood have the possibility to receive through the website important
information from the community life; lead the discussion forums, comment on the decisions
of the city concerning the neighborhood, share opinions with others, etc. Ten NGOs that are
active in the neighborhood are involved to the project and contribute with information to the
website content.
Participation of young people that were trained is not as high as we expected. We do not have
enough financial sources for professional maintenance of the web site. Editing of the website
is done by the volunteers, we miss a manager who will be able to fully utilize the capacity of
the community website.
Recommendations
We will be glad to share all our experiences with development and maintenance of the
community website. As basic recommendations we could offer:
 Be consistent in the selection of proper partners who will regularly contribute to
the
website with their information (text, photos, suggestions of community
surveys, etc.)
 Do not forget that even thought this is a project on the voluntary base for its
sustainability we need financial sources. It will be suitable if at least one person
will work as a full time administrator of the website who will also make contact
with the business sector in order to place their advertisements on the website as
one of the financial sources.
Contacts information
Norbert Vrabec,
Citizens Action – Nitra
Farská 46, 949 01 Nitra
Slovakia
Tel: +421 908 979 362
E-mail: nvrabec@zmail.sk
Web site: www.klokocina.sk