Citizenship Engagement Programme

Participation for progress

The Citizenship Engagement programme is aimed at combating political and general societal apathy through the formation of Communities of Interest and supporting their engagement with developmental agencies around issues that negatively affect community development.
Activities include facilitating events with members of the community, for example, hosting ward conferences where community issues are articulated, debated, and prioritised.
These events result in community representatives who are passionate about a particular community development issue, being selected to engage with municipal decision makers around them. The aim of the events is to encourage active citizenship and increased awareness of community needs at a decision maker level.

The other main activity under this programme is the development of a digital platform containing web-based municipal project implementation and budget tracking system. At the core of this digital platform is a web-based municipal project implementation and budget tracking system, which will utilise and distil data from the municipal Service Delivery and Budget Implementation Plan (SDBIP) to share with the communities the progress of the implementation of IDP priorities. This web-based system – a user-friendly website – will enable locals to track budgets spent on community priorities as well as hold municipal officials accountable for service delivery.

The results of the web-based system will be used by CoIs and ward committees to lobby and advocacy for more transparency and community involvement. Furthermore, this website will serve as the main platform for integrating the results of all three components of this project and linking their activities. This means that the website will inform users on the results of component 2 and 3 and how these results are reflected and picked up upon at the IDP hearings. The website will be made public through town-based events and social media platforms. Finally, the website will be used to pilot and test public participation events with regards to IDP related topics.

Youth Public Participation – MyDorp

Empowering Communities for a Brighter Future

The Mydorp Program is a community-driven initiative designed to empower residents to actively shape the future of their town. This innovative program encourages participants to envision their dream town, identify its needs, and collaboratively work towards realizing those dreams. By fostering active citizenship and facilitating communication between community members and municipal officials, the Mydorp Program has a profound impact on local communities.

The program begins with a creative and inspiring step where community members are encouraged to visualise their ideal town. This process allows community members to dream big, considering the improvements they wish to see in their neighbourhood.

Through this process participants identify the critical needs and challenges facing their community in an unknowingly way. The program instils a sense of ownership and responsibility within participants. It encourages them to take an active role in implementing the proposed solutions, fostering a culture of engagement and accountability.

Mydorp serves as a bridge between the community and municipal authorities. It provides a platform for residents to present their ideas and proposals to local government officials, ensuring that the voices of the community are heard.

In summary, the Mydorp Program is not just a community development initiative; it’s a catalyst for positive change. By empowering residents to envision, plan, and implement their dream town, it creates active citizens who are deeply invested in the well-being of their community. This, in turn, leads to more vibrant, resilient, and thriving towns in the Bergrivier Municipal area.

Community Affiliated Funds (CAF) Programme

Enriching lives, building a better future together.

The CAF programme is aimed at increasing knowledge about and access to resources as well as providing mechanisms for individuals and local businesses to invest for sustainable change.

ICA recruits, trains and support the CAF’s in various aspects. Activities include facilitating issue-based dialogues within communities to assist in the recruitment of CAF committee members, as well as the training and support of CAFs and their committees. This support includes administrative support, fundraising support, grant-making support and mentoring.

Essentially, the CAF programme aims to support local community projects which address priority issues in the community through small-scale grants and mentorship.

The programme does this by facilitating issue-based dialogues in communities which bring community members together to discuss pertinent issues. These dialogues result in the establishment of CAF committees around a common theme, and these committees will move forward with their theme identifying priority issues within it which they would like to address.

Once committees are established ICA support the committee members through monthly mentorship, administrative support and training. The training assists to improve the committee’s knowledge of fundraising and grant making. ICA also assists the committees in implementing fundraising activities, which in turn enables access to grant-making funds for the CAFs. All of these culminate in the committee’s feeling supported by ICA.
With access to funds and administrative support committees are able to put out calls for proposals to their communities for projects which address their priority issues. The qualifying projects become grantees, and whilst being supported by ICA through mentorship, use the grant money to support local communities in ways that matter to the community.