Community with Spirit aims at improving the living conditions in neighborhoods of towns and cities. It is a kind of competition. Not a real competition, because participants compete with themselves. Will they reach their objective in time. That’s the challenge each group is facing. Informal groups of people who want to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods can participate in Community with Spirit.
Organization
A jury appraises the plans whether they fit within the concept of Community with Spirit and accepts groups for participation in the competition. The same jury visits the groups again and looks whether they have reached their objectives in time. If so, they can call themselves community with spirit. At a regional celebration the groups receive a certificate and 1000 euro. The most inspiring and innovative projects receive an award and 1500 euro extra. Groups that have not managed to finish their project in time, receive an incentive prize of 500 euro.
Community with Spirit in the Netherlands and Latvia
In 1978 KNHM started to implement Community with Spirit in the Netherlands. From the start it has been a very successful concept. Over 100 informal groups participate each year. People take responsibility for improving their own quality of life and are stimulated to work together in projects. The acknowledgement they receive from the jury during the regional celebration in combination with the financial donation, motivates and gives them self-esteem. From 2005 onwards KNHM also implements Community with Spirit in Latvia. Instead of implementing Community with Spirit by itself, KNHM works together with partner organizations in several regions. These partner organizations are local NGO’s or municipalities. It is the responsibility of the partner organization to appoint a project coordinator, register informal groups, support the groups, organize the jury and a regional celebration. Annually 18 partner organizations and in total 150 projects participate in Latvia.
Why introducing Community with Spirit
Improving the livability is not only the responsibility of governments, NGOs and the private sector. People themselves can and should take the lead. However, people are sometimes not aware of what they can contribute themselves. Community with Spirit helps them to take action.
The concept of Community with Spirit is unique because:
• The positive feedback people receive raises their self-esteem and social cohesion
• It motivates people to take responsibility in improving the quality of life in their neighborhood
• Every informal group can participate as they design their own project
• People learn how to implement projects as they are guided through the project phases
• The concept is simple and not bureaucratic
• Over the years the concept has proven itself, in urban as well as rural areas
