Participatory Budgeting for Culture in the Municipality of Kourion
Below you will find all the participation details and information.
The Municipality of Kourion, within the programme "Kourion 2030", is implementing a Participatory Budgeting process for the Cultural Activities of 2025. If you are a resident of the Municipality, you have the opportunity to directly submit your own proposals for projects or actions that can be performed in the area. Participation is very simple. Complete the participation form by clicking here and submit it through this page or in person. The only requirement is that your idea relates to the field of culture and does not exceed a cost of 50,000 euros.
What is Participatory Budgeting?
Participatory Budgeting is a process in which citizens are directly asked to participate in decisions about how an amount of the budget could be spent, usually related with a local authority (municipality, community, etc.).
The goals of the process are:
To bring citizens closer to the authorities that make decisions about their daily lives.
To provide opportunities for residents to speak and collaborate with their fellow citizens.
To inform the municipal authority about what its citizens want.
Το inform citizens how decisions are made at the local level.
Το create more active and informed citizens.
Participatory Budgeting is not something new. It has been in action since 1990 and been used by 4,500 cities around the world, mainly in Latin America. In Europe, it is more common in Eastern and Southern Europe, with notable examples being the cities of Madrid and Paris. In Cyprus, it has been tested twice, in Ayia Napa and Paphos.
“Participatory Budgeting empowers communities, by giving the voice of planning their future.”
Participatory Budgeting in the Municipality of Kourion
The Municipality of Kourion, according to its strategy for claiming the title of European Capital of Culture for 2030, has decided to implement a form of Participatory Budgeting (PB). There are many different ways to implement PB, but in the case of the Municipality of Kourion, it was decided to have the following characteristics:
A. To be focused on cultural matters.
B. To consist of 3 stages:
Stage 1: Submission of proposals by citizens.
In this phase, citizens can freely submit their cultural proposals using the corresponding participation form. This stage begins in July and will last until September 2024.
Stage 2: Eligibility check and proposal revision.
Once the previous stage of proposal submission is completed, the proposals will be checked for their eligibility. For example, whether they pertain to cultural matters or if their budget exceeds the upper limit of 50,000 euros.
All submitted proposals will be presented at an event where the applicants will be invited. In the event, it will be given the opportunity to revise their proposal, if the applicants wish, and make it eligible. Moreover, the applicants can “join forces” with others who have suggested something similar. Stage 2 will start in September, and will be completed by mid-October.
Stage 3: Municipal Council decisions.
All eligible citizens’ proposals will be included in a reference document that will be delivered to the municipal council, which will discuss and decide about their possible implementation for the year 2025.
Timeline
JULY
-
SEPTEMBER
Submission of proposals by citizens
OCTOBER
Evaluation and revision of proposals
OCTOBER
-
NOVEMBER
Presentation to the Municipal Council and decision-making
2025
Implementation of the selected proposals
How can you participate?
All you need is an idea on how an amount, less or equal with €50,000, can be used in the cultural sector. Write down your idea using the Participation Form found below. The deadline for submitting your ideas is September 30, 2024.
Criteria and Terms of Participation
Your proposal should concern a project within the jurisdiction of the Municipality and aim to serve the public interest.
Your idea should be realistically achievable with the maximum amount of €50,000. Although you can use the whole amount, you can also submit smaller proposals, e.g. with a budget of €5 to €10,000.
Your proposal should pertain to the cultural sector.
Any resident of the Municipality of Kourion can submit a proposal, either individually or as a representative of a group, whether it is an organized group or just a group of friends.
In October, after the end of the first stage and the submission of proposals, an event will be held by the Municipality of Kourion, where you will have the opportunity to hear and discuss the proposals submitted by other citizens, as well as revise your proposal, if you wish.
Subsequently, all eligible proposals will be organized into a reference document, which will be delivered to the Municipal Council. The Municipal Council will examine the proposals and decide if and how they will be implemented. These decisions are expected to be announced on the Municipality’s website by the end of November.
Participation Form
You can download the participation form by clicking: Word file, PDF file
Below you can find examples of proposals as well as the Participatory Budgeting Regulation. For any questions or clarifications, contact us at info@kourion2030.eu
Submission of Participation Form
Fill in your contact details and upload the file of your participation form (.docx, .doc, .pdf).
Submission deadline: September 30, 2024.
Examples of Proposals
Here you can see examples of proposals that could be submitted for the Participatory Budgeting of the Municipality of Kourion, along with the completed participation form. Use them as a template if you wish, but do not feel the need to copy them. The most important thing is the Municipality to be informed about your ideas for the area.
Examples of "small" projects with a budget of approximately 5,000 euros:
Organization of monthly historical walks in Limassol. Completed participation form can be found here
Series of lectures by academics on the history of Cyprus at the municipal theater. Completed participation form can be found here
Renewal of the equipment of the municipal children’s choir.
Organization of a role-playing game for teenagers in the Municipality.
Examples of "larger" projects with a budget of over 10,000 euros:
