This year, the capital is allocating 50 to initiatives that create and nurture community traditions. Eur. Support has been distributed to twelve projects that strengthen neighborhood ties - all of them are dedicated to the involvement of Vilnius residents in cultural and educational activities and focus on sustainability solutions.
"For eight years, we have been helping communities grow stronger, create their own traditions, organize joint holiday gatherings or leisure time. This year, we invited the communities to take a new look at community activities, Vilnius residents are waiting for an endless number of interesting projects promoting the responsible use of resources and the preservation of the environment", says Vilnius city municipalities Daiva Mikulskienė, advisor to the Organizational Development Group of the administration.
The "Bed of Ideas" project In Pilaite and Verkiaues" will create an open and biologically diverse public space and thus educate citizens about the principles of a sustainable lifestyle in the city and promote community spirit. The city garden "Idejų lysvė" will supplement the biodiversity of the Pilaitė district with plant segments that attract pollinating insects and will expand the concept of the city garden in Verkių borough by establishing a new community city garden. Habitats for insects will be created in the city, landscaping projects will be implemented and planting taluks will be prepared. Residents association "Idejų lysvė" will encourage community gardens and horticulture, teach residents to compost food waste and use it in the soil, etc.
New Town Community "New town. With love" project "Naujamainytuvés" will promote initiatives that reduce the impact of residents on the climate and will seek to unite the community in New City, strengthening its uniqueness and continuity of traditions by mobilizing local residents for activities focused on sustainability solutions. Exchanges, markets, and workshops will be held, and the community will be educated about sustainability, and residents' involvement in waste reduction will be encouraged. Five exchanges will be organized in different areas of New Town and one of Old Town, in order to spread information as much as possible and involve as many residents as possible.
in Antakalni, in Sapiegų Park, next to the township Public Enterprise "Piliečių natsiųvos" will implement the project "Community Refrigerator in Sapiegų Park" - a community refrigerator for sharing food will be built and put into operation. Residents of Antakalnis will have the opportunity to try out new possibilities of food conservation in practice. The authors of the project will encourage residents to share their excess food, not throw it away. Food establishments operating in Sapiegii Park will be encouraged to share leftover food with local residents at the end of the day. The community refrigerator maintenance volunteer group will include at least 20 active local residents. An open community refrigerator will provide an opportunity to provide food for needy people in the area. It is planned to save a large amount of edible food products and dishes (~50-80 kg per month).
When selecting projects, great attention is paid to initiatives of local communities that reduce or completely neutralize the population's impact on the climate or increase resilience to the threats posed by climate change. Funded projects whose activities and education are related to the cultivation of biodiversity (urban beekeeping, sustainable grasslands, conservation of insect, animal and bird habitats); also related to communal urban gardens, use of food waste for compost; for afforestation projects, creation and preservation of green areas or adaptation for recreation, planting taluks; activities promoting consumption reduction; for the activities of saving energy resources or promoting the use of green energy; food conservation initiatives and related educational activities.
The highest maximum support for one project is 5 thousand. euros. In total, the applications of 45 non-governmental organizations were evaluated in the community activities competition this year.
In 2023, 13 projects of non-governmental organizations were financed and implemented.
