Svensk partner: Växjö Kommun | Sida 4

Tshwaraganang Library Project

This is a one year project resulting from the cooperation between Växjö municipality and Tlokwe city council in the area of culture and leisure. The project itself is called “Tshwaraganang – library project; and the goal of the project is to raise the level of competence and awareness regarding library services including: marketing the library, outside stakeholders, how to address analphabetism, development of language(s), IT and information seeking, oral presentation and story-telling.

In general, the aim is to improve on the reading culture in Tlokwe council and increase the range of leisure activities and the specific areas targeted include:

To deliver a comprehensive library service
To provide the latest published information and literature
Improve maintain and update the bibliographic database of libraries
Market the library to the community members.
Improve o the electronic presentation of the libraries.
Provide a comprehensive and up to date reference collection and handbooks that are related to school subjects and curricula.

The expected outcome to the project are that there will be increased literacy levels in Tlokwe city council and that most of the residents will have a better access to reading materials and leisure activities from the libraries.

Projektområde

Culture, leisure, sport and/or tourism

Svensk partner

Växjö Kommun

Internationell partner

Tlokwe City Council

Environmental education in schools

The project proposes two-year cooperation between the City of Växjö and Komuna Vushtrri. The project is established upon a problem analysis that describes the absence of environment education in school (Vushtrri) and difficulties to link existing environmental expertise to school education (Växjö).

The project objective defines a stage where the two municipalities have strengthened capacity to meet young pupils (age 10-15) and to educate them about environment and sustainability. The project will – through 12 activities – develop, test and evaluate a new method for environment pedagogy/education in active cooperation with the Linnaeus University in Växjö. The new method will be tested among teachers and approximately 100 pupils and will include a mix of new school material, seminars, problem solving, experiments and external study-visits.

The project is built upon a mutual relation where both partners have much to win from cooperating with each other. If the pilot-tests turn out successful, the project method will be made permanent and be implemented among other school-classes in the two municipalities. In that way the results will be sustained. The target-group of 13 participants founds the core of the project, while the pupils take part in the local work at home and report back during the four international visits. The project implementation will carefully consider environment, gender equality and fundamental values of human rights.

Projektområde

Education

Svensk partner

Växjö Kommun

Internationell partner

Komuna Vushtrri

SIPP – A pragmatic dialogue on Sustainable Integrated Planning Practice

This is a one-year project resulting from the partnership between Väjxö and Tlokwe municipalities. The objective of the project is to develop a Sustainable Integrated Planning Practice within the field of Town Planning.

The activities planned for are geared to address the following areas:

High density urban design
Urban energy saving
Rental housing models
Application of GIS technology along with decision-making.

Both Växjö and Tlokwe municipalities are facing challenges within their work of town planning and even if the settings are different the questions at issue are somehow similar. Through an exchange of knowledge the partners hope to inspire each other as well as to give each other new input and new perspectives for the work.

Expected outcomes are, apart from rising the level of competence of the 15 participants, is to make a reciprocal peer review of the work being done by Växjö and Tlokwe City Council within the areas addressed as well as sets of recommendations for improvement for the future work.

The expected outcome of the entire project is that Tlokwe town council as well as Växjö will have gained more knowledge and seen various ways of how to develop a growing city with regards to containment of urban sprawl, energy saving, different models for rental houses and GIS etc.

Projektområde

Urban planning

Svensk partner

Växjö Kommun

Internationell partner

Tlokwe City Council

PELIVAN – Power of Energy at Local level

Växjö municipality has earlier cooperated with the three Serbian municipalities Niš, Kula and Varvarin aiming for increasing the awareness of the need of a sustainable energy system and preparing the municipalities for approaching the EU. The municipalities developed strategic energy plans with visions and targets, and carried out technical visits and shared best practice.

The objective of this project is to increase the awareness further on energy management, strengthen the capacity to implement the measures in the energy plans and to improve the methods of communication around energy issues.

Energy issues have a close relationship with the level of prosperity and potential of development. A lack of awareness, knowledge and experiences to transform the energy system is also relevant for Växjö. A number of awareness raising measures will therefore be carried out, methods of developing projects and cooperation will be improved and best practice will be studied. Given the long time horizons that is required for transformation of energy systems; broad political agreements are needed, something that is expected to increase the democratic development in the municipalities. This project will also demonstrate the benefits of inter-municipal partnership that later could be used as a role model within Serbia.

Projektområde

Environment/Climate change

Svensk partner

Växjö Kommun

Internationell partner

Municipality of Nis, Municipality of Varvarin, Municipality of Kula

International Team Finance

The partnership between Växjö municipality and Tlokwe city councils resulted to the project named “International Team Finance” that is a one year project with the goal of improving on local democracy and local administration.

The key areas of implementation focuses on: the budgetary process – compilation and management, principles for municipal economy, revenue collection, debt and financial systems (IT), financial statements and asset register.

The aim is to share knowledge, experiences and lessons learnt between Växjö and Tlokwe City Council as well as to do a peer review of the approach to municipal budgetary and financial work which will result in a set of recommendations to improve the work at both municipalities.

The expected outcomes include but are not limited to:

A better understanding of the budgetary process as well as of the principles for municipal economy.
An examination on how to handle debts and deficits in the municipalities.
An exploration of anchoring the budget in the community.
A study of the financial systems and the assets registers used in both municipalities.

Projektområde

Inclusive leadership and governance

Svensk partner

Växjö Kommun

Internationell partner

Tlokwe City Council

Demokratiutveckling genom Fullmäktige

The two-year project is based on a mutual problem analysis where the municipalities have challenges in their work with, and in, the city council. In general terms, it´s about challenges in administration/coordination, transparency and participation, which also affects the accountability to the citizens. The two municipalities have different challenges that they want to develop in this project, but they all relate to this mutual problem analysis. They also have different strengths, weaknesses, skills and experience that will contribute to an effective project collaboration and exchange of knowledge that promotes and develops both partners.

The project objective is to create a new forum of cooperation for officials and councillors from both partner municipalities, through which the project will aim to achieve greater skills and knowledge among officials and politicians concerning methods and good practices regarding work of the city council within the following four specific themes:

management/coordination of the meetings;
technology and meeting formalities;
the city council as a governing body;
the city council as an arena for review, transparency and debate, and thereby creating greater understanding, participation and accountability.

The new skills shall have contributed to a plan and pilot-tests for implementation of selected methods and good practices that will develop the municipality’s work with, and in, the city council.

Projektområde

Inclusive leadership and governance

Svensk partner

Växjö Kommun

Internationell partner

Komuna Vushtrri

Promotion of Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women

The one-year project “Promotion of Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women” has been implemented in close cooperation between the two official partners the City of Växjö and Tlokwe City Council.

The overall objective of the project has been to highlight current prerequisites for gender equality in Sweden and South Africa, and examine what concrete actions are and can be taken by political actors (e.g. the municipality) in order to create a society based on fair and equal rights and opportunities for both women and men.

The overall objective is practically connected to current municipal work within frames of three sub-areas:

equal participation and opportunities in the political process
methods to address gender based violence
focus on cooperation between the municipality and external stakeholders.

The practical implementation has included six specific stages/activities: two international visits, sub-project activities and home-based work. During these stages, the altogether 12 participants (key-persons at central positions) have explored and learnt from a range of “best practices” connected to municipal gender equality work and the three sub-areas. The used methods have included internal presentations, one joint SWOT analysis, arranged seminars, several study-visits, meeting with external stakeholders (the police, Women´s Shelter, regional public actors, non-profit organizations etc), organisation of a project debate/discussion broadcasted on local TV etc.

The actual project is seen as a successful experience for all partners involved and the formal objectives, short-term aims and expected results have been fulfilled to a satisfying degree. The project has been implemented with great consideration to the economical framework and with careful respect to essential values connected to sustainability, poverty reduction, mutuality, environment and gender equality. The joint ambition is now to proceed the cooperation and take it forward to a project year 2 and 3.

Projektområde

Inclusive leadership and governance

Svensk partner

Växjö Kommun

Internationell partner

Tlokwe City Council