Non-government organisation "Volyn Regional Initiatives Centre", having the status of a non-governmental organization, actively cooperates and provides partner support to local self-government bodies of the border in matters of attracting additional material and financial resources to ensure sustainable development and improve the quality of life.
Thus, within the framework of the Territorial Cooperation Program of the Eastern Partnership "Belarus-Ukraine" the project "By learning the culture of the neighbouring nation - towards sustainable partnership and mutual understanding" was implemented.
Overall objective: to contribute to the sustainable economic, social and cultural development of communities in the Ukrainian-Belarus
border area.
Specific objectives:
- to improve mutual acquaintance with cultural heritage of Ukrainian and Belarus peoples among residents of the border area;
to promote culture and national traditions of Ukraine and Belarus; - to favour people-to-people contacts by means of joint arranging and holding of cultural events;
- to involve young people to establishing cultural dialogue and civilized relations built on tolerance and recognition of different cultural systems equivalence;
- to facilitate the dissemination of information on the cultural heritage of the two regions and cross-border cooperation in the field of culture.
Results:
- lasting cross-border contacts in the field of culture.
- regular cultural exchanges.
- increased capacity of local authorities and institutions to manage and coordinate cultural activities and cross-border cooperation.
- residents of border communities get familiar with the culture of a neighbouring country.
- students on both sides of the border involved to the process of learning culture and traditions of the neighbouring nation.
- informal people-to-people contacts.
- improved infrastructure of culture establishments.
- material conditions of cultural institutions improved.
- ensured access of the public to information on cultural heritage and contemporary art of the two countries through a page on Facebook.
- a joint publication.
- residents of the cross-border region informed on the EU financial contribution to the development of territorial cooperation.
- Favourable pre-conditions for extension of cross-border cooperation
Project duration: December 2017 - February 2019
Total cost of the project: EUR 143,100
EU grant: EUR 128,800
Within the framework of ENI Cross-border cooperation programme application form Poland-Belarus-Ukraine 2014-2020 UIS (second competition) a public organization together with the Association of Self-Government Bodies of the Euroregion "Bug" prepared and implemented the project "Prince Sanguszko’s Family By-Ways Virtual Tour – let’s reveal new pages of shared Ukrainian and Polish history" .
Overall objective: to foster use of cultural and historical heritage of the CBC area for increasing the visibility of its touristic potential andpromoting its attractiveness both to domestic markets and to new touristic origins.
Specific objectives:
- improve the access of the general public to the tangible and intangible historical heritage of the cross-border region by creating a shared virtual tourist itinerary;
- to encourage cooperation between target groups (historians, scholars, museum workers, travel agencies, tourist information centers, etc.) by establishing cross-border partnerships to create and promote new tourism products;
- raise awareness of the Volyn and Lublin regions about the historical and cultural heritage by promoting it for sustainable tourism development.
The main activities of the project:
- exploration of historical sources related to the life and activities of the Sangushk princes;
- a practical seminar on presentation of research results;
- creation of a joint virtual cross-border tourist route “Through the Sangushk Princes”;
- creating a website and mobile app;
- publication of a tourist guide "The ways of the princely kind of Sangushk";
- promotional tour of places of newly created cross-border tourist route;
- virtual tour route presentation and final conference.
Project duration: November 2019 - September 2020
Total project cost of the project: EUR 44,750.68
EU grant: EUR 40,271.14
The Joint Monitoring Committee of the European Neighbourhoods Instrument's Poland-Belarus-Ukraine Cross-Border Cooperation Program 2014-2020 has published the results of the third call for proposals, which was open to micro-projects under the Thematic Heritage objective.
Among the 26 projects that will receive EU funds for implementation, there is a project developed and submitted to the competition of the NGO "Volyn Regional Initiatives Centre".
The Joint Monitoring Committee decided to provide a grant of EUR 54,459.55 for the implementation of the project "OPALIN: Small settlements - a big story". The main executor on the Ukrainian side is the Center for Regional Initiatives in Volyn, the partner is the Rivne Village Council, and on the Polish side is the Ruda-Huta commune.
The main goal of the project is to increase the economic and social viability of rural communities on the Ukrainian-Polish border by making better use of historical heritage to increase their tourist attractiveness.
The main products will be a joint art and local history festival, 6 master classes for schoolchildren on the restoration of traditional crafts typical of this area, a cross-border bike ride, an exhibition, a publication and a practical seminar to exchange best practices.
The practical implementation of the project activities will begin in 2021, after the completion of all formalities provided by the Program and the signing of the Grant Contract.