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The Pécs City Civic Framework is open again

It is a great pleasure when NGOs in Pécs ask the city government for something and it is implemented within a short time. This happened last year, when several civil society organisations at the Civil Forum asked for city funding to be made available through tenders. The reason for this is that many NGOs work for the people of Pécs, for those in need, often carrying out activities that the state or the municipality cannot or cannot adequately provide. A number of exemplary initiatives have been/are being implemented in Pécs by NGOs.

Last year’s Pécs City Civic Framework will continue this year, with a little more money available for applicants. It is a great achievement that – also at the request of Pécs civic activists – the call for applications was launched at the beginning of the year. The application method has also been improved, with the House of Civic Communities playing a major role as coordinator.

Listen to the PécsTV news report about this, in which, to our great delight, People First is featured prominently. Thank you PécsTV!

Barrier-free Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day can also be barrier-free.
We can help you plan by recommending pleasant barrier-free places in or around Pécs. You can also use our Barrier-free Pécs Database, which you can access by clicking the right button on every page of our website.

💘🍜Click here if you think Valentine’s Day is also a great opportunity to enjoy a delicious meal together in a restaurant, without any barriers: https://peoplefirst.hu/en/search-result/?directory_type=barrier-free-pecs&in_cat=27&q=

💘☕🍰Click here for a coffee on a soft pink cloud with a cookie: https://peoplefirst.hu/en/search-result/?directory_type=barrier-free-pecs&in_cat=28&q=

💘🌿It’s so much fun to talk during a walk or a hike, click here if you’re planning to do so on 14 February: https://peoplefirst.hu/en/search-result/?directory_type=barrier-free-pecs&in_cat=37&q=

💘🎭But a movie, theatre or other experience is also a real experience for two. Here are some barrier-free ideas:https://peoplefirst.hu/en/search-result/?directory_type=barrier-free-pecs&in_cat=36&q=

💘🎁You know what? Even shopping together isn’t a bad Valentine’s Day activity. Here are some ideas: https://peoplefirst.hu/en/search-result/?directory_type=barrier-free-pecs&in_cat=29&q=

Let us know how your Valetin day went! Or if you spent this holiday in another accessible location, we’d love to hear about that too, we have a place for it in our database.

By the way, did you know that Valentine is not only the patron saint of lovers, but also of people with mental illness and epilepsy?
In fact, even in ancient Rome, it was a day of fertility celebrations and a prophecy of matchmaking.
So let’s celebrate, have a great Valentine’s Day!

An international group spreads the word about our “Hidden city”

“I never used to care about what was going on behind my back, but while sitting in a wheelchair it has become the most important thing”
“Somehow it never occurred to me that you not only have to go up a ramp, but also down. And it’s scary in a wheelchair”
“I will look at the world in a completely different way after trying the white cane”
A large international team is taking home these experiences by trying our Hidden City Tor-Tour once again. (https://peoplefirst.hu/blog-post/rejtett-varos-tor-tour-a/)

Once again, they will pass on to many people those useful experiences that are not enough to say, they must be lived!

The team, coming from several countries, participated in a conference entitled “Disabilities and abilities framed by context” in the framework of the EDUC project of the University of Pécs. At this conference Veronika Pataki, president of our association, presented our Accessible Pécs Database (https://peoplefirst.hu/akadalymentes-pecs/) to the international audience. The additional programme of the conference (MICE) was the Hidden City Tor-Tour in the evening, led by our vice-president Gergő Berkes in his usual uplifting mood.

On the next day of the conference, we launched a series of discussions with the faculty of the University of Pécs and three invited NGOs, including People First, in the framework of the EDUC programme. The topic of this discussion was the cooperation of several international universities in the development of their services, with a special focus on inclusion.
We look forward to continuing this!

 

New accessible locations in the database

YOU REQUESTED:
NEW LOCATIONS IN THE ACCESSIBLE PÉCS DATABASE! ((also in English of course)
https://peoplefirst.hu/akadalymentes-pecs/

You missed some important locations in Pécs and around Pécs from our Barrier-free Pécs Database, we explored them.
Thanks to the support of the Pécs City Civil Framework, 4 more accessible locations and a few updates enrich our unique Barrier-free Pécs Database.
Read through them, go and enjoy the great opportunities offered by the venues – without barriers.

Be sure to write your own experience in the “Write your review” section at the bottom of the database descriptions, this will help others who are looking for accessible programs or administration! You can write in English or German too.

What did our expert team – Evelin, Hilda, Veronika, Gergő, Zoltán – explore and upload to the database at the end of last year?
Click on the links below the names for a description in the database.

➕We revisited and updated:the public barrier-free toilet on Széchenyi Square, the area around the TV tower and the Nevelési Központ (Education Center).

We look forward to your feedback!

Happy New Year 2024!

Was 2023 a good year? Then let 2024 be so good again!

Hasn’t your year gone too well? Then change now!

Come with us in 2024, join us and let’s work together for an even better year in 2024. 🎉

(The Hungarian inscription on the picture in English:
Happy New Year! May all your accessible dreams come true.)

Our laughing annual General Meeting

Serious things can also be spent in a good mood, and even enjoyed. Perhaps we can admit to ourselves that we are doing it right. 🙂
On a sunny Saturday afternoon on December 16. 2023, we gathered in our BeFogadó/InnClusive community space to hold our annual General Meeting. We met earlier because we wanted to establish good cheer with a little Christmas, gift-giving, and food and drink. Managed.

The main body of our association, the General Assembly, then heard the financial and professional report of the Presidency. Lively interest, accompanied by comments and questions, they accepted them.
Then a constructive, useful discussion developed about the association’s plans for 2024. Great ideas have been received, and implementation teams have already been created. Encouraging activity for 2024! 🙂

This year, the Presidency also gave a small gift to those present at the General Assembly. This came straight from America thanks to our board member. The lovely little Christmas tree ornament will bring smiles to faces in many People First homes this year.

At the end, we boosted the year-end-get-together at the Quiz Night organized by our partner organizations. Some of us stayed at the BeFogadó/InnClusive with our team, which of course was called People the First. We weren’t very productive, but we had a lot of fun laughing at ourselves to tears.

 

Even more so for the public. A summary of 2023.

Our most important event in 2023 is that our association has become a public benefit status. Why is this a big change? On the one hand, because from now on we will open up many of our (we think exciting) activities “to the public”, i.e. we will not only offer them to our members. On the other hand, many tender opportunities open up for us newly. And thirdly, supporting a public benefit organization is more suitable for a company or corporation in several respects. We hope that the latter will be possible in a novel framework in 2024. We are already working on it – not alone, of course, but in partnership.

The thinking in partnership has not changed, in fact it has strengthened in us. It is not easy to work as an NGO today in the socio-economic environment. But if we work together, we can still achieve much more results, a larger target group, a stronger impact.

Not only do we sustain ourselves, but we also build strategies, apply, grow and strengthen. In 2023, we took a deep breath and applied for the first time independently for the implementation of an international project, of which we are also coordinators. A serious task, a lot of new experience, again great new partnerships.

We are increasingly trying to communicate to our members that they are the best experts in their field, not others. They do not have to wait for solutions from outside, but they have to take the initiative, connect and do something for the betterment of their lives and environment.
Fortunately, there are many opportunities for this in Pécs. Whether to have an effective say in the affairs of the municipality or to jointly define goals, with funds that can be spent jointly. Even regular meetings with other organizations, experts, city leaders. Whether it’s the ability to report problems or make the city more accessible.
And there is our Barrier-free Pécs Database, the center of our activities. With this, we help a lot for those arriving from Pécs, Hungary and abroad in predictability and barrier-free tourism.
We felt too the general passivity this year. But People first, so we keep rolling and doing what we already know.

What we’ve been doing in 2023, showing you some numbers as usual:

  • We wrote or participated in the writing of 8 applications. These are both large international and smaller domestic tenders. 4 won, 1 is still waiting for the result.
  • Our membership could participate in international and domestic projects, learn about exciting good practices, build relationships, work, earn money, travel, even practice a foreign language, help with technical developments for people with disabilities.
  • We have built an international People First network.
  • We campaigned for 1% personal income tax (Hungarian option for NGOs) and barrier-free holiday destinations.
  • We organized international meetings, trainings, conferences in Pécs – and how difficult it was to find accessible restaurants in the city center! 🙁
  • We continued to update the Barrier-free Pécs Database with new locations and continuously followed the changes of older locations.
  • We actively participate in local civil life, thanks to the programs of the Local Equal Opportunities Program, the Civil Forums, the Pécs Tourism Roundtable, the civil meetings with ambassadors visiting Pécs, the Decide with us! participatory budget, Civil Selfie (and we must have forgotten some of them now)
  • Our BeFogadó/InnClusive community space in Balokány Park is still open to our members and the citizens of Pécs with programs, discussions and trainings.
  • We educate ourselves and build relationships, we also attend trainings, conferences, discussions, partner meetings.
  • We had a fantastic time with Style for everyone! fashion show, which was partly organized by us. Such a fashion show is sure to be needed, where models with disabilities show their beauty, at the same time joining forces and encouraging cooperation between companies and shops of Pécs.
  • The Barrier-Free Tourism Day in Orfű (near Pécs) was not missed this year either. We continue to be organizers, members of the organizing committee and enthusiastic participants of the national event.
  • We work with young people, give lectures, welcome university students, help write theses.
  • We go to concerts, exhibitions, fashion shows, festivals….

Do you like what we do? Come with us, get involved! Our Hidden City Tor-Tour, our BeFogadó/InnClusive community space, our projects are waiting for you… and so do we.😍 Become our member, let’s push the cart of 2024 together!
Contact us here: info@peoplefirst.hu
Check out the Projects, News and Barrier-free Pécs menus of our website, and of course the rest!

Happy New Year 2024! 🎉

3. urban Civil Forum

The Pécs City Hall scheduled the convening of the 3. Civil Forum on Santa Claus’ Day, 06.12.2023.

The aim of the Civil Forums is to provide the city administration and civil organizations working for the city with up-to-date information from the local government, indicate their needs and have conversations.
The need for regular convening of Civil Forums is one of the results of the urban Civil Concept established in 2021. This was formulated jointly by the municipality and NGOs in order to cooperate more smoothly and closely from now on.

The topics of the current 3. Civil Forum were the Pécs City Civil Framework and the “Decide with Us!” participatory budget.

The Pécs City Civil Framework was established last year, also based on the needs of civil organizations. Its essence is that the city should allocate an amount from which it supports the programs of the city’s civil organizations through tenders.
This year was preceded by the provision of an extraordinary overhead subsidy to NGOs, also through tenders.
In the end, HUF 50 million was available for the Pécs City Civil Framework. 95 applications were received, of which 57 organizations received funding, typically all of them half of what they requested. The reason for this, according to the City Hall, is to allow as many organizations as possible to receive funding. However, the largest amount of support was HUF 400,000. The People First Association also implements the exploration of new locations in the Barrier-free Pécs Database from only HUF 300,000.
In their comments, NGOs asked for the tender to be announced earlier next year and for the decision and contract conclusion to go much smoother, which made the work of NGOs very difficult this year. They also asked the city to create an online platform for this purpose and not have to submit the application in paper form.

This year, Pécs joined the “Decide with Us!” participation budget, following several Hungarian cities. The aim of this exemplary initiative is to enable citzens themselves to decide over a certain amount what kind of urban development they want to implement from it.
Of course, the first year caused minor and especially major bumps, but the process has started and will continue, which makes us proud of our city.

Unfortunately, the implementation of the cooperation principles laid down in the above-mentioned 2021 Civil Concept is already progressing more difficultly. Since April 2023, a large civil umbrella organization has been coordinating the Civil Concept. However, none of the activities undertaken have been implemented in the past two years, which is demotivating for many NGOs.
These include:
– Creation of a Civil Portal to provide news to and about civilians.
– Establishment of professional working groups with the participation of NGOs on Equal Opportunities, Democracy Development and Climate/Green topics.
– Creation of a Civil Database for which all NGOs can register. It would be an excellent partner search opportunity for each other, and the municipality would also know who to turn to. Registered organizations can regularly receive information from the city about tender opportunities, and only registered applicants could apply for the Pécs City Civil Framework.
– Pécs Civil Day, one-day colorful program with the opportunity to introduce yourself.

We are still waiting for all this and we strongly hope that it will be implemented in 2024.

An important closing topic of the Civil Forum was ESG introduced by the EU, the social responsibility obligation of large companies. To learn about this, the town hall promises to organize training for civil organizations in Pécs. We are looking forward to it, it will be an exciting topic!

The training of the project “Walk in our shoes” has started

Yesterday, 7. November 2023, the online training of our “Walk in our shoes” project, supported by the International Visegrad Fund, began.

The aim of the international training is to prepare our Polish and Czech partners to use a similar, special form of direct social sensitization, such as the People First Association’s Hidden City Tor-Tour. (https://peoplefirst.hu/en/blog-post/hidden-city-tor-tour/)
We are convinced that we will have a much greater impact on public sensitization towards accessibility if we not only talk about it, but simply show it. If the participants of the Hidden City Tor-Tour can experience together with us what it is like to overcome barriers as tourists and citizen. If they try the tools (wheelchair, white cane), they can also try a little bit of the “obstructed” life itself.

The training is held by experienced experts of People First, we meet our Polish and Czech partners online three times. The first session was about barrier-free tourism, the effects of the project and the role of best practices in civil society, and then we had a good conversation. People First has also created a detailed curriculum for participants to deepen their understanding of the topics.

We meet online twice more, followed by the project development phase, and then study tours in the three countries.

A tréning alatt készített képernyőfotót látunk. Baloldalon az előadás egyik diája, rajta angolul: Bemutatkozás, a projektről, People First és trénerek bemutatkozása, A résztvevők bemutatkozása. Mellette a Visegrad Fund logoja és linkje. Jobb oldalon kis képkockákban a résztvevők arca látható, ahogy éppen figyelnek az előadásra.

A tréning alatt készített képernyőfotót látunk. Baloldalon az előadás egyik diája, rajta angolul: Bemutatkozás, a projektről, People First és trénerek bemutatkozása, A résztvevők bemutatkozása. Mellette a Visegrad Fund logoja és linkje. Jobb oldalon kis képkockákban a résztvevők arca látható, ahogy éppen figyelnek az előadásra.

The “sticker” team is back in active work

New accessible locations will soon be added to our Barrier-free Pécs database!

Today we held the preparation training of the team exploring new locations in the Accessible Pécs Database in our InnClusive community space in sumptuous scenery. Being Halloween, we discussed the Methodology, the locations to be explored and the preparation under cobwebs and in the company of pumpkins.

Thanks to our winning tender (unfortunately only small amount) of the Pécs City Civil Financial Framework we can add new locations to the Accessible Pécs Database. Our database is still unique in the country, only in Pécs does a professional database present the truly (!) accessible locations of the city free of charge in Hungarian and English.

During the short project time, four new locations will be explored by our expert members with disabilities: Evelin, Hilda, Kriszta, Gergő. Our brilliant IT expert, Zoli, takes care of navigating the database even better.

What will be the four new locations? Places that you have suggested to us. Which ones you would like to know if you can get in as a disabled person, an elderly person, pushing a stroller, a temporarily disabled person.

Follow our Facebook page, we’ll find out soon which locations they are!