San Giacomo Society: Event on 19 October and Foundation of the Network of Citizens΄ Organizations
San Giacomo
18 Oct 2018
/ 13:12
CORFU. An event is being organized on Friday 19 October at 16:00 at the Ionian Academy by San Giacomo Society as part of the founding meeting of the Network of Citizens’ Organizations.
Along with the San Giacomo Society there will be organizations from Venice (Associazione 25 Aprille), Dubrovnik (SRD je Grad), Rhodes (RICHes RHODES) and Paphos (exARTIS).
Two years ago San Giacomo Cultural Society took the initiative of contacting citizens’ organizations in ‘neighbouring’ historic towns (listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites) to propose that they should come together and collaborate in activities of common interest.
Social issues of concern to the towns and citizens were determined and common views on how they should be approached as well as agreement on the potential for improvement leading to the achievement of common goals led to the decision to hold an initial meeting with representatives from organizations from five towns, which took place in Venice last April.
At that meeting there was a shared concern about present and future sustainability of the towns in which we live. Examples of the non-sustainability and destabilization of our historic towns are phenomena such as the steady decrease in population which leads to the deterioration of the urban social network. Other threatening phenomena – to a different degree in each town – are the degradation of the cultural heritage, over-tourism, the high cost of living, problems in everyday urban life, the complex phenomenon of uncontrolled entrepreneurship, zero returns on the wealth created, decrease in quality of services provided and the quality of life for residents, pollution etc.
In Venice in April the first foundations were laid and it was decided to create a Network of Citizens’ Society Organizations based on the principles of participatory democracy. The participation of citizens is considered imperative since it is obvious that the measures taken by the authorities for the governance and protection of the towns is in most cases piecemeal and delayed and never effective if it isn’t preceded by a plan of development based on the principles of sustainability.
On Friday 19 and Saturday 20 October our town is hosting the founding meeting at which the constitutional principles will be voted upon and signed. During the two-day meeting San Giacomo Society will be organizing an open event on Friday 19th at the Ionian Academy starting at 16:00. In their presentations representatives from all the towns will present the major issues for their towns and citizens as well as proposals as to how to face them. In this way they will outline the priorities for an initial plan of action. Guest speakers will talk about related topics.
The Network being created doesn’t aim to be yet another movement focussing on protests and demands. It aims to fulfil a role that is more complex and penetrative and become a valuable participant in the official dialogue between citizens and International Organizations, European Bodies and Local and Central Authorities.
The first concern of this citizens’ initiative is to create an organization that is upright and non-manipulated and to develop healthy, stable alliances in order to overcome the current inward-looking and stagnant attitudes and promote the necessity to develop policies of sustainable development for our towns.
Fully aware of our problems, we now work together as a network and look to the future with optimism and a vision for our towns.
For the San Giacomo Society
Alekos Makris & Andreas Katsaros
Two years ago San Giacomo Cultural Society took the initiative of contacting citizens’ organizations in ‘neighbouring’ historic towns (listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites) to propose that they should come together and collaborate in activities of common interest.
Social issues of concern to the towns and citizens were determined and common views on how they should be approached as well as agreement on the potential for improvement leading to the achievement of common goals led to the decision to hold an initial meeting with representatives from organizations from five towns, which took place in Venice last April.
At that meeting there was a shared concern about present and future sustainability of the towns in which we live. Examples of the non-sustainability and destabilization of our historic towns are phenomena such as the steady decrease in population which leads to the deterioration of the urban social network. Other threatening phenomena – to a different degree in each town – are the degradation of the cultural heritage, over-tourism, the high cost of living, problems in everyday urban life, the complex phenomenon of uncontrolled entrepreneurship, zero returns on the wealth created, decrease in quality of services provided and the quality of life for residents, pollution etc.
In Venice in April the first foundations were laid and it was decided to create a Network of Citizens’ Society Organizations based on the principles of participatory democracy. The participation of citizens is considered imperative since it is obvious that the measures taken by the authorities for the governance and protection of the towns is in most cases piecemeal and delayed and never effective if it isn’t preceded by a plan of development based on the principles of sustainability.
On Friday 19 and Saturday 20 October our town is hosting the founding meeting at which the constitutional principles will be voted upon and signed. During the two-day meeting San Giacomo Society will be organizing an open event on Friday 19th at the Ionian Academy starting at 16:00. In their presentations representatives from all the towns will present the major issues for their towns and citizens as well as proposals as to how to face them. In this way they will outline the priorities for an initial plan of action. Guest speakers will talk about related topics.
The Network being created doesn’t aim to be yet another movement focussing on protests and demands. It aims to fulfil a role that is more complex and penetrative and become a valuable participant in the official dialogue between citizens and International Organizations, European Bodies and Local and Central Authorities.
The first concern of this citizens’ initiative is to create an organization that is upright and non-manipulated and to develop healthy, stable alliances in order to overcome the current inward-looking and stagnant attitudes and promote the necessity to develop policies of sustainable development for our towns.
Fully aware of our problems, we now work together as a network and look to the future with optimism and a vision for our towns.
For the San Giacomo Society
Alekos Makris & Andreas Katsaros
