Tthe Will and Citizenship Organization (OVC) launched its the “Ichrak” (Engaging) project. With the support of the U.S. Embassy and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and in partnership with Gabes Action association, OVC held an opening ceremony to introduce participants to the project, its partners, and relevant experts.
Following the ceremony, OVC held a training session for 40 youth from the region of Gabes in the south of Tunisia. The training focused on local governance and decentralization principles and challenges as well as facilitation and communication techniques.
Participants in the project are called “Democracy Ambassadors.” These Ambassadors discussed the characteristics of decentralization in Tunisia, such as financial independence, local taxation, citizenship and local governance, and other topics related to the role of civil society in empowering local governance.
Following the training, the “Democracy Ambassadors” will participate in 4 public forums and 16 campaigns in 16 municipal sectors in Gabes in order to encourage citizens to register, vote and run for municipal elections. These youth will facilitate dialogue sessions gathering representatives of local authorities with members of local communities.
The project is an initiative launched by OVC to support active citizen participation in the coming municipal elections.
