Change your neighborhood for the better. Get inspired by four successful community projects

They turn an unused green space in their village into a center for neighborhood gatherings, build a community sauna with their own hands, create pools, plant trees and motivate the people around them to join in.

That is

Živá komunita (Living Community)

. People who care about public space, value good neighborly relations and strive to change the place where they live for the better.

Join them!

Successful community campaigns recently run on Darujme.cz will inspire you and show you how to do it.

The transformation of Chomoutov

Chomoutov, a district of Olomouc, has long lacked a space where residents can meet. But a group of local enthusiasts decided to change that. They took on an inconspicuous green space in the center of the village known as Koperník and want to turn it into a new symbol of Chomoutov and a place for everyday neighborly gatherings as well as larger cultural events.

The original plan was to raise CZK 50,000. In the end, however, generous donors supported the project with CZK 77,800. Thanks to that, it will be possible to plant trees and shrubs and to provide original wooden furnishings. The organizers themselves admit that you can never be fully prepared for such a complex and time-consuming project. “

You have to stay open and willing to learn. We prepared for the campaign through a PR seminar of the Via Foundation and by sharing our progress on SkoroNAkafe. We drew on the energy of all the positive-minded people along the way and kept reminding ourselves of their support. A fundraiser on Darujme.cz is always a clear and legible signal for us that there are people who care about what we are striving for and who trust us,”

says Lenka Introvič, project coordinator.

To spread the campaign, the locals relied mostly on the personal contacts of the team members and their families, but they also reached the general public through a press release, the local public address system and posters on notice boards. “

We also posted regularly on Facebook, and occasionally added a video. Even though it wasn't professional, it felt authentic and showed the real people behind the project. We believe that helps the credibility of the whole project. What worked best was clear and concise guidance. We said why the project matters to us and asked people for a donation,”

sums up Lenka Introvič.

And what about the locals? What they are looking forward to most is getting out into the field and actually building and creating something.

Community sauna in Únětice

The residents of Únětice near Prague decided to build a community sauna with their own hands by the pond in the OSTROFF recreational meadow.

“We had been thinking about a sauna in Únětice together with our neighbors for quite some time. But it always stayed at the level of ideas and talk. Above all, we didn't have a suitable space. The moment we launched the OSTROFF community project in 2019 thanks to financial support from the Via Foundation and built a swimming pond, the choice of how to continue the project was clear – a natural community SAUŇA,”

says Kateřina Vojvodíková, program manager, describing the beginnings of the project.

Almost 50 donors contributed more than CZK 58,000 to build the sauna, which is meant to be a natural alternative to modern wellness centers. The plan was to communicate the project mainly in person at volunteer work days, at the village ball or at the lighting of the Christmas tree. Unfortunately, the pandemic thwarted that, and all communication had to take place online.

“The Via Foundation and the Darujme.cz portal helped us too. Starting a campaign and collecting money is then very simple and intuitive: a few clicks, filling in your personal details, and that's it,”

says Kateřina Vojvodíková.

Thanks to the sauna, groups of friends and families will be able to use the recently built swimming pond all year round.

“We are now at the stage of putting together the budget, the sauna has been surveyed on the cadastral map, the basic stakes for the sauna cabin and the terrace have been set out, and in May the first volunteer work day will take place to prepare the ground, do the earthworks and clean the pond after the winter.”

How to “pool up” the landscape of the rock towns?

The JULINKA association from Police nad Metují builds pools, plants trees and raises awareness about retaining water in the landscape.

“For water retention to be carried out on a large scale, you need to win over the public, landowners and farmers. Our efforts to build pools probably matter most precisely in the area of raising awareness among our fellow citizens. Only once the information has spread widely enough and people themselves start pushing for slowing down water run-off will we have a chance of real change,”

says Pavel Pinkava, the program's volunteer coordinator.

The local community welcomes the project, but the association's intentions still need explaining.

“We write about our activities in local newsletters and on our website. That is how we managed, for example, to gain a very valuable new team member, an enthusiastic zoologist who adds a broader dimension to our water-retention efforts in terms of protecting amphibians.”

And how did they do at reaching out to donors?

“What worked best was an individually addressed e-mail request for support, followed by a thank-you. We rate working with Darujme.cz very positively; thanks to the grant from the Via Foundation, the funds raised from donors and the support of Nadace České spořitelny (the Česká spořitelna Foundation), we now have enough money to carry out the project, including the costs of the planned international workcamp, and possibly further events or larger numbers of pools and planted trees,” sums up Pavel Pinkava.

Beautifying the village green in Myslov

The residents of the small village of Myslov in the Vysočina region decided to join forces and beautify the village green, which will then serve as a place for them to get together.

“The locals got involved completely naturally; work on the village green simply started and almost everyone lent a hand. Our neighbors enjoy the shared activities, we all stick together and help each other,”

says Pavla Hýblová.

“We are a small community, so what worked best was approaching friends and acquaintances in person. Today the village green is blossoming, and we are currently planning to build a pétanque court and hold local tournaments. With the help of the Via Foundation and Darujme.cz, community life has begun in the village,”

says Pavla Hýblová.