To be and live in countryside

My 20 year anniversary experience of living in village of 37 inhabitants

Mgr. Renata Vondráková

Background • My family has roots in Slověnice for many generations

• My great-grand father was local mayor and farmer

• Due to my mothers' car accident we were forced to move in my age of 14 from a flat in 3rd floor in panel house to a very wide weekend house in Slověnice to live here 7 days a week

• My plan was to move back to Prague after high school…. But my attitude then changed and now I live in Slověnice for 20 years

• So it happened that from a girl as many others in anonymous big city I become a local stakeholder with many tools available to change my surrounding, if I want

• In countryside you have to care of everything, if you want to survive and/or receive quality you desire and so I have taken on myself several roles as active player through time on my „living and being in Slověnice“ and wider region

Podblanickem, the civic association (since 2003 – until today)

„Naším posláním je nabízet život na venkově jako alternativu života ve městě. Oslovujeme občany, abychom společně hledali cesty ke zlepšení kvality života a posilovali kladný vztah k regionu. Podněcujeme aktivitu občanů a institucí pro rozvoj a zviditelnění našeho kraje.“

Mission: „Our mission is to offer living in countryside as an alternative to living in cities. We call on local people to find together ways to better the quality of our countryside lives and to strengthen our positive attitude to our region. We promote people and institutions to be active to develop and make visible our region near by the hill Blaník.“

Podblanickem, the civic association

- Many local project

- But main and most successful >>

Students for countryside (until now annualy)

- Seminar for approx.. 12 high and university degree students from Friday to Monday with „community planning's“ in 3 places

- Many concrete results in close or wider future from the planning's

- Path ways in countryside, squares or e.g. – anti-loud wall near by the D1 highway

- Also international dimension and conferences

Students for countryside

Project management – my job

Project management – my job

www.meddm-vlasim.cz www.mesto-vlasim.cz

MAYOR

- 2006 – 2010 I was also mayor of my village

- Approval of the Plan of the territory (Czech – územní plán)

- Tree lines along paths

- Website, e-mail, public meeting every month

- Playground for childred

- Cultivation of local black dump (skládka)

Local Action Group Blaník

– chairwomen - Established in 2013

- 55 members

- 40 villages

- Will use EU funds

- Strategy

- 6 working groups:

a) Countryside

b) Villages

c) Social services

d) Education

e) Cultural, NGO´s

f) Tourism

(special working party – seniors/retired)

Promoting participation as

a mission - Mother

- Montessori kindergarten

- Montessori school

- Montessori conception

Teaching participatory approach as a tool to reach aim in way, that people agree and understand

Secretary of Foreign Affairs of Association of Private Farming

- Since February 2012 – Advisor

- Since January 2013 – Secretary of Foreign Affairs

- Responsible for Feedbacks for the Ministry of Agriculture

- Responsible for Advisory service to Programme of Rural Development

- Representative to Copa-Cogeca

FUTURE???

- Family farm

- Projects

- Family

- Still active

- Not to solve here everything

- But some times is to hard just to stay next to when you know the tool that for to make things better

So its just have be balanced!

Thank you for you attention!

rvondrakova@podblanickem.net

604 640 583