Leaders of local public organizations, active youth, and media representatives took part in the event. The organizers defined the goal of the round table as the search for new standards and forms of public activity, as well as the development of new mechanisms for activating and consolidating the public movement of Volyn.
According to Mykhailo Shelep, the initiator of the round table and head of the NGO "Association of Young Reformers," Lutsk's public organizations are currently fragmented, each seeing only its own work. "Many issues require the joint activity of various organizations. It is necessary to create a certain 'kitchen' of the public sector, we should seek new forms of cooperation that will allow working together for the benefit of the community," he said. That is precisely why AMoRe representatives proposed several initiatives. One of the proposals, which was supported by all public organizations represented at the round table, was the establishment of a kind of public platform for ongoing communication, a certain informalized platform through which organizations will be able to discuss current issues, plan their activities, develop and implement joint strategies for activating the public movement.
Touching upon the problems of funding and distribution of funds allocated through city and oblast project competitions, representatives of public organizations spoke in support of the initiative to conduct systematic monitoring in the oblast of the implementation of state youth policy by local authorities and the use of budget funds by organizations. Many opinions were also expressed regarding the improvement of the procedure for holding project competitions in the city and oblast. As for the practice of distributing budget funds among everyone, in particular Bohdana Stelmakh, coordinator of the Lutsk Press Club of Reforms, noted that today public organizations seem to stand with an outstretched hand toward the authorities and, using the meager funds provided, devalue their activities. Their opinions on the issues raised at the round table were also expressed by Petro Verzun, executive director of the NGO "Association for the Protection of Youth Rights of Volyn," Anton Sosnovskyi, leader of the NGO "Volyn Block," Oksana Yarosh, leader of the NGO "Gender Center," Maiia Varchenko, head of the Student Council of Lesia Ukrainka Volyn National University, and Serhii Adamchuk, head of the board of the Civic Group "Partner."
Based on the results of the round table, a decision was agreed upon to hold regular meetings of representatives of public organizations in the format of free gatherings. Also, with the aim of raising the level of professionalism of public activity, it was decided to develop certain ethical principles for the activities of the public sector of the oblast. These and other joint initiatives developed by the participants of the round table will be set out in an open letter that will be distributed among the public organizations of the oblast.
Meanwhile, on the city's Theater Square, members and volunteers of AMoRe were giving Lutsk residents a good mood. On the occasion of celebrating the tenth anniversary of the organization's founding, the AMoRe members treated all passersby to sweets. Moreover, everyone who wished had the opportunity, with the help of colored chalk, to leave their warm greetings on the occasion of the holiday and, thanks to colorful drawings, to transform the gray asphalt into a bright imprint of spring and joy.
