Between March and July 2023, representatives of communal services operators from 30 partner municipalities participating in the “MĂ IMPLIC” project underwent a series of specialized training sessions. The purpose of these training courses was to enhance their knowledge and develop skills necessary for the successful execution of their service-related activities.

Over a period of five months, administrators, accountants, and other employees from communal service providers participated in 17 training sessions, organized into six modules. These modules covered crucial areas for effective service provision:

• Organizational and Human Resources Management
• Operational Management in the areas of sanitation, water supply, public street lighting
• Legal and Regulatory Framework
• Material and Logistics Resource Management
• Financial Management
• Marketing and Customer Relations

The training sessions were conducted by members of the “Mă Implic” team, individual consultants with expertise in specific fields, as well as specialized institutions. Participants received both theoretical knowledge and practical training, which was reinforced through project work and assignments. Upon completion of the training, participants were awarded participation certificates, recognizing their commitment and achievements.

The specialized training provided to the communal services operators under the “MĂ IMPLIC” project plays a crucial role in enhancing their knowledge and skills. By empowering these operators, the project contributes to the improvement of communal services, fostering sustainable development within the communities. The project’s emphasis on capacity building and sustainable practices reflects its commitment to achieving long-term benefits for the participating municipalities. Through continued collaboration and investment in communal services, the project aims to create lasting positive impacts on the overall well-being of the communities involved.

On May 25, 2023, the MĂ IMPLIC project team organized a planning session to evaluate the progress of the Community Service Improvement Plans and the Grant Agreement in the partner communities. The session brought together all eight community facilitators, who play a vital role in supporting the implementation of the project at the local level.

The meeting aimed to identify key gaps and priorities concerning the monitoring process, citizens’ perception of communal services, and citizen involvement in their maintenance and development of the service.

Tudor Golub, the project consultant specializing in the operation and maintenance of communal services, emphasized the importance of empowering communal service operators through their active participation in training sessions organized by the MĂ IMPLIC project. The meeting also covered technical and logistical aspects related to launching communal services and explored opportunities for additional funding to ensure their effective operation.

The meeting fostered an environment of active participation and dialogue, providing an excellent platform for community facilitators to share their experiences at the local level. Each partner locality in the MĂ IMPLIC project receives assistance from community facilitators throughout the intervention stages. Currently, all 30 partner localities are actively implementing the Communal Services Improvement Plans, which are crucial documents in the organization and strategic planning activities in the field of communal services.

Immediately after signing the partnership contract, in January 2021, each of the 30 localities / groups of partner localities of the project benefited from the assistance of community facilitators at each stage of the project intervention. Thus, the facilitators motivated the actors in the community, developed and strengthened the partnership relations of the local authorities with the citizens, especially within the Community Initiative Teams Facilitators have been actively involved, together with the Community Initiative Teams, and have successfully completed the main stages: community mapping (actors and resources), strengthening the community consensus on the area of ​​intervention (improving public services), participatory analysis of the current situation logistic technical analysis of the solutions, selection of the solution, self-evaluation of the service. Facilitators have continuously monitored, evaluated, and disseminated the progress made by the beneficiaries.

During the orientation session organized on January 18, 2022, the facilitators learned about the specifics of the activities planned for this year and presented the progress, the success factors, but also the risks in the partner communities.

In 2022, the facilitators aim to enable and empower the representatives of the local public authorities and the members of the local teams, especially regarding the consolidation of the capacities for coordinating the actions and the implementation of the Plan for Improving the Communal Household Services; to contribute to the development of civic activism and participation mechanisms. This way, the Community Initiative Teams could independently organize and deliver the activities within the project, occasionally using the support of the facilitator. In the next period, the partner communities will complete the development of the service improvement plan and sign the grant agreements.

In November-December 2021, the persons responsible for communication in the Community Initiative Teams from Vorniceni, Logănești, Borogani, Capaclia, Andrușul de Sus, Leușeni benefited from a total of 65 hours of consulting from communication experts from QUBO Communications.

Participants showed great interest and actively participated in the planned meetings. Most have chosen to work on improving the communication plans, to work on the design and text for information leaflets, being an actual topic when numerous information campaigns are being organized to inform citizens about improving / creation of communal services.

All participants appreciated the need and value of mentoring sessions. Participants developed practical skills to create, plan and develop effective communication tools to increase the visibility of community actions.

In May 2021, the project “MĂ IMPLIC” organized a series of communication training for the representatives of the partner LPAs, the Community Initiative Teams, and the project facilitators. The activity aimed to develop practical skills in creating, planning, and developing effective communication tools to increase the visibility of community actions.

Five top experts from QUBO Communications, talked about strategic communication, copywriting, communication plan, PR and media relations, communication in social networks. The training had a practical character, the participants learned online how to create and manage web pages, how to create business pages on Facebook, how to create video and photo content. At the same time, the communities that already had web pages and Facebook pages, benefited from a brief audit of them, receiving tips to improve their online presence.

The over 60 registered participants in the training had a high attendance rate, which proves that the topics addressed were actual and very necessary. Most participants submitted their homework on time and received personalized feedback from trainers. All participants appreciated that the training was delivered in a clear and accessible way, and that practical exercises were extremely useful. These new skills will help the members of the Community Initiative Teams, but also the representatives of the partner LPAs, to improve their communication activity, especially in the online.