Active Citizens
Active Citizens is a non-profit programme that promotes community cohesion and improvement through civic engagement or volunteering in around 30 countries.
Run by the British Council and partner organisations, it aims to increase the contribution of community leaders towards achieving sustainable development both locally and globally. It also encourages peer-to-peer relations across cultural, geographic and political boundaries via a lively online social network of participants, as well as occasional international exchange visits.
In Hungary we run this programme in Eger and the surrounding area with more than 30 active citizens who are members of local NGOs, cultural organisations, schools and volunteer associations. We have so far delivered over 15 social action projects, and we continue to run various social programmes and activities.
Creative Cities
Creative Cities is a British Council project which was set up a few years ago and run very successfully in Hungary. It was developed in 15 countries across Europe involving NGOs, civil governments and citizens with the aim of creating a better living environment.
The project was extremely successful thanks to its innovative elements like the Future City Game or the Urban Ideas Bakery. Activities are now run largely independently of the British Council, but the project website is still maintained by the British Council.
In Hungary alone we delivered almost 50 Future City Games, two international Urban Ideas Bakeries and produced a TV series with Hungarian National TV called 'Our Little Town', based on the idea of the Future City Game.
Challenge Europe
Challenge Europe was the British Council's climate change programme, in which 15 committed young professionals were recruited as advocates to make a difference to the climate debate both in Hungary and internationally. These advocates run a blog and a website, shoot films - such as the TV film 'London in Green' - prepare information materials on climate change, organise round-table discussions with the participation of politicians, measure people’s carbon footprint, 'offset' their travels and encourage others to do so.
As a result of the advocates’ active participation climate offices were opened at Hungarian universities. They also founded the Climate Embassy Association, which is still very active running various programmes on climate change.