We all encounter challenges during our lifetime, but now more than ever women need all the courage, support and knowledge available in the world. Let’s be honest, either if you are taking care of your family or only of yourself, a community of strong women can empower you and become your new group of friends!

The main focus of the Raional Library “D. Cantemir” Ungheni was to empower women through their project, by creating a gathering and exhibition space in the library, where community groups could meet, discuss and present themselves.

Focusing on the idea that women can succeed, even from home, the PLACH partner started to organize meetings to empower the community. During this group circles, women can attend different meetings, workshops and discussions, that are based on personal and professionals development.

Public Libraries As Active Citizens Hubs focuses on the development of the active citizenship skills in 6 communities from 3 countries, by setting out a network of public libraries and NGOs that will support the creation of public spaces for active citizenship learning and practice. In the process, stakeholders from Romania, Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine, countries with relatively limited democratic experiences, will learn how to set up partnerships, collaborate, and share good practices for cultivating the civic spirit in their communities.

The times that we are living are quite unexpected, with rapid changes that none of us could have ever imagined. Nonetheless, this is the time when we must adapt to the circumstances and learn how to make them work in our favor, rather than against us. But is especially hard to do this when you have barely started to discover the world and how it works.

The “Antim Ivireanul” Vâlcea County Library developed an online educational space where young children could learn safe measures that prevent the spread of COVID-19, in an age-appropriate way.

PLACH’s partner from Vâlcea, Romania, focused on raising awareness about health education in young children and started to transform the library in a place of learning how to be safe in the world we live in nowadays. Since going back to school will never be the same, the “Antim Ivireanul” Vâlcea County Library started to plan 10 workshops, that will carry the message “Taking care of yourself you will take care of everyone else”, that allow children to learn in a ludic manner how to care of their own and how to play an active role in the well-being of the community.

Public Libraries As Active Citizens Hubs focuses on the development of the active citizenship skills in 6 communities from 3 countries, by setting out a network of public libraries and NGOs that will support the creation of public spaces for active citizenship learning and practice. In the process, stakeholders from Romania, Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine, countries with relatively limited democratic experiences, will learn how to set up partnerships, collaborate, and share good practices for cultivating the civic spirit in their communities.

Promoting your local community is never an easy task, but is a skill that can be developed. And what better place to grow yourself and develop the opportunities of your community, than the library?

The Raional Library “IPS A. Plămădeală” Hîncești started to create a space for community group meetings, in the library, where they could discover the local heritage and learn to promote their local tourism.

Public Libraries as Active Citizens Hubs’ partner – the Raional Library from Hîncești, Moldova – started to gather a team of young volunteers, in order to create a space for promoting the local tourism. Focusing on the main tourist attractions of the area, this group had begun to create and share with the community various promotional materials, such as brochures and information panels. They also plan to develop an advertising spot “Tourist destinations in Rn.Hîncești” and a QR code “Promotion of four tourist areas in the locality” to help people find out even more information about the tourist attractions nearby. The Raional Library “IPS A. Plămădeală” Hîncești plans to help the community discover the potential of their beautiful area, by organizing cultural activities and implementing a contest named “We discover the local tourist destinations”.

Public Libraries As Active Citizens Hubs focuses on the development of the active citizenship skills in 6 communities from 3 countries, by setting out a network of public libraries and NGOs that will support the creation of public spaces for active citizenship learning and practice. In the process, stakeholders from Romania, Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine, countries with relatively limited democratic experiences, will learn how to set up partnerships, collaborate, and share good practices for cultivating the civic spirit in their communities.

In this workshop, the presenters will introduce and advance librarians’ skills in convening and facilitating community conversations on issues of importance to their communities. Using deliberative dialogue, a neutrally moderated forum for people to come together with the goal of finding a shared direction to take based on what the group holds valuable, this workshop will help people explore the tensions in these issues, identify what they value, work through tough choices, and seek areas of common ground for action.

Ellen M. Knutson – Portland, Oregon based research associate at the Charles F. Kettering Foundation where she is a key member of the research team comprising Russian and US colleagues developing libraries as centers for public dialogue and deliberation. She is an adjunct assistant professor at the School of Information Sciences at the University of Illinois where she teaches a course on international librarianship to students in the online Master’s program. Knutson also serves on the advisory committee for the American Library Association’s Center for Civic Life and served as a trainer for the Libraries Transforming Communities initiative. Knutson received her MS and PhD in Library and Information Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a BA in Political Science from Reed College. She has written articles and book chapters on libraries as a community institution including: “Libraries and Community Engagement: From Informing to Engaging” in National Civic Review, “Libraries and Ecology in Post-Soviet Russia” in Advances in Library Administration and Organization: Culture, Context and History in the Post-Soviet World of Information Institutions, Resources and Practices, and “New Realities: Libraries in Post-Soviet Russia” in Library Trends.

Svetlana A. Gorokhova – Director for International and Educational Activities at the Margarita Rudomino All-Russia State Library for Foreign Literature (LFL), where she supervises professional development programs in partnership with educational institutions in the U.S. and Europe and implements overall coordination of international activities of this federal library. She is Russian Library Association Governing Board Member and coordinator of RLA Section for International Cooperation. Since 1996, Gorokhova has facilitated joint research activities of the LFL and the Kettering Foundation, including a 20-year initiative: Library as a Community Center, uniting 7 regions of Russia—activities that served as the focal point for the first two U.S-Russia Dialogue meetings in March 2017 and May 2018. Currently, she also coordinates projects featuring the libraries of all sizes and types as agents of international communication. The workshop was part of Occupy Library 2020 event.

The workshop was part of Occupy Library 2020 event, and is suitable for all of those who wish to explore a trans-national experience of active citizenship and the role of libraries in partnership with NGOs in facilitating constructive dialogue.

We all know that the library is the heart of the community. It is more than a place where you can borrow books or where you can read in peace. The local library is the perfect place for developing ways to grow the community or for meeting new people with inspiring ideas!

In order to transform the library branch in a community space, Lviv Central City Library “Lesya Ukrainka” started to plan the needed steps for this process and has also created discussion spaces for community members.

In order to develop a community space in the library, PLACH’s partner from Lviv, Ukraine, started to held different kind of presentations for the locals. Through the lectures, seminars and other non-formal educational meetings, they want to promote the library as the perfect place for new ideas and networking. Lviv Central City Library “Lesya Ukrainka” focuses on creating a comfortable place to educate and grow the community, transforming the library into a safe space where people from the area can get together, have fun and relax.

Public Libraries As Active Citizens Hubs focuses on the development of the active citizenship skills in 6 communities from 3 countries, by setting out a network of public libraries and NGOs that will support the creation of public spaces for active citizenship learning and practice. In the process, stakeholders from Romania, Republic of Moldova, and Ukraine, countries with relatively limited democratic experiences, will learn how to set up partnerships, collaborate, and share good practices for cultivating the civic spirit in their communities.

Hear about the journey of librarians and NGO partners from Moldova, Romania and Ukraine into active citizenship! Mike Waldron, who has worked with the partners on their journey will highlight some key principles that can be supportive of active citizenship in communities and will explore some myths and highlight some of his own experience of 25 years in building international community based coalitions. Let’s watch our partners from libraries and NGOs telling the story of their own journey into active citizenship, exploring such topics as the role of design thinking in community development, developing a message for effective advocacy and planning and delivery social action.

Mike Waldron is an independent consultant, working in the area of inter-cultural literacy, dialogue, cultural relations and diversity. With a wide range of experience, his work encapsulates over twenty years of engagement with minority communities, disadvantaged and disaffected youth, public policy, training and program design.

The workshop was part of Occupy Library 2020 event, and is suitable for all of those who wish to explore a trans-national experience of active citizenship and the role of libraries in partnership with NGOs in developing hubs, and subsequent social action.