Needs Assessment Coaching Visit Kaunas 5-7 December 2016
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Version: 06 December 2016 Needs Assessment Coaching visit Kaunas 5-7 December 2016 Preparatory document Table of Contents Introduction ................................................................................................. 2 Context ....................................................................................................... 3 Your analysis of needs .................................................................................... 10 Possible action plan ....................................................................................... 13 The visit ..................................................................................................... 14 Draft agenda ............................................................................................. 14 List of relevant stakeholders .......................................................................... 16 Contacts ..................................................................................................... 17 1 Culture for Cities and Regions - coaching Version: 06 December 2016 Introduction This document is meant to help the coaching team prepare the reflective analysis on which to test hypotheses during the coaching visit. The purpose of the Needs Assessment is to produce insightful data on the needs of cities to be coached, allowing the coaching teams to calibrate the supporting tools and services they are producing to help cities. The reflective analysis On the basis of the documents and information provided by the coached city/region, the coaching team will draft a short paper outlining their interpretation of the key needs and priorities for coaching and outlines key hypotheses (based on the Needs Assessment) prior to the on-site coaching to focus the session around clear objectives. This paper will be shared with the coached city/region and will be open for comments/amendments, so that objectives are clear and shared by facilitators, peers and the coached city/region. This exchange process will also serve the purpose of establishing a more accurate shared understanding of the needs assessment, and refine the agenda of the coaching visit. The coaching visit The coaching visit is more than a means to gather information and exchange ideas. A visit by an international team, funded by the European Commission, may help to change attitudes to the challenges you highlighted, both within your authority and among stakeholders. It may give those issues a higher profile. It may encourage actors inside and outside your city administration to form alliances to support the change you propose. Looking to the longer term, it could prompt them to get involved not just in action planning to design your action plan for change, but in helping to implement it. So the visit is an important opportunity to set the scene for change. 2 Culture for Cities and Regions - coaching Version: 06 December 2016 Context Demographic context: What is the city’s population, and how has it changed over the past 10 years? What challenges is the population in your city facing? According to the data of 2014, the population of Kaunas was 304 097 inhabitants. During tha last 10 years, about 50 000 cizitens left Kaunas (in 2006 the population here was 348 506), which is actually felt here, as compared to the general population level n Kaunas. Kaunas is still facing the population reduction problems, which affects the fewer number of pupils at schools, universities and other educational institutions, respectively the consumption of various services and goods is reducing, the economy slows down. One of the main tasks for Kaunas City Municipality is how to return the citizens back to Kaunas, how to attract people from other cities to come here to work, study, live. Economic and social context: How does the economic situation look in your city? What are the prospects for the coming years? The economic situation in Kaunas has been getting better recently. New office buildings are opened, international capital companies are launched, such as “Intermedix”, “Callcredit Information Group“, ,,Festo“, ,,Hi Steel“, ,,Jotron“, as well as many others. Kaunas has a huge potential for further economic growth because of the international air-port, one of the best electronic connection infrastructures in Europe, the Free Economic Zone. Kaunas also has a big potential of edcuation institutions that prepare the employees of high qualification, big possibilities of cooperation with integrated science, studies and business valleys, science and techynology parks. The further growth of economy is planned including the establishment of new international companies, creation of new job places, better infrastructure. National or local legislation and policy: Has your city been affected by changes in the legislation in recent years regarding culture, creative industries or social inclusion? Which ones had most impact? Optimization of the network of cultural institutions; Introduction of the new programme of partial financing – Initiatives for Kaunas Culture on the local political agenda: What are the current and long term cultural priorities in your city/region? What priority is given to culture on your local political agenda? How are culture and the creative industries positioned within economic, social and education policies or within the general city/region development strategy? The current policies regarding culture of political agenda: • Financing of public service projects in order to foster the general culture of citizens: 3 Culture for Cities and Regions - coaching Version: 06 December 2016 • Scholarships of culture and art of Kaunas City; • Grants of culture and art of Kaunas City; • Implementation of programme „Adjustment of Public objects for the general culture of Citizens“; • Festive decoration of the city. The long-term policies regarding of political agenda: • implementation of partial financing of cultural projects; • preparation of „Lithuanian centenary“ programme; • participation in the EU initiative – work plan prepared for „European Capital of Culture 2022“, the application for EU programme „European Capital of Culture“ is prepared; • programme of organization and partial financing of the main cultural events of Kaunas City; • realization of the idea „Kaunas – Christmas Capital; • modernization of activity means of cultural institutions; • preparation of Professional strategy of distribution of information about cultural resources and events in Lithuanian and abroad, and its inclusion in the general marketing programme of the city; • Preparation of electronic cultural map of Kaunas City; • Sustainable development of cultural events of Kaunas; • Establishment of Kaunas City needs and priorities in the field of culture on the national level, initiation of changing of legal acts; • Removal of Kaunas City museum to new premises that are adjusted to the museum activities; • development of new concert and stage arts, Conference, exhibition, exposition infrastructure, Creative industries, residences and clusters; • increase of effective use of cultural infrastructure, optimization of network of institutions, renewal and renovation of buildings of institutions; • strategy of Kaunas City public spaces and their usage for culture and tourism: „Pelėdos” (“Owls”), tidying of Ąžuolynas active leisure and culture park, Aleksotas panorama-view lot, adjustment of Santakos park to rest, culture and tourism. The Strategic Activity Plan 2016-2018 of Kaunas City includes: Kaunas City constantly improves the quality of services and increases their accessibility. In order to reach it, new project financing initiatives are used in order to solve the general cultural education of citizens, strengthening of city image, improvement of health, rendering of social services, development of youth issues, physical training and sport, Cooperation with communities, non-governmental organizations, other legal entities in Kaunas City and provide public services to Kaunas citizens. About 3.5 million EUR are planned in the budget in 2016 for 4 Culture for Cities and Regions - coaching Version: 06 December 2016 public service projects. The Strategic Development Plan 2016-2022 of Kaunas City includes: 1. Priority fields. Sustainable economic development encouragement and increase of competitiveness. 1.2. Aim. Kaunas – the leader of North and Baltic region culture. 1.2.1. Task. Increase quality and accessibility of cultural services; 1.2.2. Task. Develop the public cultural infrastructure Administration: How is the city organised at municipal level? Please describe the administrative organisation of the city, and it affects culture. Do not hesitate to add organigrams or maps to illustrate. Kaunas District Municipality: Kaunas District Municipality surrounds the Kaunas City Municipality all around it. The District Municipality includes many smaller towns and villages, some of which are suburban areas of Kaunas City. Kaunas District Municipality has 8 cultural centres, 5 museums and one library. The population of the District is around 10 000 people, and it is growing. Kaunas City will invite many stakeholders from the District municipality to be part of the programme in the beginning of December. The visualization of the relation between Kaunas City and Kaunas District can be seen in this link of the map of the Lithuanian Administrative Structure: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lithuania,_administrative_divisions_-_de_- _colored.svg Where Kaunas City is marked in purple (almost in the middle of Lithuania),