We have much to Learn from our Neighbors
Representatives of Forest Village project from Ust-Kulom and Priluzje regions have visited the neighbouring Lensky region of the Arkhangelsk oblast, where they practically got acquainted with the operation of the rural TPSAs – territorial public self-administration bodies.
For the first time participants of the Forest Village project learned about the territorial public self-administration actively developing in the rural regions of the neighbouring Arkhangelsk oblast at the conference “TPSA as the basis for local growth”, which took place in Koryazhma in autumn of the last year. The head of the Voldino settlement Irina Andriyevskaya from the Ust-Kulom region and Nikolai Anufriyev from Izhma took part in this conference carried out on the initiative of Silver Taiga Foundation. The target of this trip was to develop the recommendations of the Forests Dialogue, which was held in October 2009 in Syktyvkar and was devoted to the local self-government problems. At that time the participants of the Dialogue mentioned that such promising and necessary form of administration as territorial public self-administration (TPSA) isn’t used in the Komi Republic at all.
Such questions as the role of the territorial public self-administration in solving social problems of the territory, and peculiarities of the rural TPSAs development and promotion as means of people’s participation in the territory management were discussed during the conference in Koryazhma.
These issues are also urgent for the rural settlements of the Forest Village project, for this reason the conference materials were presented at the workshop-meeting of the rural youth organized by Silver Taiga Foundation in December 2010 in Spasporub (Priluzje region). Presentation about the possibilities of the territorial public self-administration arouse a great interest among the participants of the meeting and eagerness to implement this legislated form of the local self-government in our republic as well.
In February the workshop “Territorial public self-administration and support of the local initiatives” with participation of the Forest village project core group and neighbouring region representatives was held in Syktyvkar and in March the visit to the Lensky region was organized. Participants of this trip visited the rural settlements “Soyginskoye”, “Urdomskoye” and “Kozminskoye”, and got acquainted with the activities of the territorial self-administration in the villages Belopashino, Kozmino and Urdoma. In these settlements plenty of the daily life problems of the local community are solved by the efforts of the villagers integrated in the TPSAs. Among such issues there are implementation of the social projects on construction of the sports grounds, playgrounds, and wells; development of the recreation places, conversion of the unused buildings for leisure and sport centres, etc.
Development of the rural communities and their role in changing the situation in the villages implies first of all development of these communities from the state of affected entity to the state of actor. This is exactly what the development means, and it’s absolutely needed for creation of the capable public self-administration; and rural TPSAs – territorial public self-administration bodies could become a form for demonstration of such capability, an example of the real local self-government.
It seems that our neghbours have already understood this fact. In the Arkhangelsk oblast rural TPSAs are supported by the government, incentive and stimulating system is developed there, and annual TPSA social projects contests are held. In 2006 56 TPSA projects took part in such contest and 35 of them were financed. In 2010 there were 182 projects already, and 123 of them received financial support for implementation of their initiatives. The priority TPSA activities are focused on the village accomplishment, preservation and exploitation of the local historical and cultural heritage, development of domestic and incoming tourism, creation of fitness and sports grounds and facilities.
Our villages also have some examples of the local initiative realization, among them construction of the bridge over the river crossing the village Priuralskoye (Pechora region), building of the church in Spasporub and many other things. Actually, these are the examples of the public self-administration. But these initiatives are supported neither at the region nor at the republican levels.
Meanwhile, in the 2011-2013 42 million rubles from the regional budget are planned to be spent on supporting territorial local self-administrations in the rural settlements of the Arkhangelsk oblast. This is only for realization of villagers’ initiatives. Besides, the regional budget will provide money for conferences between TPSAs for exchange of experience, training of TPSA members, and activities on stimulating and incentive of TPSAs operation. As we can see, we have much to learn from our neoghbours. Rural deputies and activists of our villages should get acquainted with this practice in order to adapt the neighbouring region experience in our republic. This is what Irina Andriyevskaya (village Voldino, Ust-Kulom region) and Vladimir Starzev (village Tydor, Priluzye region), who have visited the Lensky region of the Arkhangelsk oblast, are going to do in the nearest future.