Míša Valášková likes to say she is an ordinary girl. And while she may have been raised in ordinary circumstances – in a housing estate in north Bohemia, in the post-industrial city of Ústí and Labem – she is, in fact, a civil society powerhouse. Míša is revolutionizing how residents shape and experience the social and physical dimensions of public space in her hometown, and influencing many potential change makers across the Czech Republic.
As a participant in Community Alphabet, Via’s peer learning program, Míša was introduced to inclusive approaches such as asset-based community development (ABCD) and participatory mapping. The program’s emphasis on engaging with people beyond our normal circles and understanding tension and conflict in those interactions resonated. She met other change makers from across Europe and saw and heard first-hand what other communities were doing. She learned how drawing out residents’ strengths and resources can lead to robust networks that multiply the effects of citizen action. Inspired, she set about weaving a network in her own hometown.
To begin mapping and connecting groups, formal and informal, active in the social and civic life of Ústí, Míša asked people she knew to help expand her contact list. She felt a tangible way to start could be to identify local resources, such as party tents, drinking glasses, etc., that could be shared for local civic-oriented activities and events. She asked everyone to pass the message to others and then invited everyone on her list to a meeting.
Soon, the group began meeting on a regular basis and established a database of resources and contacts to be shared. This was the first step in opening the lines of communication between active residents, highlighting the assets already present in Ústí and encouraging groups to exchange resources for community events.
Míša’s initiative took off just before Russia invaded Ukraine and refugees flowed to nearby countries. Within a few months, Míša was working with a variety of local groups to plan and coordinate initiatives for incoming Ukrainian children and was on the way to establishing a vibrant, new and very open network of active groups and people in Ústí nad Labem.
Before long, group members were training one another in fundraising and engaging with the municipality to develop civic activities. This year, they worked together to hold the first-ever Festival of Active People in Ústí nad Labem to showcase the many groups and individuals giving their time and energy to creating a vibrant social fabric.
To find out how Míša went about creating the network of active residents, read the whole story here.
