COMMUNITY ALPHABET (CA) is an international peer learning program for active residents in Europe who are interested in inclusive community building in a town, neighborhood, village or other locality. The focus is on testing out practical approaches to involving a broad spectrum of residents – including those who are often overlooked, or on the margins – in community activities.
If you are a community builder interested in practical approaches, take a look at the
CA 2026-27 CALL FOR APPLICANTS!
The application deadline is 18 May 2026. We will hold an online Q&A session on 28 April 2026. For more information, contact Helen at helenlenda@nadacevia.cz
Click HereWe invite you to hear what CA participants have to say in this video:
VISIT THE CA LEARNING WEBSITE!
See videos, case studies, ebooks and profiles of community builders at https://trustcommunity.nadacevia.cz
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PROGRAM VISION
Our vision is to ensure that community initiatives in Central & Southern Europe have the knowledge, tools and support to confidently pursue inclusive participatory processes so that they can play a meaningful role in developing places where:
- people with different opinions and lifestyles work towards shared community goals in an environment of listening, trust, respect and mutual recognition,
- people thrive on a shared yet inclusive identity and strong sense of belonging,
- people enhance the community through use of local skills and resources,
- and people assume shared responsibility.
PARTICIPANTS
Community Alphabet participants are active residents who are involving other people in community activities in a given geographically-defined locality – a town, neighborhood, village, etc. They are active individuals in a local association, community center, community foundation or other organization, either as professionals or volunteers. They work at the grassroots, and – most importantly – they are active or potential bridge builders, helping local communities search for common ground, increase social trust and work with divergent views. CA participants come together from a range of European countries – from Romania to Spain, from Sweden to Serbia. To learn more, see https://trustcommunity.nadacevia.cz.
PROGRAM ACTIVITIES
Community Alphabet engages community builders in peer exchange and learning opportunities around inclusive participatory approaches. The 18-month program includes 3 multi-day workshops with site visits (in various European countries), online peer exchange and expert learning sessions, small grants, and guidance from the program team. At the heart of each person’s participation is their CA practice project, where they field test some of the community building approaches and ideas introduced in CA.
2025-2026 PROGRAM
In the 2025-26 program, which began in mid-2025 and runs through fall 2026, we are engaging with 30+ community builders from 7 European countries – Albania, Bosnia & Herzogovinia, the Czech Republic, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania and Serbia. They are field testing approaches such as asset-based community development through a community foundation, intergenerational skill-shares, storytelling and puppetry to strengthen neighborhood ties, building relationships between two local associations around environmental themes, mapping of local civil society actors, and bringing accessibility issues to the fore.
2023-2024 PROGRAM
The 2023-24 program engaged active residents and community practitioners from 8 European countries (the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia, Romania, Spain, Albania, Sweden). They learned from experts and each other at workshops and online sessions, saw innovative community initiatives during site visits to Czechia, the Netherlands and Sweden, and helped each other as peers. To learn more about their work in their communities, see the videos and case studies on our new learning website at https://trustcommunity.nadacevia.cz.
2020-2022 PILOT PROGRAM
Through the 2020-2022 Community Alphabet pilot program, we guided 26 community development practitioners and program managers from three non-profit organizations from Serbia, Hungary and the Czech Republic (TRAG Fondacija, Via Foundation and Közösségfejlesztők Egyesület – Köfe/Hungarian Association for Community Development) in advancing their knowledge and skills around inclusive community building, participatory mapping, resilience and conflict/tension transformation. The pilot program included online and in-person workshops, a site visit, peer exchange and support and staff guidance to participants as they applied the learning to their practice.
BACKGROUND
Community Alphabet responds to societal fragmentation and citizen disengagement in public deliberation. Disheartened by the multiple stresses that societies face today, many people turn to their closest environment – their neighborhood, district or village – to find sure footing. But even at local levels, it can be challenging to bridge differences in views and experience. Increasingly, it seems, people are fragmented into narrow social bubbles that afford little interaction with divergent viewpoints. When citizens cease to exchange opinions and discuss their differences, when there is little motivation to find shared aspirations amidst those differences, social cohesion becomes strained and fragile.
WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU!
To learn more about CA, please contact Helen Lenda at helenlenda@nadacevia.cz.