Connected / Participatory Civil Network Building and Capacity Development in Rural Communities

Hungarian civil society—particularly organizations and communities operating outside of Budapest—has faced significant challenges in recent years. Due to a limited and unpredictable funding environment, a shrinking public sphere, and growing operational burdens, many local initiatives operate in isolation, achieving only a limited impact. Especially in smaller settlements, organizations often lack the necessary communication, organizational, and collaborative capacities—as well as the tools—to reach a broader audience and engage local communities. Connections between civil society organizations tend to be ad hoc, with few instances of lasting, horizontal cooperation or stable networks.

At the same time, significant untapped resources exist: strong local knowledge, a sense of personal investment, and a desire for collective action.

The project’s core activities include community engagement, the implementation of training sessions and local workshops, mentoring, and the strengthening of network collaborations. Through practical methods, participants acquire content creation skills—such as those for radio and podcast formats—and learn how to leverage the public sphere for community purposes, to explore local issues, and to initiate dialogue.

The project’s methodology is built upon the integration of participatory media and community development approaches. At the heart of the development process lies practice-oriented learning: participants acquire new skills by creating their own content (“learning by doing”), while simultaneously enhancing their organizational operations and collaborative capacity.

The program consists of interconnected components, including training workshops, mentoring, local fieldwork, and peer-to-peer learning within a network. Participants work with accessible media tools (such as podcasts or reports) to develop their storytelling and community engagement skills, supported by professional guidance.

What makes this methodology novel is its use of media as a comprehensive tool for capacity building. Participants adopt a “community exploration and dialogue-building” approach, which facilitates the examination of local issues from multiple perspectives and encourages the involvement of relevant stakeholders.

An innovative element is the adaptation of a “community investigative journalism” toolkit: participants learn how to uncover local issues, gather information, and present diverse viewpoints. This approach strengthens community oversight and transparency, while fostering dialogue and collaboration.

Participating organizations gain the capacity to create content independently, utilize communication tools more consciously, and maintain a more active presence within the local public sphere.
Active relationships are forged among participants, leading to the creation of joint projects and content, as well as ongoing networking and collaboration.
Organizations actively engage community stakeholders, while the content and events foster increased local participation and dialogue.
Dialogue is strengthened, new collaborations emerge, and civil society organizations take on a more active role in local affairs.
The project includes 3 training sessions, 7 local workshops, and 3 open days, reaching a total of 190 individuals. Through the collaborative efforts of the 25 participating organizations, 210 new pieces of communication material are produced. The associated methodology will reach staff members at an additional 90 organizations, supporting their future work as well.