Village Coordinators
About this good practice
Village coordinators have been appointed by several municipalities to improve contact with both residents and voluntary associations in villages.
Because of scaling up of municipalities, there is sometimes fear participation, involvement and satisfaction of residents with their local government is decreasing.
Village coordinators are an easily accessible first point of contact for (groups of) citizens in the villages and ensure that their wishes, complaints and ideas end up in the right departments. They also look at opportunities to link these initiatives to municipal challenges, tasks and policies – both spatially and socially. Furthermore, they have an overview of local social issues and encourage residents, but also civil servants within their own municipal organisation, to get started with these identified problems.
Because of their frequent contacts with the village or district, village coordinators have a good knowledge of what is going on. They also bring this knowledge into the organisation, so that policymakers can use this information when they create or adjust policies. Village coordinators have an extensive network within and outside of the municipality, which allows them to connect people and organisations to exchange knowledge and experiences with each other
Resources needed
The village coordinators are paid by the municipality.
Per municipality it differs in how many districts or villages a full-time village coordinator operates. On average there is one full-time village coordinator for about ten villages/neighbourhoods.
Evidence of success
As far as we know, no official studies have been carried out yet on the effectiveness of or satisfaction with the use of village coordinators. However based on qualitative input, villages and districts often indicate that they are very satisfied with the village coordinator. This mainly concerns: the fixed contact, the short lines of communication, easy accessibility and the actual support.
Potential for learning or transfer
There are a few things that worked well and can be of interest for other regions:
- A fixed point of contact. Residents know this person and the government feels closer to them.
- Being approachable. You need to be available for questions of inhabitants and also willing to work in the evenings.
- Informal and short lines: the village coordinator and the people know each other well. This makes it very easy to discuss a lot of things, even difficult matters. There is a relationship within which you can be very honest with each other, both with the villages, but also internally with colleagues.
- Saying what you do and doing what you say, gaining trust.
- Periodical meetings with local councillors in the villages to consult with the village boards/local interest groups.
-Visiting the villages for consultation, increasing participation. It is good to realize that building a relationship with a village/neighbourhood takes time. A village coordinator must first 'prove him or herself'.
Further information
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
