The illiteracy in Las Cabezas is around 30%, and only 15% of the children access secondary education. The unemployment rate is around 20%. Thus, the Spread Project aims not only to increase citizens’ participation but to produce a real social transformation.

The project began in October 1999. The point of departure was a situation where the process of representative democracy had weakened the participation channels and prevented citizens from intervening in public matters, producing distrust.

Little but important transformations have been achieved:

The goal of the participatory budgeting project was not only to share the responsibility of decision taking but to transform the daily life of the town, sharing the power and deciding together the way of living.

The budget has been approved with the active engagement of a 15% of the population, which has increased the information level and the strengthened the social networks, while revitalizing the political life.

The city council workers have learnt to deal with new communitarian ways of working and evaluating. The politicians have learnt to share their power and the associations have begun to collaborate and involve themselves into submitting proposals for the management of the city council.

Las Cabezas de San Juan City Council
Pza. de los Mártires, s/n
41730 41730 Las Cabezas de San Juan
Spain
Phone: +34 955873069
Fax: +34 955872208

30/11/2006

case

Urban Policy > Social inclusion & integration > Community development

Citizens' participation