The Velvet Revolution of 1989 opened the way to democracy and a free market economy in the Czech Republic. The path towards these ideals may be a never-ending one, but unless it is backed up by a most sincere effort on the part of its citizens to reach this ideal, it may lead back to the rule of an omnipotent party or individual.

After seven years on the path, the citizens of the Czech Republic have come a long way and development has included grass-root civic activities - activities of responsible, free citizens.

These were very difficult steps for a society three generations of which grew up under an authoritarian regime and where the newly acquired freedom so easily loses its element of responsibility. For our citizens, it is difficult to have confidence that they themselves can make a difference, it is difficult for them to notice how much is done without the state initiative or the luring goal of ”getting rich”, it is difficult to understand that without citizens’ initiatives, democracy would be fragile.

Therefore, several NGOs who have already gained the trust of the public have come together to organize a PR campaign called ”30 days for the Non-Profit Sector” with the goal of alerting the public’s attention to these facts. The campaign will run from 25 January to 25 February 1998.

Please find enclosed the description of the organizational side of the campaign. Among other activities, we will be organizing an NGO Forum for c/a 80 persons in the premises and with the support of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. President Václav Havel has committed his time to be the key-note speaker at this conference.

The primary aim of the campaign is to increase understanding in the Czech Republic of the NGO sector as a partner to the State and to businesses. We are therefore concentrating our efforts on the following goals:

1. To improve communication between NGOs and national and local government authorities;
2. To increase awareness of the NGO sector within the business sphere;
3. To evoke public discussion of the NGO sector on all levels (philosophical, political, citizen involvement);
4. To present the achievements of the national NGO sector thusfar, highlighting specific programs and organizations;
5. To clarify the function of the NGO sector;
6. To define the role of NGOs in relation to the State sector (identifying the differences and common ground).

• Motivating NGOs throughout the country to concentrate their PR and other publicly attractive activities around the period specified for the campaign in cooperation with the most respected foundations that agreed to serve on the Honorary Committee of the campaign and through regional NGOs that have agreed to act as regional co-organizers of the campaign;
• Making agreements with the mass media (TV, radio, newspapers, Internet) that these activities will be given coverage both nationally and locally;
• Organizing public debates on (i) general issues relating to the civil society, and (ii) specific issues within the NGO sector, in which politicians, business, local government and NGO representatives would participate.
• The campaign will take the form of a nationwide month of heightened awareness of the NGO sector, by means of local and regional activities coordinated by a steering committee based within ICN.

The campaign will consist of public discussions in the media, television coverage of events prepared by NGOs throughout the country, as well as presentations of NGOs working successfully in various fields. All press and television coverage will be accompanied by the campaign’s logo. A television spot has also been prepared and will be used throughout the campaign.

NGOs throughout the country have organized different events during which they will be using the campaign´s logo, in this way making themselves visible in their own communities. A database of these events will be at the disposal of journalists throughout the campaign, in addition to many other information materials.

A major conference called the "NGO FORUM" will be held in Prague with the presence of President Havel and other public figures (including international guests). President Havel has also agreed to host a reception at the Castle for the Forum participants and other personalities.

During the campaign, several organizations will organize specific events that could be attractive for the public.

ICN, together with the Patriae Foundation, is preparing an ”NGO FORUM”, at which President Václav Havel has agreed to participate as a key-note speaker. He also will co-sponsor a launching reception at Prague Castle for the participants of the Forum and other public personalities (politicians, journalists, NGO representatives).

The Forum will be held on February 23, 1998 (this date is yet to be confirmed by the President) and will take the form of a panel discussion. There will be three panels (one in the morning and two in the afternoon) on three themes: ”The Role of the Civil Society in a Democratic State”, ”The Not-for-Profit Sector as a part of Civil Society”, and ”State and Not-for-Profit Sector: Partners or Competitors?”

Among the participants of the panels will be Václav Havel (key-note speaker), Petr Pithart (Speaker of the Senate), J. Kavánek (ČSOB), V. Mlynář (Minister - Speaker of the Government), Tomáš Halík (Bishop), Jan Sokol (Minister of Education), Milena Černá (Director of The Olga Havel Foundation) and other personalities from the public, private and NGO sectors.

Altogether we expect approximately 80 participants.

• Milena Černá - Good Will Committee - Olga Havel Foundation, Director

Senovážné nám. 2, 110 00 Praha 1

tel: 02/ 24216883, 24217331 fax: 02/ 24217082

• Božena Jirků - Charter 77 Foundation, Deputy Director

Washingtonová 77, 110 00 Praha 1

tel: 02/ 24217666, 24221235 fax: 02/ 24220847 charta77@mbox.vol.cz

• Marie Kopecká - Open Society Fund - Prague, Director

Staroměstské nám. 22, 110 00 Praha 1

tel: 24227456 fax: 02/ 24227451 osf@ecn.cz

• Miroslav Kundrata - Environmental Partnership - Nadace Partnerství, Director

Panská 9, 602 00 Brno

tel: 05/ 42218350 fax: 05/ 42210561 pship@ecn.cz

• Tomáš Pojar - Person in Need Foundation - Nadace Člověk v tísni, Director

Nadace při ČT

tel: 02/ 61134401-2, 61134435, 0602/ 290065 fax: 02/ 61134137 pinfcz@czech-tv.cz

• Jana Ryšlinková - Information Center for Foundations - ICN, Director

Karolíny Světlé 4, 110 00 Praha 1

tel: 02/ 24229943, 24227199, 267233 fax: 02/ 24228121 inform@icn.cz

• Hana Šilhánová - Civil Society Development Foundation - NROS, Director

Senovážné nám. 24, 116 47 Praha 1

tel: 02/ 24102398 fax: 02/ 24102407 nros@nadace-ros.anet.cz

• Zdeněk Škaroupka - Liga za práva vozíčkářů, Brno

tel: 05/ 41321234, 41321224 fax: 05/ 41321225

• Yvona Kreuzmannová - Tanec Praha, Prague

tel: 02/ 2319576 fax: 02/ 2319576

• Oldřich Čepelka - Nadace Omega, Liberec

tel/fax: 048/ 485026

• Dana Diváková - Centrum pro komunitní práci, Ostrava - Zábřeh

tel: 069/ 6740628 fax: 069/ 6740628

• Dagmar Franzová - Obecně prospěšná společnost Halina, Prague

tel/fax: 02/ 829685, 828955

• Roman Haken - Centrum pro komunitní práci, Olomouc

tel/fax: 068/ 5104376

• Miroslav Chromeček - Centrum pro komunitní práci, Luka nad Jihlavou

tel: 0603/ 217729

• Zdeněk Jakubka - Vita, Ostrava tel: 069/ 57697

• Gabriela Lávičková - Centrum pro komunitní práci, Plzeň

tel: 019/ 224798, 220768 fax: 019/ 220678

• David Matýsek - Klub Hurá Kamarád, Pardubice

tel: 040/ 6859180, 514375

• Daniel Rosecký - Centrum pro komunitní práci, České Budějovice

tel: 038/ 38440

• Eliška Stoklasová - Přátelé přírody, občanská společnost, Ústí nad Labem

tel: 047/ 5210199 fax: 047/ 66018

• Leona Valovičová - Regionální centrum ICN, Olomouc

tel: 068/ 5231840, 5223417 ext. 120 fax: 068/ 5232070

• Pavla Vydrová - Společnost "E", Brno tel: 05/ 46212394

• Viktor Dudr - SONS, Prague

tel: 02/ 66038864 fax: 02/ 66034454

• Ladislav Krajdl - Městská charita Plzeň, Plzeň

tel: 019/ 223615, 0603/ 218092 fax: 019/ 7223861

Karolíny Světlé 4

110 00 Praha 1

tel: (+420 2) 24 22 99 43, 24 22 99 43,

26 44 22, 26 72 33, 26 72 30

fax: (+420 2) 24 22 81 21

inform@icn.cz

Coordinator: Alena Kobylková