The Future Charter of Cesis is being presented publicly and signed by young people, politicians and planning specialists

            On the 19 of August in Cesis District Council was presented the Future Charter of Cesis, made by young people involved in the Cesis Identity research group which was established in Cesis during the realization of the project in Latvia. In the presentation took part very high officials and planning experts - the chairman of Cesis District council Andris Neimanis, the executive director of Cesis District council Maris Niklass, the planning expert of Cesis Janis Rozenbergs, the chairmen of many rural municipalities and educational experts from city and district, deputies from Cesis City council and other interested people.

            In the Cesis Identity research group were involved more than 20 young people from the Cesis city and almost all parts and municipalities from the district as well. It means that the research was not focused only on the city but on the rural municipalities as well. The identity research group started the work on the March and has worked successfully till August. It was hard work during the summertime and now the Future Charter is ready. The Identity research group was led by Klavs Sedlenieks - a professional social anthropologist, the lecturer of the University of Latvia. 

            The Future Charter of Cesis is a document in which is collected the information about the projects and ideas coming from young people in connection with future development of the Cesis region including the rural municipalities as well. In that follow - up plan are concerned very large - scale range of questions which touches the inhabitants of Cesis region and the development of tourism as well. The Future Charter is made as a supplement for the Development Plan of the city and district. The working out of such kind of document is important to the young people and municipalities as well because in this way is being created the network youth - municipality which will give implicitly positive effect now and in the future. Working out such kind of document are sustained the belonging to homeland which is one the strategical aims of the PIPE project.

            The Future Charter of Cesis is conditionally divided into two parts - the measures regarding to promotion of the tourism development and the measures regarding to the general standard of living in the local environment.

            In the lectures of the Cesis Identity research group crystallized the fact that to the development of tourism must be allocated special place because directly the tourism can positively affect the region overall. The students came to the conclusion that the Medieval Castle in Cesis and its surroundings must be enlivened because it hides a lot of tourism potential. In perspective there can be established a town made in the style of Middle Age in the season of tourism. Special status, in the opinion of the members of the Cesis Identity research group, must be allocated to Cirulishi - one part of the Cesis city because it could be as an ideal place for the development of the recreation centre. There are done already first steps - in that place is located already the recreation centre, but, of course, it must be enlarged in future. It is the same locality where took place the Innovation Camp. In all rural municipalities are not established the tourism information points. It could be a big challenge to the rural settlements - to strengthen the measures focused on the development of tourism in the regions. In the Future Charter are mentioned concrete things they could do in order to reach the purposes.

            In the discussions during the work of the Identity research group the youth came to the conclusion that one very important thing is to stop the outflow of young people away from Cesis city and rural municipalities as well. The group has worked out some proposals which can stop or at least reduce it. One of the solutions is to organize the PR and measures campaign Cesis - the city for the youth. It would not be a common campaign in the media but would include a lot of measures done in order to strengthen the popularity of the city. There would be broadened the homepage of Cesis www.cesis.lv where would be established new discussion forum for the young people coming from overall Cesis region. It would be a place where could be discussed the ideas for new projects, a kind of partner search forum for new projects, because projects is a key word for the local development. There is a need for the establishment of the CD of Cesis - it could help for the attraction of the tourists. The young people have spoken the word to organize the bus of Cesis - information bus which can drive overall the country and inform about tourism possibilities in Cesis district. In other parts of the country can be organized the Days of Cesis - information days about Cesis region.

            In the discussions came out that there are many things in the city environment which could be improved in order to make Cesis friendlier to all inhabitants and guests. For example, the condition of the toilets located in the park and station is not good and there is a need for improvements. One obstacle for the local development is untidy environment, especially in the local municipalities. The young people have found out a lot of solutions for this problem - they have offered to strengthen the administrative responsibility of the house owners, to organize competitions for the spruced places and assistances and, of course, there were offered same other answers.

            In the transport scheme of Cesis is need for the improvements. As it came out in the discussions, it is quite complicated to arrive in the rural parts of the district. The young people proposed to establish the transport coordination centre which would work in cooperation with the transport company and could be lead by youth themselves. It would help them to hire the bus for special trips. So young people would be more mobile and much easier could drive to the events happening in other parts of the country.

            The measures and proposals mentioned in this article of course are only one very little part of the Future Charter of Cesis which are given as an example and discretion of it.

            One very important thing which shows the point of the establishment of such kind a document is the fact that almost all ideas could be realized by young people themselves. Very good indicator is the willingness to effect the ideas and plans which was showed by the Identity research group. They were not only ready to do their best in order to make the ideas come true, but also promised to involve as much young people as possible in this process.

            After the presentation of the Future Charter took place the discussions about it where participated the politicians, planning experts and young people as well. In this document were made some corrections which crystallized in the discussions.

            On the 27 of August the Future Charter of Cesis was signed by the Mayor of Cesis city Gints Ðíenders, the chairman of Cesis District council Andris Neimanis, the planning experts of Cesis city and district, the chairmen of many rural municipalities and, of course, by young people.

In that way was verified the interest of all sides which has signed this document to continue the collaboration further in order to realize all sections included in the Future Charter. It means that the young people are taken serious by politicians and experts, that the ideas will not live only on the paper but sooner or later will see the daylight. Of course it would not be in one day, but it is only the start, the first step in collaboration between the young people and municipalities. And this step was taken in the PIPE project.