“We are guided by the principles of democracy, interculturality, autonomy, transparency, accountability, efficiency, effectiveness, objectivity, equality, fairness, impartiality, inclusion, respect and legality.” If you are surprised to think that some public institution has finally decided to announce its principles, you are mistaken. What you have just read is article 3 of the charter of the Casa Grande University Public Policy Citizen Observatory, which is made up of young people who are ready to learn and understand public policies and analyze and evaluate their compliance. It was serious and long work: they read, got information from specialized people, researched, conducted surveys, talked to many residents of the city and are ready
Casa Grande University organized an interfaculty competition in journalism
The Faculty of Political Sciences started the project as part of connecting with society. It started with an open invitation to young people who want to prepare for the practice of informed citizenship. 75 responded, some did not last, and 49 remained. On the day of signing the charter, in front of young people and adults interested in this topic, they enthusiastically said: “Today we finish our training and begin our civic work.”
The observatory will begin its tasks starting from Guayaquil, they will generate “data that highlight matters of public interest relevant to the decision-making of autonomous decentralized municipal authorities”, they will listen to residents and inform the municipality of the results of their work, which could serve as an element of decision .
Maybe the country would be different if there were more serious and dedicated observatories for the analysis and evaluation of public policies…
Members of the observatory say that they do it because they want to build a new city and participate in it, that young people are interested, but they don’t give them a say. They want a city where people are heard, where public policies are followed, which are sometimes statements. It is also clear to them that in order to make demands from the authorities, they must know the powers given to them by law, and that they do not answer to any political party or movement.
Article 85 of the Constitution “guarantees the participation of individuals, communities, cities and nationalities in the formulation, execution, evaluation and control of public policies and public services”, however, few Ecuadorians undertake this task. Perhaps the country would be different if there were more serious and dedicated observatories for the analysis and evaluation of public policies in areas such as education, health, culture, housing, etc.
76% of pedestrians in the center do not know that they can be fined: these are some of the results of the ‘Guayaca Mobility’ project by students from Casa Grande University
This goes beyond participation in what is related to the city in which he lives, because a well-informed citizen is more motivated to actively participate in the development of the country, to take responsibility for his vote, to contribute to the development of a more just and democratic society, which is maintained by critical citizenship and is committed community. The young people of this observatory show that they are interested in their city, country and future; They just need an opportunity to organize and act. They give us a lesson, let’s ask ourselves if we are willing to learn it and act accordingly. (OR)
Source: Eluniverso
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
