This year, the town of Litvínov has allocated CZK 3,100,000 to the participatory budget, including CZK 2,100,000 from the municipal budget. “The ORLEN Unipetrol Foundation will grant an additional CZK 1 million, which will be included in the process and allocated to implement the projects that get the broadest public support,” explains Lucie Pražáková, director of the ORLEN Unipetrol Foundation, adding: “By being included in Litvínov’s participatory budget, the ORLEN Unipetrol to People project becomes a unique opportunity for combining the Foundation’s support and direct voting of residents, thus giving them an option to participate in the process of affecting the future shape of the town they live in.”

In January and February, inhabitants of Litvínov can submit their proposals in two categories – civil and school projects. In March and April, an expert working group will assess the feasibility and benefits of individual suggestions. Public voting will take place in April and May, during which inhabitants will choose the projects they consider the most needed. The town will then implement the winning projects up to the amount of CZK 3,100,000. Inhabitants of Litvínov can find detailed information on the town’s website at https://www.mulitvinov.cz/ and https://www.litvinov-nasemesto.cz/.

The ORLEN Unipetrol Foundation’s involvement in Litvínov’s participatory budget is an innovation this year, while the ORLEN Unipetrol to People project has been a several-year tradition. Since its inception in 2019, it has supported community development around ORLEN Unipetrol Group plants, e.g., in Litvínov, Kralupy nad Vltavou, Veltrusy, and Neratovice. It contributes CZK 1 million to winning projects each year and engages thousands of inhabitants in voting. For example, this initiative resulted in the creation of workout grounds, revitalised public spaces, and other locations for leisure-time activities. The ORLEN Unipetrol Group and its foundation have long supported regional projects across public space development, culture, and education. 

                                               

The ORLEN Unipetrol Foundation launched its activities in 2017. Its primary mission is to support education and popularise science, primarily natural sciences and technical disciplines, as well as corporate social responsibility, emphasising local communities and the environment. The Foundation has long been engaged in supporting schools, teachers, and students with grant programmes. The educational project, ‚Plastík a jeho kouzelný kufřík‘, provides schoolchildren from the first to the fifth grade with an excursion into the world of chemistry through entertaining experiments. Educational support and the associated Foundation’s activities gave rise to many educational materials and outputs in the form of tutorials available at www.nouonline.cz​. Beginning in 2024, the Foundation is also committed to corporate social responsibility related to the environment, support of local communities, and volunteering. Such activities include championing volunteer and community projects, fundraising, fish releases into rivers, nesting of endangered peregrine falcons, and beekeeping. The Foundation cooperates with many non-profit organisations on a long-term basis but also reacts to current events in society and emergencies. More information about the ORLEN Unipetrol Foundation’s mission and other activities is available at  www.nadaceorlenunipetrol.cz.

Lucie Pražáková, director of the ORLEN Unipetrol Foundation

E-mail: nadace@orlenunipetrol.cz​

Telephone: +420 736 506 939