Victoria
Gomez Galdon
Validated Lead Expert
Generic Skills
B.1. Understanding of integrated and sustainable urban development:
Sustainable and integrated Urban Development means to integrate all actors involved in a City, to make them co-create and become all together responsible for the management of the City, which means coordinating all policies and making citizens the center of City Policies. It is to converge all that is in our hands to achieve the smart, sustainable, inclusive society to create the path to meet Europe 2020 Strategy. Urban population has increased in previous decades and the city management of the quality of life, public services and wealth management as well as connectors places are crucial to most national governments. Moreover there is an open discussion about recentralization or decentralization of public services management. All cities are being asked to become more efficient, so it is time to implement more public services with much less economic resources. As the European Commission argues “physical urban renewal should be combined with measures promoting education, economic development, social inclusion and environmental protection” However, the most important challenge is to involve knowledge and capacities of civil stakeholders in all levels of government. We are studying how public Policies have evolved since the European Commission try to be a city booster of public policies, allocating more support to develop Urbact Programmes for Cities, with additional funds. Still a great effort is to be done to support Cities, more shared responsibility + co-participation.
B.2. Understanding of exchange and learning processes at transnational level:
The reason to do the sharing of experiences is Capacity Building. We need to act as an orchestra director of Cities sharing and learning experiences. Cities have been sharing experiences all along the projects participations. It is very important to transmit the building of a common and shared understanding of the URBACT objectives and method. My experience is to participate in European projects on exchange for the last 15 years. I have learnt a lot especially during my participation of My Generation and My Generation at work. I have also learnt as a NTS URBACT Trainer for Spain. Specially to strengthen URBACT partners’ capacity to develop a participative action-planning process, involving all relevant stakeholders, providing partners support on tools and methods required to implement and successfully run their ULSG and co-produce a good LAP. Nevertheless, we need to put all our efforts into how partners may exchange and learn from their peers’ and to network at national level. I am more than willing to devote myself to exchange learning activities and facilities, to promote more thoroughly learning among urban policy-makers, decision-makers, practitioners. I am willing to support on drawing together lessons, building shared knowledge based on ground realities, as well as to support local policy-makers, practitioners to develop integrated LAPs. We to rethink on how do we maximise the transnational opportunity?, How to ensure appropriate involvement of elected officials?.
B.3. Proficiency in English:
My level of English has been improving thanks to my experience working in European Projects. However, I have been very privileged because when I was 8 years old I spent one year living in England with my family, in Camberley, Surrey, I studied at the Cordwalles School, located in Berkshire. Eight years later I spent 3 years living in Brussels where I studied in the European School of Brussels, there I was admitted into the English Section studying main disciplines in English as if it were my mother tongue. There I got my Baccalaureate.
At a later date I have been back to work in Brussels and also in Valencia where I needed to use English during my work. I practice my English on a daily basis. My main activities with English are, applying to European Projects, translating documents for civil servants, speeches and oral conversations during meetings with political representatives from abroad. I have been giving presentations in English, attending to meetings on behalf of local authorities and even giving lectures at the Florida State University located in Valencia. Every year I am one of the teachers of the Climate KIC training University Professors seminar. In Spain now it is required to teach English to teachers and so, I also teach how to participate in European Projects in the English language to private organizations. I find it most enjoyable working in the English language
Expertise for the design and delivery of transnational exchange and learning activities:
Summary Expertise for the design and delivery of transnational exchange and learning activities:
My experience is to work intensively on interchanging experiences and at this aim, among other initiatives, I have organized Interregional Exchange Seminars by each working theme with a double purpose: to better understand what partners do in its region and to work on the specific topics such as entrepreneurship, innovation, employment and business development .
I have prepared the candidature of European Entrepreneurial Region on behalf of the Region of Valencia and had to deliver to the Comité de Regions a proposal including case reports and best practices. The initiatives are sometimes transnational, other regional, national or local Spanish experiences with the idea to introduce, inspire and improve new ways of doing things. We assist public authorities to make improvements to the practices running in our region and encourage us to set up some innovative patterns. Usually we complete with a comparative analysis, and we aim to reach new ideas to develop new ways of progressing. The idea that we propose is to develop an open minded reflection in order to inspire decision makers.
I have been working with the aim of contributing to the enormous challenge of Public Authorities today in Valencia which can be broke down as following:
- Save money and at the same time improve services;
Thematic expertise:
Theme / Policy:
Entrepreneurship and competitive SMEs
Summary Thematic expertise:
I would highlight my participation in European Enterprise Network EEN, in Valencia Region since 2006 www.seimed.eu. Also to the Chamber of Commerce of Lima in Peru to become a member of the EEN Network, which was successfully approved. With our support IVACE applied to the latest INNOSUP calls to deliver innovation services and training to regional companies on innovation management. I am SME Instrument Coach to support companies on innovation issues. I have prepared the candidature of European Entrepreneurial Region on behalf for the Region of Valencia delivered a year plan to the Comité des Régions a proposal including case reports and best practices and it was selected in 2015.
My involvement in the National Association of Regional Development Agencies ADR delivering a report on What were the future challenges for entrepreneurs?. We have developed reports for AETS company during an EuropeAid project that required us to identify the best entrepreneurial training at all education levels. We had to organize missions to the best good practices and accompany members of the Ministry of Education of Chile to adopt the best practices selected. I think we still have to continue exploring new ways of scaling up projects results, defining models on how to do things in other places after a project, including information about resources required, timeline, logistics details, media used, and lessons learned.
Expertise support to local authorities and other stakeholders in designing & delivering integrated and participatory policies
E.1. Knowledge on participatory methods and tools for co-production and implementation of local polices :
My experience in participatory methods is mainly based in two experiences. The first one is from URBACT projects and training. My involvement in both projects: My Generation and My Generation at Work Projects have taught me how to use co-production techniques at Local Action Plan definition. Moreover during the delivery of Urbact trainings at National Training Scheme as a trainer I had to be prepared for questions and all sort of difficulties arising during the process that City Councils face.
The other experience or participatory process was the Regional Innovation System projects developed in Chile. I have only played a role of backoffice but our team has gone to Chile and has shared the experience of involving stakeholders in two regions Bio Bio and Valparaiso. I have been giving support to the delivery of documents at all times of the project and I know what their main difficulties were and what the main learning points were.
E.2. Knowledge on integrated approach for the design, delivering, monitoring and evaluation of urban strategies/policies:
We are currently studying the documentation available about the integrated approach to accompany public authorities in their developing projects and to apply for public funds from the Ministry coming from the Operational Programmes.
What it is important is to develop a complete SWAT identifying all projects at the very beginning. Then what is needed is to have a public debate for all everyone to participate in an integrated analysis taking into account all policies. Then, there has to be developed a diagnosis with the population participation identifying priorities and objectives. In order to do so it is very important to involve all departments, it is recommended to listen to what people need, and to agree the determination of the framework of action. Then there has to be drawn up a list of programmes of activities with the participation of all stakeholders inputs. Follow up indicators and evaluations need to be predefined and controlled for the future.
E.3. Awareness of the main policy and funding schemes for sustainable urban development at EU and national level:
We are currently studying all documents available: Operational Programmes, Thematic Objectives, Priorities of Investments and all Recommendations of strategies published by the Ministry of Public Authorities.
We are working closely with Mr. Miquel Barceló from INNOPRO a consultancy that has experience in previous projects delivering assistance to the City of Barcelona on integrated approach for the design, delivering, monitoring and evaluation of urban strategies/policies
E.4. Ability to understand specific local situations and adapt tools and content to different local realities:
Entrepreneurship projects in which I have participated can be adapted to different local realities. Our job performed in the Business Innovation Centre of Valencia developing new products and new processes, helping enterprises turn innovation as a key driver for their competitiveness can be exported to other places. Setting up a range of programs supporting entrepreneurs achieving competitive advantages for further consolidation and internalization can be organized in different areas with specific local situations that need to be adapted. For example we worked in Castellón in the creation of five entrepreneurship centers in rural areas. Our aim was to offer the infrastructures and the working space allowing the companies to be highly competitive within their business environment in terms of innovation, even though they were located in the middle of the mountains. We adapted programmes for 5 incubators to provide support to entrepreneurs and SMEs in Castellón from all the lessons learned from Valencia. In the Province of Castellón with Castellón Emprende, the Valencian Region needs the efficiency that can provide a holistic coordination of its whole system. By expanding at a larger scale all the actions already implemented in other areas to enhance entrepreneurship and business creation, the Region could get much more significant results. With the whole mobilization of the actors and some more coordination, the efficiency of the supports already existing could well improve
Summary Expertise:
My experience in participatory methods is mainly based in two experiences. The first one is from URBACT projects My Generation and My Generation at Work and the National training delivered as a trainer. The other experience on participatory process was the Regional Innovation System projects developed in Chile by our company Aliasgroup with the experience of involving stakeholders in two regions Bio Bio and Valparaiso.
We are currently studying all documents available to deliver assistance for an integrated approach for the design, delivery, monitoring and evaluation of urban strategies/policies : Operational Programmes, Thematic Objectives, Priorities of Investments and all Recommendations of strategies published by the Ministry of Public Authorities in Spain.
We are working closely with Mr. Miquel Barceló from INNOPRO a consultancy that has experience in previous projects delivering assistance to the City of Barcelona on integrated approach for the design, delivering, monitoring and evaluation of urban strategies/policies
Informations
Residence location:
Spain
Languages:
Spanish - Mother tongue
Foreign Languages level:
Foreign languages:
Foreign Languages level:
Foreign languages:
Email:
victoria.gomez@aliasgroup.com vgg333@gmail.com