This year's awardees are: pianist László Gonda, music teacher, president of the Egri Musicians' Association and the Zalai Dance Ensemble.   

The government pays special attention to the support of social organizations, churches and civic activities, as evidenced by the fact that since 2010, the resources provided by the cabinet to civil organizations have increased more than three and a half times, said the Parliamentary and Strategic State Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office on Thursday In Budapest, at the award ceremony for Value-Creating Communities.

Miklós Panyi emphasized that they are proud of the fact that Hungary spends one of the most on culture in Europe, as well as the fact that it has world-class cultural institutions, as they "visit the wonders" of the House of Hungarian Music, the Museum of Ethnography and the Opera House.

Naturally

Since Trianon, the state has also had the task of supporting the activities of social organizations not only in the mother country, but also in the entire Carpathian basin, and even in the case of Hungarians in the diaspora

the state secretary pointed out.

Therefore, since 2010, the government has been paying special attention to the Hungarian communities, institutions, organizations, and churches across the border, because they play an indispensable role in preserving and strengthening the Hungarian language, culture, and identity, since Hungarian civil policy beyond the border is also national policy and saving Hungarians, Panyi stressed. Michael.

The state secretary also drew attention to the fact that

the Hungarian talents are not only in the elite educational institutions, not only in Budapest, but all over the country, which is why it is necessary to strengthen the cultural and social life of the countryside.

Fortunately, Hungary and the Hungarian countryside have dedicated organizations and leaders who, with their selfless, sacrificial work, create special cultural spaces for their own community, research and nurture Hungarian culture, thereby preserving value, creating and strengthening local communities, local and national identity, for the education of young people - said Miklós Panyi.

    Praising the awardees, he said that they make people's lives, the country, the nation, more beautiful and better, more and richer, and preserve the thousand-year-old Hungarian culture and identity. With their self-sacrificing activities, they do a great deal not only for the organization of social life, but also for Hungarian culture, for nurturing Hungarian music and dance life, and for nurturing the talents of young people.    

Vince Szalay-Bobrovniczky, the Deputy State Secretary responsible for civil and social relations at the Prime Minister's Office, spoke about how the volunteerism, dedication, preservation of tradition, selfless donation, trust, dedicated cooperation and willingness to serve can serve as an example for everyone.

Associations and foundations with real content that actively participate in community building representing social values ​​and in achieving community goals are extremely important for the government, emphasized the deputy state secretary.
He added, therefore

increased the level of state support for the classical civil sector from HUF 144 billion per year to HUF 512.9 billion per year between 2010 and 2022.

Vince Szalay-Bobrovniczky called it gratifying that the number of people performing voluntary activities is also increasing, currently almost 400,000 people regularly perform voluntary activities within the framework of more than 47,000 NGOs.

He said about the awardees that they receive the recognition thanks to their years of work, unbroken enthusiasm, and invaluable community-building work, "we can all draw inspiration from their artistic attitude and sincere humility to respect our common national values."

    The Prize for Value-Creating Communities can be awarded to the NGO whose value-creating and value-preserving activities are exemplary, as well as to the natural person who promotes and supports the community's activities in this direction or contributes to the high-quality operation of NGOs with their work. This year, 28 civil organizations and 25 natural persons submitted nominations for recognition.

    This year's awardees are: pianist László Gonda, music teacher, president of the Egri Musicians' Association and the Zalai Dance Ensemble.

According to the award, László Gonda can make a lasting contribution to all age groups and social strata. He takes part in charity concerts, plays music for pensioners and children in state care, regularly deals with music-loving psychiatric and addiction patients.

The Zalai Dance Ensemble, founded in 1957, is one of the most successful amateur ensembles in the country, mainly dealing with learning about, researching and presenting the archaic peasant folklore of the Carpathian Basin. The group currently has around 30 active members and a 20-member women's group, and 600 students participate in school folk dance classes under their organization.

MTI

Cover photo: The recipients of the 2024 Value-Creating Communities Award, pianist, music teacher László Gonda, president of the Egri Musicians' Association (b) and artistic director Ruben Kósa (b3) represented by the award-winning Zalai Dance Ensemble (b3) Vince Szalay-Bobrovniczky, responsible for civil and social relations at the Prime Minister's Office in the company of Deputy State Secretary (b) and Miklós Panyi, Parliamentary and Strategic State Secretary of the Prime Minister's Office (j) at the presentation of the recognition in the conference room of the Prime Minister's Office on February 1, 2024.
MTI/Attila Kovács