CRPM North Macedonia - SMART Balkans

Local Democracy Agency LDA

Summary of the project

The municipality of Knjaževac enables is an environment where the civil sector has traditionally been active, and the local self-government recognizes certain associations as partners and collaborators in the planning and implementation of its programs. Associations in Knjaževac have been financed from the local budget through a public competition since 2010, and significant funds are allocated for this purpose. A large part of these funds go for the implementation of programs in the field of culture and cultural heritage. The fact is that the associations regularly submit reports to the local government on the implementation of these programs, but it is often the case that the achieved results and information on the implementation of planned activities are not available to the public, either through announcements in the local media or in any other way.
In order for the work of these associations, as well as the use of funds for their activities from the budget of the Knjaževac LGU, to be transparent, it is necessary to make public and easily accessible information about the associations operating in the territory of the municipality of Knjaževac, the thematic areas they deal with, as well as the programs they have implemented, especially those that are supported within the framework of the Public competition for the allocation of funds for financing or co-financing of programs of public interest from the budget of the municipality of Knjaževac. In this way, the local self-government would also have access to data on the capacity of associations to participate in consultative processes when creating, adopting, and reporting on the implementation of public policy documents at the local level, as provided for in the Guidelines for the inclusion of CSOs in the process of adopting regulations.

Project goals

General goal: To accelerate the application of good management principles in the municipality of Knjaževac by enhancing the visibility, transparency of work, and collaboration between civil society and local self-government.

Specific objective:

To create enabling conditions for the operation of local CSOs and their active involvement in the local legislative process by establishing a database of existing capacities and identifying additional support needs.
To enhance the process of financing CSO programs from the local self-government budget by developing an online register of CSOs operating within the municipality’s jurisdiction and establishing a database to track the outcomes of association programs funded through the local self-government budget.

Beneficiaries

The primary target group are CSOs that actively operate in the municipality of Knjaževac, which will be registered in the digital CSO registry, whose work is not sufficiently recognized in the community and who need support in developing their capacities to advocate for their beneficiaries and participate in local legislative processes.

The ultimate beneficiaries are the residents of the municipality of Knjaževac, especially direct beneficiaries of local associations, who will have improved opportunities for participation at the local level through transparent work of local CSOs and local authorities.

Main activities

Collection of data on CSOs operating in the territory of the municipality of Knjaževac
Consultative process with CSOs and LGUs
Creation of the Local Digital Register of CSOs
Creation of a database on CSOs operating in the territory of the municipality of Knjaževac
Recommendations for improving the efficiency of financing CSOs from the local budget
Information campaign

Association PARENT

Summary of the project

Children’s participation is one of the four fundamental principles from which all articles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child derive. Generally, children and young people are not involved in decision-making at the local level, and most of them lack the experience of attending meetings where decisions are made regarding the public and social life of the local community. In the municipality of Zemun, there are a total of 28 schools, including 20 primary schools and 8 secondary schools. In recent years, while working with student parliaments in Zemun, several research projects revealed that student parliaments have not been established in some schools, and in many others, they serve mainly as symbolic entities.
Children and young people have expressed their desire for greater participation, emphasizing that they have initiatives but feel that their voices are not heard. They also express the need for a mechanism that would empower them to have a stronger voice, increased representation in school and local governing bodies, and the opportunity to network with other student parliaments while sharing best practices.
Through this project, the organization aims to initiate the formation of the Municipal Student Parliament within the GO Zemun territory. We believe that the conditions are favorable for this endeavor, drawing inspiration from the successful establishment of the City Student Parliament in Novi Sad, which was founded in March 2022 under the Coordination Body for the Fight against Violence in Primary and Secondary Schools in the City of Novi Sad. Our ultimate goal is to promote this established mechanism as a model of good practice and replicate it in other municipalities in the future.

Project goals

The general goal of the project is to contribute to the strengthening of participation and greater visibility of children and young people, especially primary and secondary school students, which affects their personal development, self-confidence, development of cognitive abilities and social skills, which generally improves their position in the community.

The specific goal is the formation of the Municipal Student Parliament at the Office for Youth or another relevant body of the City Municipality of Zemun.

Beneficiaries

The primary target group of the project are all students of the 7th and 8th grades of elementary schools and students of all grades of secondary schools in Zemun. They are also the beneficiaries because the project’s outcome will directly affect them. Representatives of the student parliaments of primary and secondary schools from the territory of Zemun municipality will be directly involved. Also, the wider target group are schools’ PP services as coordinating bodies of school student parliaments, representatives of LSG Zemun: social activities and the Youth Office as well as other relevant decision makers at the local level who participate in the process creation and implementation of policies concerning the participation of youth and student parliaments.

Main activities

Initial parliaments and project team contacting the formation of student extended
Parliamentary workshops and student meetings
Initiation and preparations for a campaign on social networks to promote the municipal student parliament
Implementation of campaign strategy on social networks
Media promotion of the initiative: recording, editing and publication of video clips
Strategic planning process for the future Municipal Student Parliament
Presentation meeting with youth offices and local governments
Public debate with student representatives and youth offices
Official formation of the Municipal Student Parliament

Center for civil society development PROTECTA

Summary of the project

The main problems that this project will address include the lack of initiative and knowledge among local CSOs on the topic of the fight against radicalization, prevention, and suppression of violent extremism; the absence of an official local policy on this topic; and the lack of interest and ignorance of citizens, from which prejudice and extreme behavior often arise. All of these factors contribute to the fact that Niš is a fertile ground for right-wing organizations and the promotion of extreme attitudes and behavior towards various minorities, whether political, religious, national, or otherwise.
The project will be implemented within the territory of the City of Niš. South Serbia, with Niš as its regional center, is the poorest part of Serbia. The daily experience of social and economic poverty, particularly among the city’s youth, fosters an environment conducive to the development of various forms of extremism. This situation is exacerbated by widespread corruption at the local level and the collapse of local institutions, which serve as a facade for the ruling partocracy where political parties hold the predominant influence. Despite the pro forma support for European integration by the parties in power, their real strength is drawn from right-wing extremism. As a result, official communication within city institutions such as the city assembly and city council, as well as in local media, is dominated by hate speech and open intolerance towards anyone who is different, whether in terms of political beliefs, nationality, religion, or sexual orientation.

Project goals

The general goal of the project is to enhance the capacity of civil society in the city to combat radicalization, prevent and suppress violent extremism, and foster conditions conducive to cooperation and a shared agenda among CSOs, institutions, and other stakeholders in the city regarding this issue.

Specific objectives:

Raising awareness and educating citizens, particularly young people, about the perils associated with the radicalization of society.
Facilitating intersectoral networking to address the challenge of combating radicalization.

Beneficiaries

The target groups towards which our activities are mainly directed are: youth, socially vulnerable population (refugees, migrants, national minorities, people with disabilities…), local CSOs, business sector, local institutions.

Main activities

Training on combating radicalization and violent extremism
Joint action of civil society towards the citizens of Nis
Online campaign on violent extremism and P/SVE
Drafting of comments and recommendations for the local agenda related to P/SVE
Media promotion of the project

Related news:

Team 42

Summary of the project

In May 2022, the Assembly of the city of Leskovac adopted the Local Waste Management Plan for the period 2021-2030. The basis for creating this plan is the previously valid Local Waste Management Plan for the period 2010-2020. From just these two sentences, one can discern the primary issue within the waste management system in the city of Leskovac—delay. Officials consistently lag behind in various aspects, including the timely adoption of crucial strategic documents.
Upon scrutinizing the previously valid plan, Team 42 members ascertained that minimal progress had occurred over the past thirteen years. A straightforward comparison between the outlined objectives and the actual state of affairs on the ground reveals a stark reality: there remains an absence of a well-developed system for primary and secondary waste separation, a lack of management protocols for specific waste streams such as medical, pharmaceutical, and construction waste, and no significant improvement in the reuse, recycling, and composting percentages.
This same conclusion emerges from the ex-post analysis conducted for the current plan’s requirements. Most of the documented issues and established goals from the preceding planning period persist, necessitating a continued implementation of the action plan. It is imperative to gain a more comprehensive understanding of individual goals and to undertake new measures and activities whose effectiveness has been observed.

Project goals

General Goal: To enhance the waste management system within the city of Leskovac.

Specific goals:

Decreasing the incidence of illegal landfills
Engaging citizens in addressing the issue of illegal landfills
Disseminating information to the public concerning the resolution of illegal landfill problems within the city of Leskovac

Beneficiaries

The goal of the project is to improve the waste management system in the territory of the city of Leskovac. The project activities will establish the monitoring of all activities of the Local Waste Management Plan in the territory of the city of Leskovac for the period 2022 – 2030 related to illegal landfills, provide support to citizens in identifying and solving the problems of illegal landfills in their surroundings, and carry out an information campaign about the waste management system in the territory of the city Leskovac.

The activities will have the most direct benefit on the citizens of Leskovac who are directly exposed to the problem of illegal landfills, i.e. they live in their immediate vicinity. The secondary target group are representatives of the local authorities of the city of Leskovac, who have been fighting the problem of illegal landfills for more than a decade, but apparently in an inadequate way. They lack communication with the community in order to identify the cause of the emergence (and persistence) of this problem in the best possible way.

The final beneficiaries of the project’s results are all citizens of Leskovac, who will have a cleaner and healthier environment with an adequate solution to the problem of illegal landfills.

Main activities

monitoring of the Local Waste Management Plan in the territory of the city of Leskovac for the period 2022 – 2030
support in identifying and solving the problems of illegal landfills in their environment
information campaign on the territory of the city of Leskovac

Women`s Forum Prijepolje

Summary of the project

The media we use every day have great power and influence on the formation of our opinions and attitudes. Among all the media, Serbian citizens spend the most time on social networks, approximately 100 minutes a day. They allocate 57 minutes to listening to the radio and 28 minutes a day to reading the press. In 2021, citizens devoted an average of over an hour a day to television (68 minutes).

In light of the aforementioned facts, it highly important for citizens, especially women, to gain a better understanding of the meanings embedded in media content and the intentions of message senders. This understanding is crucial to safeguarding themselves against media manipulation. This concern is particularly relevant if we consider the portrayal of women in the Serbian media, which can be described as perplexing. The media often fixate on the female body, focus on the attire of female politicians rather than their accomplishments, sensationalize cases of violence against women, and inadequately represent Roma women, women from rural areas, and women with disabilities in their content. These trends underscore the harsh treatment women endure in the world of media.

To protect women, a group recognized as vulnerable by numerous international and national documents, from potential media-induced effects on their self-confidence, self-esteem, and mental health, it is imperative for them to attain media literacy.

Project goals

General goal: To contribute to the democratization of society in Serbia by enhancing the status of women.

Specific goal: To enhance awareness among citizens of the Zlatibor district, with a particular focus on women, regarding the significance of bolstering media literacy. This objective aims to establish the prerequisites for active citizen participation in the development of a gender-responsive and non-discriminatory society.

Beneficiaries

Target groups:
– women of Zlatibor district – Zlatibor district is an environment with extremely pronounced patriarchal norms and stereotypes about women. The media do not contribute sufficiently to their empowerment and advocacy for the realization of women’s rights and the reduction of discrimination. The media often try to “mould” women and reduce them to mothers and housewives, but also to the body, so women, if they are not media literate enough and if they do not critically approach the content that is marketed to them, may believe that they are less valuable and continue to protect those patriarchal patterns to “fit” society,
– media within the Association of Local Independent Media (Local Press) – The Forum has been working for years to strengthen the professional and professional capacities of media that are members of Local Press, of which it is a member as well, especially when we talk about sensationalist reporting on cases of violence against women, reporting on vulnerable groups, as well as the promotion of gender-sensitive language. The material that will be created as part of this project will be offered to other media for broadcasting so that the journalists of the newsrooms can learn more about the importance of women’s media literacy, but also enable their audience to be informed on the mentioned topic,
– citizens who follow the work of the Forum – the Forum has its audience, that is, its support base, which has been following its work for years, both as an association and as a media outlet. Our goal is that our audience grows, learns and develops together with us, so that they can participate in the improvement of living conditions in our community and advocate for change. Therefore, it is important for us that our community/audience has enough knowledge and information about certain topics, as well as that we share common values, such as equality and respect for basic human rights.

Final beneficiaries:
– citizens of southwestern Serbia – TV Forum has coverage on the territory of southwestern Serbia (potential 450,000 viewers), and cable operators such as Supernova also provide visibility. Social networks and the web portal contribute to the visibility of our media and the Association in the wider area, so we count on contributing to the information of the wider community. It is very important to us that the general public understands the importance of media literacy for each individual so that they know how to recognize manipulative and discriminatory contents/messages, and thus make good decisions for themselves and their families,
– women’s CSOs – advocating for objective and truthful information from the media, and professional reporting on women, which leads to the improvement of their media image, are the goals of women’s CSOs who understand how much influence the media has on the general public. Cooperation between CSOs and the media is often difficult, and the possibility that the Women’s Forum Prijepolje has, with the help of its media, to influence journalists and the public, facilitates the work of other women’s CSOs in the process of establishing equality.

Main activities

Producing media content
organizing a two-day seminar for women
implementing a social media campaign

Center for Investigative Journalism Kruševac – CINK

Summary of the project

The low level of participation by young people in decision-making processes at the local level is a significant issue that this project aims to address. The media landscape for young individuals remains exceedingly limited. Even when topics of relevance to this demographic are covered in media content, young people seldom occupy the central roles, frequently being discussed or written about indirectly. Traditional media outlets display minimal engagement with young people, and their activities receive inadequate monitoring. Consequently, the media environment within the Rasin district inadequately accommodates the diverse array of subjects that concern young individuals, which, in turn, discourages their involvement in decision-making processes.

The existence of an institutional and normative framework, both at the local and national levels, serves as a fundamental prerequisite for fostering the active participation of young people in decision-making processes. The local action plan for the youth of the city of Kruševac for the period 2020 – 2025 sets forth the promotion of active participation by young women and men in decision-making processes and the social life of the local community as one of its strategic objectives, specifically under the domain of active participation and youth volunteerism. However, the practical reality diverges from these intentions.

Furthermore, Kruševac and the two smaller, rural municipalities, Varvarin and Ćićevac, grapple with a persistent issue of young people continually leaving the area to pursue higher education in urban centers or seek employment opportunities elsewhere. The departure of young, educated individuals has a profound impact on the activities of the few organizations and groups dedicated to youth-related matters, often leaving them with insufficient capacity to actively engage in the decision-making process.

Project goals

General goal: To contribute to a greater participation of young people in decision-making processes at the local level.

Specific objectives:

To improve awareness and understanding of the importance and effects of active youth participation at the level of three local communities in the Rasin district (Kruševac, Varvarin, Ćićevac).
To empower and encourage young people in three local communities in the Rasin district to actively participate in decision-making processes.

Beneficiaries

The target groups of this project are young people directly and indirectly involved in the implementation of project activities, youth and youth associations, formal and informal youth groups, student and student parliaments, youth offices, educational and cultural institutions, trade unions. The end users are potentially all young people aged 16-30 in the territory of three local communities (Kruševac, Varvarin and Ćićevac) as well as the entire Rasin County.

Main activities

Research of the current situation regarding the active participation of young people in three local communities on the territory of the Rasin district
Organizing the debate
Training for young journalists and associates
Information campaign

AC Institute for Corruption Research Kareja

Summary of the project

Corruption, especially at high levels and organized crime, are significant common problems in the entire Western Balkans region. This criminal phenomena is associated with the term “rule of law.” Consequently, the project proposal addresses the areas of Security and Stability and Management.
The rule of law in Serbia has been violated, and corruption has permeated every facet of society. This is supported by global data from Transparency International on the perception of corruption for the year 2022, wjere Serbia is categorized among countries where corruption is widespread, even reaching the most remote parts of Serbia, including Kukulovci.
The creative artistic product is based on an original interpretation of the rule of law in Kukulovci. In the period leading up to the 2020 elections, local residents demonstratively refused to vote altogether due to the state of the village. The government responded promptly, and amidst a flea market atmosphere, the Director of Roads of Serbia negotiated with the people of Kukulovci to pave the road in exchange for their votes.

Project goals

The overarching goal of the project proposal is to contribute to the strengthening of participatory and Euro-Atlantic democratic integration in Serbia. This will be achieved by bolstering civil society organizations and their networks, enabling them to play a more active role in shaping the governmental landscape and promoting sustainable development in Serbia.

The specific objectives of the project proposal are as follows:

Strengthen and enhance the sustainability and dynamism of CSOs in Serbia.
Increase the effectiveness of citizen engagement and influence on policy changes through CSOs, with a focus on combating corruption, especially political corruption and organized crime.
Raise public awareness regarding the crucial role of civil society in the fight against corruption and organized crime, as these issues are central to development initiatives in Serbia within the broader context of the Western Balkans.

Beneficiaries

Citizens of Serbia. The group is broadly based, as the rule of law affects society as a whole. Citizens have an essential need to live in an environment of the rule of law. On the other hand, we see that the people of Kukulovce do not have that need, and that they have adapted to the state of corruption dominance. We want to draw their attention to the state of corruption and the rule of law in Serbia in a specific way. The citizens of Serbia will benefit from the project because they will develop and strengthen their awareness of the harmfulness of corruption,
The interested public, aware of the dangers of corruption for society, will benefit from the project, which will help them to have a stronger influence on the part of society that is not aware of the dangers of corruption.
Decision-makers at the national and local level and institutions (MUP, prosecution, courts, Agency for the Prevention of Corruption and others) responsible for the fight against corruption. We want to influence them, so that they implement laws and fight especially against political corruption. An interactive satirical-ironic performance should act as a shock, which would move them to implement the laws.
CSOs and the media will benefit from the project because several CSOs will be connected by stronger ties and strengthen their anti-corruption influence. The media will benefit because they will have quality content available for reporting and performing their function in society.

Main activities

Selection of project team members, volunteers, and collaborators
Hiring local security as a legal obligation
Mini press conference
Interactive art show, including performances
Recording of events and photography
Analysis of the interactive art performance
Premiere of the film

Essay on the rule of law in Serbia: A case study of Kukulovce village

Center for Education and Development – CED

Summary of organization’s strategic orientation

The Center for Education and Development (CED) was founded in 2006 in Tetovo, Macedonia, with the aim of inspiring critical thinking and development of young people through non-formal education and volunteering. As an organization, we strive to invest in the development of young people through non-formal education, youth work and volunteering, in order to motivate creative initiatives and collaborations between ethnicities living in the region.

The organization has identified five strategic lines of action, such as: institutional development, education, ecology and intercultural learning, using them to achieve three values: cooperation, education and equality.

Our mission: to invest in the development of young people through non-formal education, volunteering and youth work, encouraging creative initiatives and mutual cooperation. Our vision: Young people have the skills, knowledge and attitudes to take initiatives and build a healthy and developed community where different ethnicities coexist peacefully.

Beneficiaries

Within the framework of the Smart Balkan project, young people from Bogovina and Tearce municipalities will benefit from our work, who will have youth strategies. Local organizations such as Local Youth Councils and local government institutions such as municipalities will also benefit here.

Association Centre for Social Initiatives NADEZ

Summary of organization’s strategic orientation

C.S.I. NADEZ works actively in the field of supporting vulnerable groups through project for:

support in the education of children and youth, with an emphasis on Roma;
support in the integration of girls by enabling access to education and offering activities to fulfill free time;
women are also supported to improve their social and economic situation through the development of long-term self-help mechanisms;
support and assistance to the educational process, social integration of children and young people and support of a multi-ethnic dimension between different nationalities within the community;
the reintegration of voluntary returnees from European countries, by providing help and support, for their more successful integration into social processes.

Beneficiaries

The following target groups will benefit from the implementation of the “Initiate – Realize – Change” project:

the local community
the local self-government
primary school
children in primary schools
general public

Through an online survey, the capacities at the local level will be mapped, as well as the acts and procedures that are used to act in case of natural disasters and threats. All of this will represent the future direction for the work of the established working group, which will make recommendations for the improvement/advancement of the existing plans/procedures for action in the case of natural disasters, at the local level. Through the establishment of good cooperation between local schools, the municipal organization of the Red Cross, the Directorate for Rescue, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the local government, training and simulation exercises will be carried out in at least 4 schools of local level. With this training, at least 4 student preventive teams will be formed and trained at the local level. One pilot school who is involved in the project initiative will receive prominent evacuation plans in a prominent place with clearly marked school exits. During the entire project, a promotional campaign on social media will be implemented to raise the awareness of the general public at the local level for initiation and involvement in initiatives for the prevention of natural disasters and threats.

Association for rural development LAG Agro Lider

Summary of organization’s strategic orientation

The association for rural development LOCAL ACTION GROUP AGRO LIDER Krivogashtani is a voluntary, non-profit, non-governmental, non-partisan association, formed by free association.
The establishment of LAG AGRO LIDER enables joint cooperation of the public, private and civil sectors, and through informing, educating and activating the population, it will ensure the long-term development of the rural areas in the territory of the municipalities of Dolneni, Krivogashtani, Prilep and Krushevo

The mission of LAG Agro Lider is to promote and contribute to sustainable rural development in the territory of the Municipality of Dolneni, Prilep, Krivogashtani and Krushevo through initiatives, partnerships and using the existing endogenous potential through joint cooperation of the public, private and civil sectors. Agro Leader acts in accordance with the 7 principles of The EU LEADER approach: Local development strategy based on a certain area, Local public-private partnership, Bottom-up approach, Integrated and multi-sectoral approach, Innovation, Cooperation and Networking.

Strategic goals and priorities
1. To increase employment in rural areas, especially the employment of young people and women
2. Improving competitiveness in the agricultural-processing sector
3. To protect the environment on the territory of the LAG
4. To improve the quality of life in rural areas
5. To strengthen LAG institutionally

Beneficiaries

The establishment of LAG AGRO LIDER enables joint cooperation of the public, private and civil sectors, and through informing, educating and activating the population, it will ensure long-term development of rural areas in the territory of the municipalities of Dolneni, Prilep, Krivogashtani and Krushevo.

LAG Agro Lider enables the rural population to:

Developing a network of partners in the territory where LAG operates;
Informing the public in rural areas about the principles of sustainable rural development and the LEADER approach;
Creation of professional, operational, material and physical prerequisites for joint planning, preparation and implementation of development projects in the territory where the LAG operates;
Promoting the concept of sustainable development through better use using the “bottom-up” approach in accordance with the rural development policy and the regional policy of the EU;
Setting priorities for the development of rural areas;
Advocate for research and application of alternative technologies for energy production: solar, hydro and wind energy and rational consumption of energy obtained from classic energy sources in rural areas;
Promoting initiatives to achieve the goals of the LAG, in accordance with the Statute and the principles of the LEADER approach;
Representation and lobbying in front of the responsible institutions in the Republic of Macedonia and abroad for issues affecting the members;
Monitoring of legislation and announcements about public calls, funds and financing opportunities in the interest of LAG members and informing them;
Planning and preparation of joint projects for rural development in the territory where LAG operates;
Registration and implementation of projects for rural development;
Providing advisory and technical support to the members of the LAG for the preparation and drafting of the project documentation;
Cooperation with other LAGs, development agencies, educational institutions and competent authorities in order to educate their members and implement joint projects and activities,
Building the capacities of the members and other interested parties in the territory in which it operates, through organizing and holding trainings, workshops, scientific and professional counseling, etc.;
Organization of study and professional trips;
Cooperation with related domestic and international organizations; and
Cooperation with the competent authorities in the Republic of Macedonia and the EU, as well as the exchange of experiences and knowledge with other interested parties in the field of rural development.