All posts by : SMART Balkans

Implementing organizations: 

• NGO Juventas, Lead applicant, Montenegro
• Nisma për Ndryshim Shoqëror ARSIS, Partner, Albania
• Belgrade Centre for Human Rights, Partner, Serbia

Summary of the project

The regional project “Building Resilience of youth towards Criminal Activities” has a focus on building the resilience of youth and strengthening the capacities of relevant stakeholders. It adopts a research-based approach, conducting comprehensive research among elementary and high school students to understand the factors leading to their involvement in criminal activities. This research will inform effective preventive measures and provide valuable data for decision-makers in the fields of security, social protection, and public health. The project also aims to strengthen the capacities of police officers, journalists, and youth NGOs through trainings and programs based on best practices from Europe, fostering better communication and understanding between youth and these professionals. By creating a regional social media page and organizing competitions, the project promotes positive interaction and trust-building between youth and the police. It advocates for greater involvement of decision-makers and aims to influence policies and strategies through round table discussions. By addressing underlying factors and providing support systems, the project aims to prevent social exclusion and facilitate the reintegration of those affected by criminal activities. Overall, the project fosters regional cooperation among organizations from Montenegro, Albania, and Serbia to combat organized crime and promote the resilience of young people in the Western Balkans.

Project goals

Overall goal of the project is contributing to fight against organized crime and building a new paradigm in current socio-economic breakpoint, by strengthening the resilience of youth and providing systematic solutions and support.

Specific objectives (outcomes) are:

(1) Improved understanding of push and pull factors for recruitment in criminal activities through conducting research among elementary and high school students through two researches.

(2) Strengthening capacities of police, sport clubs, journalists and youth NGOs for building resilience of youth.

(3) Building trust between youth and police.

Expected results of the project are:

(1) Improved knowledge of decision-makers about the push and pull factors for the involvement of young people in criminal activities and the importance of building resilience of youth toward crime.

(2) Built capacities of professionals (police, sport trainers, youth NGOs, and journalists) in bridging the gap with youth, in order to prevent criminal activities of young people.

(3) Raised awareness of the public about the issue.

Target groups and beneficiaries

The direct target group of the project are at least 4500 elementary and at least 4500 high school students from Montenegro, Albania and Serbia and at least 21 journalists, 60 police officers and 30 representatives of youth NGOs from all three countries.

The final beneficiaries of this project are different stakeholders, decision-makers, governments of Montenegro, Serbia and Albania, as well as the general public.

Main activities

• Desk research
• Conducting a survey among elementary and high school students
• Building capacities of professionals (police, youth NGOs, and journalists)
  • Drafting a program plan for the prevention of the criminalization of young people based on the best practices from Europe
  • Trainings for police officers
  • Regional trainings for journalists
  • Regional trainings for youth NGOs
  • Competition for youth about creating tools and methods in bridging the gap between police and youth and the creation of a regional page on social media (Instagram).
• Conducting a regional campaign
• Organization of regular coordination meetings

 

Implementing organizations: 

• ASTRA – Anti-trafficking action, Lead applicant, Serbia
• Association of action against violence and trafficking in human beings – Open Gate/La Strada, Partner,  North Macedonia
• Vatra Psycho-Social Center, Partner, Albania

Summary of the project

Three CSOs from Serbia, Albania and North Macedonia are gathering in an extensive capacity building and learning-by-doing process tackling very complex, intertwined topics: trafficking in human beings (THB) in individual and in organized crime form. These CSOs will conduct researches, collect credible data and info, process and analyse findings, expanding and exchanging their knowledge, contributing to improving the response on the national and regional level. The finding and recommendations from the process will feed into national and EU integration processes. The project efforts are aiming for the improvement of the prosecution, judiciary and protection of the victims of THB, on national and regional level.

Project goals

Overall goal (impact) of the project is to: contribute to strengthening democracies, rule of law and EU integration process in project countries by empowering civil society organizations and CSO networks to be stronger and more competent, in upholding respective states accountability to suppress trafficking in human beings and organized crime, contributing to creating safer and inclusive societies for trafficking victims, and society in whole.

Specific objectives (outcomes) of the project are:

(1) Stronger, competent CSOs in the three countries, skilled in conducting complex research and analysis;

(2) Strengthened regional partnerships between CSOs from the project partners themselves, with the state authorities and with respective EU counterparts;

(3) Increased effectiveness in contributing to change, through joint contribution to security and stability in project countries.

Target groups and beneficiaries

Victims of THB and similar crimes (in individual and in form of organized crime) in trials in SRB, ALB and MKD, media, investigative journalist, persons in risk of THB, citizens. Also, CSOs working with vulnerable groups and individuals, CSOs providing free legal aid to the victims of the THB.

Main activities

• Staff/legal experts from 3 partner CSOs will gather and participate in 2 capacity building workshops, to learn about/create methodologies to analyze court verdicts;
• One informal network of lawyers will be formed, with at least 9 members from 3 countries, after which they implemented methodologies by conducting 6 court verdicts analysis (two per country).
• Staff/legal experts will conduct analysis and produce 6 sets of Summaries and Recommendations (2 per country), on court proceedings for trafficking in human beings in individual and in form of organized crime.
• 6 case studies (2 per country) will be mapped and developed to illustrate the specific challenges in court proceedings for trafficking in human beings and THB in form of organized crime in each partners’ country.
• 3 National discussion forums (1 per country) will be organized, to elaborate on the findings and case studies from analysis, gathering at least 60 targeted representatives (prosecution, judicial, social protection, law enforcement, CSOs, academia).
• After the process of exchange and mutual learning, 1 Joint Position Paper will be produced on the fight against THB and court practices in 3 countries;
• Project partners will use the key findings and recommendations to produce at least 6 written thematic inputs (2 per partner) submitted by the partners to relevant national/international institutions (EU Delegation, TIP report, Council of Europe GRETA, etc.);
• Designing and conducting an outreach/dissemination process (1 per country) aiming to reach at least 1000 state/national stakeholders and 50 000 general public.

Implementing organizations: 

• Advocacy Training and Resource Center (ATRC), Lead applicant, Kosovo
• Counseling Line for Women and Girls (CLWG), Partner, Albania
• Association for active and health development of women and children PLEIADES Skopje, Partner, North Macedonia

Summary of the project

The project strengthens the multistakeholder approach to prevent youth violence and build resilience. At the local level, in six municipalities across Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia a group of state and non-state actors are supported to plan, implement, and evaluate initiatives preventing youth violence through the multi-stakeholder approach. Nine youth centers will be operationalized to support youth as an active actor in prevention. At a country level, lessons learned from these multi-stakeholder exercises will be shared with state and non-state actors to promote this approach. At a regional level, challenges and good practices will be shared and regional initiatives will be supported.

Project goals

The overall goal of the project is to strengthen the multi-stakeholder approach to extremist violence prevention (PVE) and building resilience among youth and communities. The project aims to achieve this through four objectives:

• Local state and non-state PVE actors have improved capacities to use a local multistakeholder approach to plan, implement and evaluate initiatives on extremist violence prevention and building resilient youth and communities;
• Youth centers have improved capacities to plan, implement and evaluate initiatives on preventing violence against and among youth, including PVE;
• State and non-state PVE actors have established a regional communication channel and have exchanged good practices and lessons learned at a regional level;
• More information is available on the capacities, implementation and evaluation of work of different state and non-state PVE actors.

Target groups and beneficiaries

The direct beneficiaries of the project are the state and non-state actors part of the multi-stakeholder approach to prevent youth violence and build resilience. This includes local government institutions such as municipality staff, multidisciplinary teams or equivalent mechanisms, frontline workers as well as non-state actors working on this thematic including CSOs and families as well as youth mechanisms, in particular youth centers.

The final beneficiaries are youth and families vulnerable to extremist violence. Extremist violence is here understood to include racially/ethnically motivated violence and violence inspired by political beliefs including right-wing and nationalistic ideas or religious beliefs. Some of these forms also manifest themselves in violence against authorities, gender-based violence, and violence against the LGBTQI community.

Main activities

• Support six multistakeholder groups at the local level in Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia to develop a 1-year strategic plan on extremist violent prevention and building resilient youth and communities through workshops.
• Support the above multistakeholder groups to plan, implement and evaluate initiatives on preventing violent extremism and building resilient youth and resilience through workshops and on-the-job support.
• Support nine youth centers to develop a 1-year strategic plan for the functioning of their center and engagement with other local state and non-state actors.
• Support the above youth centers to plan, implement and evaluate initiatives through workshops and on-the-job support.
• Provide thematic workshops on the topic of youth violence prevention and prevention of violent extremism to nine youth centers to increase their knowledge and capacity to support prevention and resilience building.
• Organize regional exchanges between youth mechanisms across Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia to share good practices and organize regional initiatives.
• Organize town hall meetings in Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia bringing together state and non-state actors in the PVE field to discuss challenges of the multi-stakeholder approach.
• Organize regional exchanges between state and non-state actors across Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia to exchange good practices.
• Develop country-focused research pieces with six case studies covering Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia on the capacities, planning, implementation and evaluation of extremist violence prevention initiatives and the multi-stakeholder approach.
• Develop a regional comparative research piece to reflect on the findings of the six case studies and provide recommendations at the state and non-state level to improve extremist violence prevention initiatives and the multistakeholder approach.

Implementing organizations: 

• Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Lead applicant, Serbia
• Child Rights Center, Partner, Albania
• First Children’s Embassy in the World – Megjasi, Partner, North Macedonia

Summary of the project

The TOMAS (Towards UnifOrMed Legislation Against CSAM) project is a proactive and collaborative initiative that addresses the problem of online sexual exploitation of children in the Western Balkans. In a digital age where children extraordinary benefit from the advantages of technology, such as unlimited access to information and communication, the project highlights the pressing issues of vastly growing problem of Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM) and Grooming. CSAM has become a significant worry, due to the lack of control mechanisms for online content and behaviors harmful to children. Reports from the US National Center for Missing & Exploited Children’s CyberTipline indicate over 32 million cases of suspected child sexual abuse online in 2022.

The Western Balkans region is not immune to this global phenomenon, as evidenced by alarming statistics. The Albanian domain .al ranks third in Europe for hosting indecent images of children, and Serbia alone seized over 15 terabytes of abusive material in 2019. Children in the region enter the online environment early, with UNICEF data revealing that 86% of children aged 9-17 in Serbia use the Internet daily. However, their awareness of potential dangers remains insufficient, leading to negative online experiences.

The TOMAS emphasize the urgency of addressing this issue, recognizing the need for a coordinated response to the impending threat posed by the subsequent rise in CSAE cases. The project consortium, comprising three CSOs from different Western Balkan countries (Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia), will collaborate with the Eurochild, to prevent the region from becoming a hub for CSAM. Namely, the project’s key focus is to align national legislations with the EU proposal for a Regulation to Prevent and Combat Child Sexual Abuse, fostering timely adjustments and enhancing online child protection.

There is a genuine concern that perpetrators may exploit weaker regulatory frameworks in non-EU countries, and in the Western Balkans in particular, leading to an expansion of CSA online activities. To counteract this threat, the TOMAS project aims to facilitate regional cooperation and networking, engaging civil society in advocacy, policy influence, public awareness and collaboration with international counterparts. By doing so, TOMAS empowers CSOs to play a pivotal role in influencing decision-makers, fostering positive change in the legal framework, and enhancing the region’s approach to online child protection, specifically in safeguarding children from CSAM. The project’s objectives align with broader regional goals of strengthening participatory democracies and Euro-Atlantic integrations, contributing to a safer online environment for children in the Western Balkans.

Project goals

The Overall goal of TOMAS project is to improve the situation in the Western Balkan in the field of combating online sexual exploitation of children. This will be achieved through activities of regional CSOs in cooperation with their EU counterpart Eurochild, aimed at influencing decision makers in 3 WB countries: Serbia, North Macedonia and Albania, for introduction of legal framework, aimed at for adjusting their national legislative frameworks with the ongoing process related to the proposed EU Regulation to Prevent and Combat Child Sexual Abuse.

Specific objectives are:

(1) Increased awareness of online safety among the regional population.

(2) Progress in discussions and potential changes in legislation.

(3) Exchange of experiences and knowledge among project partners from the Western Balkans

Target groups and beneficiaries

Children from the Western Balkan region are the primary target group of the TOMAS project, as well as its final beneficiaries. Children are the predominant group of users of digital technologies in modern day-to-day life, and also the most vulnerable group when it comes to safety risks. In order to protect children online, we plan to involve the stakeholders: a) Individuals, institutions, experts and organisations working with children; b) Policy and decision makers in the WB, including government officials and lawmakers; c) EU Institutions, since the whole project proposal refers to adjustment of the national legal framework with the proposed EU draft regulation;  d) the media, since the media campaign is an important tool used in public advocacy campaigns; and finally e) citizens of the WB, by improving their awareness about online safety, understanding of the issue of CSAM, knowledge of available mechanisms, the ability to identify and report CSAM and constraints such as lack of awareness, lack of information, reluctance to get involved.

Main activities

Informative regional public campaign about online safety

• Media and social media campaign at regional level
• Public events at national level (tribunes, marking Safer Internet Day)
• Publishing electronic informative materials (printed and electronic) on CSAM

Advocacy and lobbying activities for Improvement of WB national legislations regarding CSAM

• Development of tailor-made advocacy materials and lobbying toolkits
• Regional workshop with experts from the EU-based stakeholder Eurochild
• Roundtables with experts at national levels
• Meetings with policy and decision makers at national Levels

Regional partnership and children participation

• Workshops at national level with up to 10 children representatives
• Partner project meetings
• Regional conference presenting project results and providing recommendations for WB decision makers at national levels (with children participation).

Implementing organizations: 

• Association CENTRE, Public Policy Research Centre (CENTRE), Lead applicant, Serbia
• Centre for Development Evaluation and Social Science Research (CREDI), Partner, B&H
• Impetus, Partner, North Macedonia

Summary of the project

The main goal of the project is to enhance the adoption of technological advancements in the agri-food sector within the region. This will be achieved by supporting evidence-based policy-making and utilizing civil society organization (CSO) capacities.

Project goals

The specific objectives of the project are:

(1) Developing an open-source platform with methodologies, stakeholder maps, a comprehensive data repository, and interactive tools for policy creation and testing.

(2) Strengthening the capacity of the Smart Labour Network (SLN) to function as a central CSO resource for national and regional policymaking processes related to Smart Specialisation Strategy (S3).

(3) Leveraging SLN’s research, advocacy, and networking capabilities across Western Balkans (WB6) through the open-source platform and other planned activities.

(4) Facilitating the co-creation of effective policy solutions in collaboration with key stakeholders from Serbia, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. These solutions are aimed at supporting the implementation of smart specialization strategies in the agri-food sector at both national and regional levels.

Target groups and beneficiaries

• Government agencies tasked with S3, agricultural and rural development; farmers and farmers’ associations; agri-business entrepreneurs and innovators; civil society dealing with rural development, environment, socio-economic equality, and topics relevant to SDGs 2, 9 and 15; VET providers; and rural communities in the WB6.

Main activities

Development of Open-Source Platform

• Develop a user-friendly open-source platform with stakeholder maps, searchable databases, and tools for evidence-based policymaking.
• Conduct stakeholder mapping, engaging national and regional entities, and feeding data into the platform.
• Create a repository of methodologies and tools, promoting it through social networks and events.

Building Capacities of CSO Network

• Organize online knowledge transfer events on methodology, digital skills, AI, and skills foresight for Smart Labour Network (SLN) members.
• Identify and build the capacity of 8-10 new CSO members for sustained engagement.
• Expand the network through an orientation workshop for interested CSOs across WB6.

Policy Co-creation and Dissemination

• Facilitate six co-creation forums to bring together stakeholders for collaborative problem-solving.
• Design and disseminate national reports, regional policy briefs, and a governance report.
• Prepare a discussion paper on technological advancements in the agri-food sector.

 

Implementing organizations: 

• Youth Center CK 13,  Lead applicant, Serbia
• Centar za mlade KVART Prijedor, Partner, B&H
• Youth Initiative for Human Rights, Partner, Montenegro

Summary of the project

The young people represent a key aspect of building and sustaining peace in the region, and yet they are the most susceptible to the imperatives of conflict and violence. The project initiates them into visionary democracy and into creation of a hopeful perspective towards peace through regional activities in the form of youth mobility, cooperation, and exchange. As a result, about 150 young people from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro will be educated in terms of transitional justice and peace-building and empowered to influence their environment towards peace.

Project goals

The overall goal is to continuously re-affirm the right to peace as a central issue of human rights and democracy, and to communicate the mission of peace-building as the everyday democratic practice.

Specific goal of the project is to initiate about 150 young people from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro into the ethics and politics of non-violence and peace activism and empower their political impact in the region.

Target groups and beneficiaries

The primary target group is young people in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro, aged 18-30, whose lives are withheld by the defects of the unfinished democratic transition of our countries.  Peers, parents and others in the communities that participants of project activities are part of, who may learn or otherwise be affected by contact with participants’ newly-gained knowledge and attitudes. Larger societies in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro.

Main activities

• Alternative Politics Seminars
• Regional Activist School for Youth About the ‘90s
• Study visit: Places of Cultural Trauma
• Experience Workshops: Questioning the Past, Shaping the Future
• Outdoor Activist Campaign : The International Day of Peace 2024
• Alphabet Book on Anti-War Resistance
• Radio series about peace and nonviolence
• School of Critical Questioning of the Past
• The Study Visit ー Paths of War: Exploring the Past
• Collection of literary works on the topic of achieving peace

 

Implementing organizations: 

• Media Diversity Institute Western Balkans, Lead applicant, Serbia
• Albanian Woman in Audiovisual, Partner, Albania
• Fondacija za razvoj medija i civilnog društva – Mediacentar, Partner, B&H
• Kosovo Glocal, Partner, Kosovo
• Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro, Partner, Montenegro
• Association for the Advancement of Journalistic Practices INNOVATIVE MEDIA, Partner, North Macedonia

Summary of the project

The purpose of the RDN network has been to activate the role of civil society in counter-measuring the narratives of the divide and replacing them with much-needed positive discourse contributing to the value of good neighbouring relations and respect for diversity.

WB countries do have legal frameworks preventing hate, and supporting antidiscrimination, RDN uses the existing regulative in synergy with innovative methodology and campaigning to publicly uncover, expose and challenge the most frequent and exemplary misuse of media for conveying messages of fear, disrespect and hate towards “the others”. The project aims to provide more positive discourse and diminish the effects of narratives of divide.

Project goals

Overall goal (impact) is to empower civil society organizations and CSO networks to effectively contribute to restoring regional cohesion, respecting diversity and creating inclusive communities in the Western Balkans.

Specific objective(s) (outcomes) is to extend the influence of civil society organizations and CSO networks to counter and alternate public narratives shaping perceptions of ethnicity, religion, and gender in the Western Balkans.

Target groups and beneficiaries

• 30 CSOs from across the region
• 12 CSOs – RDN members
• 50 journalists and media outlets
• 50 policymakers and media regulators

Main activities

• Three capacity building meetings/webinars
• One Reporting Diversity Advanced Training
• Media monitoring
• Dissemination of monitoring findings in different formats
• Five advocacy round tables
• 60 counter narratives created by CSOs
• Five national reporting diversity trainings for journalists
• Media production with mentorship
• Social and traditional media outreach campaign

 

Implementing organizations: 

• Institute for Activism and Social Change (Instituti për Aktivizëm dhe Ndryshim Social), Lead applicant, Albania
• Shelter for DV and GBV Victims “E. Haxhiymeri”, Partner, Albania
• Peer Educators Network (PEN), Partner, Kosovo
• Association “zemlja i djeca”, Partner, B&H

Summary of the project

By joint synergies of 4 partner organizations, this program aims to strengthen youth resilience against violence, crime and extremism by building competencies, values, confidence and social connectedness despite marginalization, social exclusion, organized crime, polarized societies or ethnic/political tension existing in communities of Albania, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The program is builds upon good local/national examples/interventions and it opens up more regional opportunities which promote sustainable development for WB youth by potentiating youth as agents of change.

Project goals

To strengthen prevention efforts in Western Balkans, and increase youth resilience and exchange of good practices through Regional Exchange Platforms/hubs.

Target groups and beneficiaries

• 460 young boys and girls (school age), at risk of violence, extremism and organized crime have strengthened their resilience against difficult social contexts.
• 165 government officials and local community representatives from 3 countries from local youth councils, front line practitioners are capacitated with intervention-oriented responses, advocating for policy changes in aspects of security.
• 4,000 social media users (including parents, teachers, siblings and relatives) that will access information about program activities through regional exchange platforms/ hubs.

Main activities

• Kick-off workshop among partners (update of calendar, WPs and roles)
• Preparation of the “Skill development” training package
• Organization of 8 Capacity building and career coaching workshops capital (distributed through partners)
• Organization of a Football Program “Peace and reconciliation”
• Organization of 8 Workshops for youth engagement in local decision making
• Advocacy and technical support assistance to local Youth Councils in each country
• NET platform of youth clubs and councils
• Organize 4 regional events.
• Perform a Regional Assessment about the impact and,
• Organization of a Final Closing event