My very first productive meeting was with the Volunteer Center Skopje is a youth based volunteer center that tries to “give non-formal educational possibilities to the young people in different fields, in local and international level, to promote the idea of volunteerism and to connect young people without reference to their nationality, religion, political economical, or social status. We are putting effort to develop a multicultural civil society, to reinforce the existing democratic structure, to enhance the affirmation of young people through their individual abilities and skills and to connect the young people with the purpose of their closer cooperation.” (Website of Volunteer Center Skopje on 10/14).
I meet with my contact at the Volunteer Center (VCS) the same day I emailed them- talk about good impressions! Ben, as I will call him, once again to disguise his identity. (As a note, I am choosing Western names rather than other Macedonian names so that I do not accidentally choose someone who works at their company.) Their office is located in Kisela Voda, a neighborhood in Skopje, in an apartment building up a few floors. Their office is located, like many others, in a renovated apartment. From what I could tell, there were 4 separate rooms: 2 private offices, a kitchen and meeting room, and a open area with a few desks. (This could be off, as I was not given a tour). We went into the kitchen/meeting room, where there was a big table with chairs all around and tons of informational and hand-drawn posters on the wall. There was also an exit to the small balcony they had as well. On one side there was a fridge, with sink and stove.
What the Volunteer Center Skopje does, in Ben’s terms, is to help develop skill through field work of people aged 18-30 who can volunteer in different European Countries. They host EVS, European Voluntary Service (which is like a European Peace Corps), volunteers. They also give out grants to help create “bridging projects”- projects who bridge the gap between ethnicity's. They also focus on producing a youth journal and help with children’s centers. They really want to help bring people together. Ben acknowledges that it is difficult to reach the older people who are set in their ways but rather the youth. It is better to get to know other cultures, Ben states, and live by yourself as a youth, but it is difficult to get money for living alone and becoming independent.
The European Union has spent money to help with the idea of volunteerism, even declaring 2011 as the Year of Volunteering. The EU is trying to help with youth unemployment and avoid the protests and uprising they had recently seen; they wanted to give them something productive to do. The program is also trying to help youth gain skills for more opportunities in labor after they return to their home country. The EU believes that this program will help with increasing mobility and helping the youth find jobs internationally. Ben and the Volunteer Center Skopje have tried to bring the volunteering program to Skopje and to increase the activism of youth here in Macedonia. While their program is slowly increasing, Ben believes there is room for more growth in the area of volunteerism.
They have started a program that is to help “develop and implement local youth strategies. This program is a pilot program in the Balkans- no other country has yet to attempt this sort of connection with the youth and their neighborhoods. In the city of Skopje there are 10 municipalities/neighborhoods. So the VCS worked with the local communities and government offices to create focus groups that will develop an access plan for activities. They were checking their newly created plans through public opinion and the top 5 were focused on for creating a volunteer project. They then organized activities to help them engage with the local community. Currently, there are even more projects in development.
Ben believes that volunteerism helps with creating a civil society. It can help to create a “real or normal civil society.” Ben believes that civil society exists only on paper in MK; however, young people have the right to change the government. NGOs in general started moving towards working on civil society in the last 5 years. Before that they were connected with politics or not really functioning. When faced with the question of what has changed in the past few years to show an increase in the movement towards the civil society sector vs. politics, Ben had some real quick answers.
Yet, and this is a big yet, young people’s interest is still very small. The attitude of service is missing from the discussion. Ben points out the difference between MK and the Netherlands/Belgium where volunteering is part of the curriculum. Recently VCS held a conference with the Red Cross on how to involve NGOs and other local organizations if there is a problem in Skopje. The Law of Crisis Management allows this sort of cooperation, and they began to plan how to connect the state and non-state actors. The only problem is trust- neither side trusts the other, which will impede emergency response after a disaster.
I also learned a new term “ngogo” standing for Non-Governmental organization/governmental organization, or “non governmental-governmental organization. Yea, that boggles the brain, does it not? This may be endemic to other areas around the world- I do not doubt it, but I only heard of it once I got to MK. There is a perception here, as mentioned before that if you take money from the government you are connected with the government/party. Ben wanted to stress that you could be part of the party that was not in power and yet still need to work with the current government. Sometimes NGOs avoid working with the government just to be able to say that they are not connected with the government- and so that there is no perception of working with the government, Ben suggests. However, NGOs/civil society and the government need to “[work] together to develop a good society.” Furthermore, “only by working together can we get somewhere.” In the past the government worked better with civil society, but then the party in power changed. The new government consideres that if there are good things that the NGO has to say about the government, then they are part of the goernment (it is considered); if they say bad things about the government, then they are considred part of the opposition.
VCS works with the local municipalities. When Ben and others go to speak with the government, they can reach the representatives that they “have to deal with.” Then after the local representatives, they move on to the state level, but they are more oriented towards the local level, where their programs take place. Ben finds it very difficult to speak with the national government, but it is Very Important to not “jump steps” in the chain of command. (Also, when I saw government, they think only the national government. The local government is called a municipality.)
There is a new local authority- with a law on decentralization. The national government is transferring more power to the local government. There are different taxes now (70%national, 30% local) than they were before. Currently the government depend on non-governmental organizations for development, but the government needs to begin to help with development themselves.
In addition to the government, the youth needs to change how they use their free time and turn it into quality time. They need to stop spending all of their time in cafes or on the internet. When asked how to change their perspectives Ben sounded like any US parent or couch
Ben told me that UNICEF tried to work with high school and elementary school students, but UNICEF claimed that it was too difficult because they needed “permits.” And Ben claimed, they were too afraid to make the connections because elementary students are managed by the local government and the high schools are managed by the national government.Ben suggests that the government let NGOs complete volunteer activities with the local elementary schools and then help the students move through the different processes.
Yet, VCS needs local government cooperation to fully integrate their projects. The problem is the “start,” you have to start somewhere. The information needs to be given on time to the students, they need to know their is an opportunity where they are needed and how to become active. The government and NGOs need to be built from below. It is more difficult to organize if the government is planning the event. There is too much bureaucracy, Ben claims, to be effective. Also, the enthusiasm will be curbed if the government is involved. Ben asserts that the NGOs need to become ore active in the city.
Further “Balkan countries can offer a lot, but due to disputes [with neighbors] they are discouraged,” Ben states. Ben believes that the world sees the Balkans as primitive. On order to create a more stable climate, the countries of the Balkans have to agree amongst themselves first. The future is not about joining the EU, but about How they join the EU.
As far as I can tell, from the numerous e-mails that I have received from VCS after my meeting, that they are very good at recruiting volunteers to the EVS program mentioned above. They have also had a meeting or two about the magazine they produce (I can’t wait to see how it comes out soon). This is one of the NGOs I hope to volunteer with. I am waiting on a response to see when I can volunteer with them.
I meet with my contact at the Volunteer Center (VCS) the same day I emailed them- talk about good impressions! Ben, as I will call him, once again to disguise his identity. (As a note, I am choosing Western names rather than other Macedonian names so that I do not accidentally choose someone who works at their company.) Their office is located in Kisela Voda, a neighborhood in Skopje, in an apartment building up a few floors. Their office is located, like many others, in a renovated apartment. From what I could tell, there were 4 separate rooms: 2 private offices, a kitchen and meeting room, and a open area with a few desks. (This could be off, as I was not given a tour). We went into the kitchen/meeting room, where there was a big table with chairs all around and tons of informational and hand-drawn posters on the wall. There was also an exit to the small balcony they had as well. On one side there was a fridge, with sink and stove.
What the Volunteer Center Skopje does, in Ben’s terms, is to help develop skill through field work of people aged 18-30 who can volunteer in different European Countries. They host EVS, European Voluntary Service (which is like a European Peace Corps), volunteers. They also give out grants to help create “bridging projects”- projects who bridge the gap between ethnicity's. They also focus on producing a youth journal and help with children’s centers. They really want to help bring people together. Ben acknowledges that it is difficult to reach the older people who are set in their ways but rather the youth. It is better to get to know other cultures, Ben states, and live by yourself as a youth, but it is difficult to get money for living alone and becoming independent.
The European Union has spent money to help with the idea of volunteerism, even declaring 2011 as the Year of Volunteering. The EU is trying to help with youth unemployment and avoid the protests and uprising they had recently seen; they wanted to give them something productive to do. The program is also trying to help youth gain skills for more opportunities in labor after they return to their home country. The EU believes that this program will help with increasing mobility and helping the youth find jobs internationally. Ben and the Volunteer Center Skopje have tried to bring the volunteering program to Skopje and to increase the activism of youth here in Macedonia. While their program is slowly increasing, Ben believes there is room for more growth in the area of volunteerism.
They have started a program that is to help “develop and implement local youth strategies. This program is a pilot program in the Balkans- no other country has yet to attempt this sort of connection with the youth and their neighborhoods. In the city of Skopje there are 10 municipalities/neighborhoods. So the VCS worked with the local communities and government offices to create focus groups that will develop an access plan for activities. They were checking their newly created plans through public opinion and the top 5 were focused on for creating a volunteer project. They then organized activities to help them engage with the local community. Currently, there are even more projects in development.
Ben believes that volunteerism helps with creating a civil society. It can help to create a “real or normal civil society.” Ben believes that civil society exists only on paper in MK; however, young people have the right to change the government. NGOs in general started moving towards working on civil society in the last 5 years. Before that they were connected with politics or not really functioning. When faced with the question of what has changed in the past few years to show an increase in the movement towards the civil society sector vs. politics, Ben had some real quick answers.
- The internet. Before it was a real privilege to have internet due to the cost. Now about 60-70% of all Macedonians have affordable internet. Yet, people are still experiencing how to use the internet, because it is so new.
- Until 2009, the EU was off limits due to the prohibitive costs of visas. So, people could not see anything outside of the Balkans. Only about 5% had been outside of the area before 2005. Now costs have been seriously cut, and a visa liberation agreement has been implemented, allowing those with a bio-chip passport could travel freely to the Schengen Visa area.
- Laws have changed. They have changed the target groups and the cost of running an NGO to make it easier. Basically, if you have a new idea for an NGO you can start it.
- There are more opportunities where you can become engaged in your community now.
Yet, and this is a big yet, young people’s interest is still very small. The attitude of service is missing from the discussion. Ben points out the difference between MK and the Netherlands/Belgium where volunteering is part of the curriculum. Recently VCS held a conference with the Red Cross on how to involve NGOs and other local organizations if there is a problem in Skopje. The Law of Crisis Management allows this sort of cooperation, and they began to plan how to connect the state and non-state actors. The only problem is trust- neither side trusts the other, which will impede emergency response after a disaster.
I also learned a new term “ngogo” standing for Non-Governmental organization/governmental organization, or “non governmental-governmental organization. Yea, that boggles the brain, does it not? This may be endemic to other areas around the world- I do not doubt it, but I only heard of it once I got to MK. There is a perception here, as mentioned before that if you take money from the government you are connected with the government/party. Ben wanted to stress that you could be part of the party that was not in power and yet still need to work with the current government. Sometimes NGOs avoid working with the government just to be able to say that they are not connected with the government- and so that there is no perception of working with the government, Ben suggests. However, NGOs/civil society and the government need to “[work] together to develop a good society.” Furthermore, “only by working together can we get somewhere.” In the past the government worked better with civil society, but then the party in power changed. The new government consideres that if there are good things that the NGO has to say about the government, then they are part of the goernment (it is considered); if they say bad things about the government, then they are considred part of the opposition.
VCS works with the local municipalities. When Ben and others go to speak with the government, they can reach the representatives that they “have to deal with.” Then after the local representatives, they move on to the state level, but they are more oriented towards the local level, where their programs take place. Ben finds it very difficult to speak with the national government, but it is Very Important to not “jump steps” in the chain of command. (Also, when I saw government, they think only the national government. The local government is called a municipality.)
There is a new local authority- with a law on decentralization. The national government is transferring more power to the local government. There are different taxes now (70%national, 30% local) than they were before. Currently the government depend on non-governmental organizations for development, but the government needs to begin to help with development themselves.
In addition to the government, the youth needs to change how they use their free time and turn it into quality time. They need to stop spending all of their time in cafes or on the internet. When asked how to change their perspectives Ben sounded like any US parent or couch
- get out of the house
- Get off the internet
- they need to go outside and play, get some fresh air, get physical
Ben told me that UNICEF tried to work with high school and elementary school students, but UNICEF claimed that it was too difficult because they needed “permits.” And Ben claimed, they were too afraid to make the connections because elementary students are managed by the local government and the high schools are managed by the national government.Ben suggests that the government let NGOs complete volunteer activities with the local elementary schools and then help the students move through the different processes.
Yet, VCS needs local government cooperation to fully integrate their projects. The problem is the “start,” you have to start somewhere. The information needs to be given on time to the students, they need to know their is an opportunity where they are needed and how to become active. The government and NGOs need to be built from below. It is more difficult to organize if the government is planning the event. There is too much bureaucracy, Ben claims, to be effective. Also, the enthusiasm will be curbed if the government is involved. Ben asserts that the NGOs need to become ore active in the city.
Further “Balkan countries can offer a lot, but due to disputes [with neighbors] they are discouraged,” Ben states. Ben believes that the world sees the Balkans as primitive. On order to create a more stable climate, the countries of the Balkans have to agree amongst themselves first. The future is not about joining the EU, but about How they join the EU.
As far as I can tell, from the numerous e-mails that I have received from VCS after my meeting, that they are very good at recruiting volunteers to the EVS program mentioned above. They have also had a meeting or two about the magazine they produce (I can’t wait to see how it comes out soon). This is one of the NGOs I hope to volunteer with. I am waiting on a response to see when I can volunteer with them.
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