The next NGO I met with was not what I was expecting! It is a student run newspaper at the major university in MK- Sv. Kiril i Methodi. The newspaper is called Излез/Izlez. They were started 2 years ago, upon the founder’s return to MK from a year abroad. Her grant required her to start a project upon her return. She chose, with a few friends to start a newspaper that is critical of the educational system in MK.
They decided to focus on this because there are many problems with the educational system in MK according to the students in it. This is not the only thing the newspaper focuses on, they also do articles on then environment or other issues that students care about. The newspaper/journal promotes social activism. They will publish articles on local culture or investigative work. They aim to produce 2 issues per semester. This has created a total of 6 issues so far.
When the newspaper started there was no student run media at all (now there are 2 radio stations). People were complaining all the time, but no one was doing anything. They hoped to empower their peers and prove that students can be responsible. There are 8 people on the editorial board, who came together out of a series of meetings about how to best serve the community. (Last year there were 5 editorial board members.)
They have not only worked on the newspaper, but they have also worked on other projects. They helped to digitize the library through a grant they received. They have also donated books to their collection from a grant they recieved. They have applied to other grants, but haven’t heard back yet.
All of the funding sources that they had mentioned so far were foreign, and they stated that finding local sources is very hard. They want to try to stay independent, so that their research and comments are not taken to be one party or the other. They are afraid that if they take money form the university or government or party they will be forced to dumb-down their criticism to satisfy their donors. They want to be able to say what they find or want to say without fear of having their funding cut (a very real possibility here). They are also trying hard not to be labeled in anyway. They want to keep it independent.
Thus, they haven’t attempted to gain money or support from the government or any student organizations (the Student Government in MK is apparently very different than in the US and “un-officially” sponsored by the government.
They want to start engaging younger students as many of the original editorial board members are leaving (aka graduating). The newspaper has had positive results and responses to their reports, but to get anyone to actually take responsibility for the organization will be difficult (and has been up until this point). When they distribute the newspaper, they do so both online and in person. Sometimes leaving it around university hot spots, or physically handing it to people.
Their goals for the future are to keep the newspaper open and sustainable. They want to expand to hosting events for students. They also want to help any student that comes to them with a workshop or help in applying for a project. They really want this to become a force for the students.
Showing posts with label interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interview. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
All 4 Fair Trials
Back in Skopje, after a few weeks off from interviews, but working on writing the blog post you have been (enjoying) reading, I meet with All 4 Fair Trials. They are located in Skopje, right in the heart of downtown.
They were founded in 2003 as a coalition of NGOs across the country to fight corruption simply by observing and reporting. Their main activity is to monitor the courts, and see how well they follow procedure in prosecuting cases. They focus on the corruption in courts. As part of this observation, they have a sub focus on journalistic cases that focus on defamation and libel. They also have some other smaller projects.
At their own offices, there are currently 10 people who mostly have a law background. One has a sociological background, as well as a webmaster. The Coalition also has an executive board of 7 people.
Their funding mostly comes through foreign donations. (The US Embassy is the most stable funding source). They get some money from the MK government, but it was only for the trafficking case. It was the small (their word) amount of $7,000.
When asked if they work with the government, they stated that they do not work closely, due to their monitoring procedures. If they do work with some form of government, it is usually with judges or prosecutors who are active in the courtroom. They organize workshops for the people involved in court cases (not those being prosecuted.) They invite experts to lecture about international experience related to the law.
Since I do not know anything about the corruption or how bad it is in Macedonia, I asked them about corruption. They stated that after ethnic problems, corruption is the main problem. Especially for democracy, because corruption is deeply routed in all aspects of MK life. They gave examples of the emergency room, court, education, or university. All 4 Fair Trials follows all cases with a high level of possibility of corruption. They try to see how correctly the laws are followed.
They have 55 people who monitor cases on a voluntary basis. There is a questionnaire so that the monitoring is similar all across the country. They follow cases from day one in court to the final judgement. They specifically follow the case: what do the lawyers say? What are the other’s reactions? There are 75 questions to work with. They will then analyze the data and produce a report about the cases. They are currently producing a report on last year.
They (along with a lot of other NGOs) have given me some materials to read. If I have time (and I really hope I have time) I want to read these materials and analyze them for you all/myself.
They were founded in 2003 as a coalition of NGOs across the country to fight corruption simply by observing and reporting. Their main activity is to monitor the courts, and see how well they follow procedure in prosecuting cases. They focus on the corruption in courts. As part of this observation, they have a sub focus on journalistic cases that focus on defamation and libel. They also have some other smaller projects.
At their own offices, there are currently 10 people who mostly have a law background. One has a sociological background, as well as a webmaster. The Coalition also has an executive board of 7 people.
Their funding mostly comes through foreign donations. (The US Embassy is the most stable funding source). They get some money from the MK government, but it was only for the trafficking case. It was the small (their word) amount of $7,000.
When asked if they work with the government, they stated that they do not work closely, due to their monitoring procedures. If they do work with some form of government, it is usually with judges or prosecutors who are active in the courtroom. They organize workshops for the people involved in court cases (not those being prosecuted.) They invite experts to lecture about international experience related to the law.
Since I do not know anything about the corruption or how bad it is in Macedonia, I asked them about corruption. They stated that after ethnic problems, corruption is the main problem. Especially for democracy, because corruption is deeply routed in all aspects of MK life. They gave examples of the emergency room, court, education, or university. All 4 Fair Trials follows all cases with a high level of possibility of corruption. They try to see how correctly the laws are followed.
They have 55 people who monitor cases on a voluntary basis. There is a questionnaire so that the monitoring is similar all across the country. They follow cases from day one in court to the final judgement. They specifically follow the case: what do the lawyers say? What are the other’s reactions? There are 75 questions to work with. They will then analyze the data and produce a report about the cases. They are currently producing a report on last year.
They (along with a lot of other NGOs) have given me some materials to read. If I have time (and I really hope I have time) I want to read these materials and analyze them for you all/myself.
Monday, February 6, 2012
Youth Forum Bitola
My next meeting in Bitola was with Youth Forum. I do not have as much information about this NGO mainly because they were mostly uncooperative in the interview, in fact insulting myself and my research technique. They barely volunteered any information outside of a direct answer to my broad question.
Youth Forum began in 1999 by young people to meet the needs of the disadvantaged youth without an ability to express themselves artistically. It was very difficult to get started (finding office space mainly). They want to give information to young people about culture, arts, and the protection of human rights. They wanted to be able to give information that people would need when they need it. They are a grassroots organization, and claim, that their people are very enthusiastic. It was very difficult for them to implement any changes in the beginning, but now things are different. Some things can’t be helped, but the majority of the problems are with a lack of enthusiasm. Many people are depressed, and it is difficult to push for them to become more active. Especially with no cooperation from the municipal government.
They do most of their activism in Bitola, but some of there members also act as a journalist in other parts of MK. They began with a researching of problems in Bitola for the youth. The youth there are very diverse but many are interested in the same thing (such as theater and sports). Thus it became easy to direct them to create a play together, or play a game. And once you can bring them together, it is easier to share how similar people are. Some people still cause problems, but Youth Forum feels they are gaining ground.
Youth Forum sponsors shows, concerts and publishes a magazine. They have also completed two “docu-movies” about Bitola and the surrounding areas. They stated that it is very difficult to provide these services because the space for public theater is missing in Bitola. They want bigger support from foundations, donors, and other small NGOs.
There was more interest in the past, but now only a few connected people are interest. They feel like since there is no real violence going on now, no one is interested. Youth Forum likes to help the Roma, Albanian, and Turkish NGOs, but is afraid that they will collapse within the next few years. These NGOs need more support. There is really no ethnic violence now, there was violence in the past (particularly around 2001). According to Youth Forum, the Roma were really discriminated against with jobs that were really forbidden for them to enter. Some coffee bars refuse to serve the Roma. With no interest from the government, the discrimination continues.
They haven’t received national government funding but the municipality helps to cover the rent or electric bills. The Agency for Sports helps some, with $1000, but that allows some publications to be made. Mostly they receive foreign aid. Without this aid they wouldn’t be able to survive, some have been from local embassies.
Youth Forum would like to be able to work in the schools, but they are unable to do so. They do promote the EVS volunteering at local universities. Youth Forum is both a sending and receiving organization.
They are working closely with a new program “Open Municipality” that aims to make the municipality more open to the public.They cover the meeting of the local city council. Then they investigate how they work and publish the findings. They claim that their coverage is different than the local newspapers. They claim that the newspapers often just say “There was a meeting.”
They host 2-3 events a month and a few annual activities. They are trying to gain a interest from the community. They are always open to the community to discuss their work and plans. They have a lot of ongoing projects, including conferences and seminars. They try to do everything to benefit the youth. They have more than 100 members, but only 15 are generally active at one time on a certain project.
They have faced many problems in their years. According to Youth Forum, there is no mentality on volunteering, or thinking it is ok (they want jobs, and therefore shouldn’t volunteer). There is an NGO forum of civil organizations, but it doesn’t work properly. They try to help with minority NGOs, such as including them in the documentaries. Youth Forum was told to be quiet before the election, and they would receive cash after the election. No one reacted to Youth Forum going public with this information.
They also fight against the perception that the NGOs are created to cause the problems in society. The real problem is that the people spending the money are not receiving truthful or good reports. There are some NGOs who didn’t use the money correctly. In the past it was easier to gain funding, due to the Kosovo crisis. Some NGOs didn’t use the money correctly. They fight the perceptions by being diligent. According to them, the difficult problems are with personal mistakes, but most people have an agenda. Be it political basis or even “trying to help.” There were more integration with the NGOs, there wouldn’t be as many problems.
Youth Forum began in 1999 by young people to meet the needs of the disadvantaged youth without an ability to express themselves artistically. It was very difficult to get started (finding office space mainly). They want to give information to young people about culture, arts, and the protection of human rights. They wanted to be able to give information that people would need when they need it. They are a grassroots organization, and claim, that their people are very enthusiastic. It was very difficult for them to implement any changes in the beginning, but now things are different. Some things can’t be helped, but the majority of the problems are with a lack of enthusiasm. Many people are depressed, and it is difficult to push for them to become more active. Especially with no cooperation from the municipal government.
They do most of their activism in Bitola, but some of there members also act as a journalist in other parts of MK. They began with a researching of problems in Bitola for the youth. The youth there are very diverse but many are interested in the same thing (such as theater and sports). Thus it became easy to direct them to create a play together, or play a game. And once you can bring them together, it is easier to share how similar people are. Some people still cause problems, but Youth Forum feels they are gaining ground.
Youth Forum sponsors shows, concerts and publishes a magazine. They have also completed two “docu-movies” about Bitola and the surrounding areas. They stated that it is very difficult to provide these services because the space for public theater is missing in Bitola. They want bigger support from foundations, donors, and other small NGOs.
There was more interest in the past, but now only a few connected people are interest. They feel like since there is no real violence going on now, no one is interested. Youth Forum likes to help the Roma, Albanian, and Turkish NGOs, but is afraid that they will collapse within the next few years. These NGOs need more support. There is really no ethnic violence now, there was violence in the past (particularly around 2001). According to Youth Forum, the Roma were really discriminated against with jobs that were really forbidden for them to enter. Some coffee bars refuse to serve the Roma. With no interest from the government, the discrimination continues.
They haven’t received national government funding but the municipality helps to cover the rent or electric bills. The Agency for Sports helps some, with $1000, but that allows some publications to be made. Mostly they receive foreign aid. Without this aid they wouldn’t be able to survive, some have been from local embassies.
Youth Forum would like to be able to work in the schools, but they are unable to do so. They do promote the EVS volunteering at local universities. Youth Forum is both a sending and receiving organization.
They are working closely with a new program “Open Municipality” that aims to make the municipality more open to the public.They cover the meeting of the local city council. Then they investigate how they work and publish the findings. They claim that their coverage is different than the local newspapers. They claim that the newspapers often just say “There was a meeting.”
They host 2-3 events a month and a few annual activities. They are trying to gain a interest from the community. They are always open to the community to discuss their work and plans. They have a lot of ongoing projects, including conferences and seminars. They try to do everything to benefit the youth. They have more than 100 members, but only 15 are generally active at one time on a certain project.
They have faced many problems in their years. According to Youth Forum, there is no mentality on volunteering, or thinking it is ok (they want jobs, and therefore shouldn’t volunteer). There is an NGO forum of civil organizations, but it doesn’t work properly. They try to help with minority NGOs, such as including them in the documentaries. Youth Forum was told to be quiet before the election, and they would receive cash after the election. No one reacted to Youth Forum going public with this information.
They also fight against the perception that the NGOs are created to cause the problems in society. The real problem is that the people spending the money are not receiving truthful or good reports. There are some NGOs who didn’t use the money correctly. In the past it was easier to gain funding, due to the Kosovo crisis. Some NGOs didn’t use the money correctly. They fight the perceptions by being diligent. According to them, the difficult problems are with personal mistakes, but most people have an agenda. Be it political basis or even “trying to help.” There were more integration with the NGOs, there wouldn’t be as many problems.
Friday, February 3, 2012
Sfera, Voluntary Fire Fighters Association in Bitola
Bitola is a mid-sized town in southern MK about 10 km from the Greek border about three hours away by bus. I had arranged two interviews with NGOs there, so I spent the night before at Lizze’s (ETA Fulbright) who lives there.
Sefera Bitola is a voluntary firefighter organisation, the first of it’s kind in MK(others are in St. Nikola and ‘Polila’). They were formed in May of 2007 as a project started in another NGO in Bitola. It was the student’s intuitive to form a volunteer firefighting force to help spread awareness about fire prevention. They applied to foreign grants to make the youth fire brigade, and were granted the funds. In 2009, they separated from the original NGO and formed their own. They have partnerships with organizations in Sweden, Finland and Bosnia.
Sfera focuses more on the theory than the practical fighting of fires. They offer trainings in elementary schools about how kids should respond to a fire in their house or school. They have a (really cool-personal bias) new program for training in schools. They go in one week and pass out handouts about earthquakes, fires, etc and provide a “what to do training” for the kids and teachers. Then a few days later they go back in. But this time with fog machines- and do a fake fire “drill” complete with alarms and “smoke!” They say that even though the teachers know it is coming, some still freak out. However, in the first attempt of this sort they evacuated 450 students in 5 minutes! They call this a great success!They plan to do this in every high school in Bitola soon.
While there is teaching on fire safety, there are no free alarms. In fact, when Sfera tried to order a fire alarm it took them 3 months to find where you could buy one in Bitola. Alarms are not in hotels or shopping centers.
They have 110 members that have passed the basic fire training. They train with professional firefighters on fighting fires. Sfera and the professional fighters have an agreement to share equipment for training activities. When Sfera gets new equipment, they donate it to the professionals and then are able to use it when needed (if the professional aren’t using it at the moment). Sometimes they do go with the professionals to fight fires on the mountains, if they are 20 and up. (side note-- you have to be 18 to join the professional association.)
They also provide training on leadership development and democracy, since firefighter must lead. Their main training is a 2-3 day seminar with monthly followup meetings that they try to hold 2 times per year. Some of what they teach are the different styles of leadership. They also work with the Red Cross for first aid training.
They work with EVS, as both a sending and receiving location. They have gotten 4 volunteers and sent 5 outside of MK. They also participate in youth exchanges and trainings. The exchanges are more like camps, however, where people stay for either 6 or 14 days. There are a few regulations, but they are not strenuous. Sfera themselves, have put on 11 trainings in the past two months!
They are currently making a comic strip for kids that they will print in color to hand out. They will publish in both Macedonian and English, for now. On the local level, they promote volunteering and youth mobilization. They want to inspire the youth to mobilize around things they care about. They also help young artists put on shows. Recently they have done it for a singer and a painter.
They have also started a new project that helps raise money for a charity fund for young children with life threatening diseases (such as cancer). They help with providing free or reduced prices in surgery. Over 7,000 people attended their first charity concert for the fund. They are planning 2 other concerts now. They also raise money by completing Cocktails4Charity, with different VIPs from Bitola.
In the Bitola Summer Festival, which is for cultural events, NGOs can help sponsor/put on an event. They are allowed to last between 1-3 days, and are fully sponsored by the local government. The goal is to connect citizens to culture and let them enjoy some leisure time. The municipality provides projectors, help organizing the events, and advertising. But only 3-5 NGOs apply. Sfera has cooperation with other NGOs in Bitola. They help preform a street theater, presentations on EVS, Peace Corps, and even flash mobs!
However, when discussing cooperation with the government, they have none with the national government. The municipality, however, is a different story. The municipality helps them out with about 10% of the time, such as when using the trucks (for fuel and water) or supplies.
The municipality does have a fund for NGOs, but it is split equally between all who apply. There are 136 registered NGOs in Bitola, but, according to Sfera, only about 8 actually function- but they all apply in February! Sfera and a few others are trying to show that the others are not actually working. The fund, upon being split comes to about 350 Euros yearly. But Sfera pointed out that it would be about 13, 500 Euros if it was split between those who actually worked.
Sfera’s yearly budget comes from the following sources: 90% EU and their partners, 2% sponsors, 8% Macedonia. It is really hard for them to find a sponsor in Bitola, as most of the companies are located in Skopje. There are 5 companies that regularly help the NGOs in MK, but they are still mainly located in Skopje.
Sfera is hopeful for the future and believe they will continue to make a positive impact in Bitola.
Sefera Bitola is a voluntary firefighter organisation, the first of it’s kind in MK(others are in St. Nikola and ‘Polila’). They were formed in May of 2007 as a project started in another NGO in Bitola. It was the student’s intuitive to form a volunteer firefighting force to help spread awareness about fire prevention. They applied to foreign grants to make the youth fire brigade, and were granted the funds. In 2009, they separated from the original NGO and formed their own. They have partnerships with organizations in Sweden, Finland and Bosnia.
Sfera focuses more on the theory than the practical fighting of fires. They offer trainings in elementary schools about how kids should respond to a fire in their house or school. They have a (really cool-personal bias) new program for training in schools. They go in one week and pass out handouts about earthquakes, fires, etc and provide a “what to do training” for the kids and teachers. Then a few days later they go back in. But this time with fog machines- and do a fake fire “drill” complete with alarms and “smoke!” They say that even though the teachers know it is coming, some still freak out. However, in the first attempt of this sort they evacuated 450 students in 5 minutes! They call this a great success!They plan to do this in every high school in Bitola soon.
While there is teaching on fire safety, there are no free alarms. In fact, when Sfera tried to order a fire alarm it took them 3 months to find where you could buy one in Bitola. Alarms are not in hotels or shopping centers.
They have 110 members that have passed the basic fire training. They train with professional firefighters on fighting fires. Sfera and the professional fighters have an agreement to share equipment for training activities. When Sfera gets new equipment, they donate it to the professionals and then are able to use it when needed (if the professional aren’t using it at the moment). Sometimes they do go with the professionals to fight fires on the mountains, if they are 20 and up. (side note-- you have to be 18 to join the professional association.)
They also provide training on leadership development and democracy, since firefighter must lead. Their main training is a 2-3 day seminar with monthly followup meetings that they try to hold 2 times per year. Some of what they teach are the different styles of leadership. They also work with the Red Cross for first aid training.
They work with EVS, as both a sending and receiving location. They have gotten 4 volunteers and sent 5 outside of MK. They also participate in youth exchanges and trainings. The exchanges are more like camps, however, where people stay for either 6 or 14 days. There are a few regulations, but they are not strenuous. Sfera themselves, have put on 11 trainings in the past two months!
They are currently making a comic strip for kids that they will print in color to hand out. They will publish in both Macedonian and English, for now. On the local level, they promote volunteering and youth mobilization. They want to inspire the youth to mobilize around things they care about. They also help young artists put on shows. Recently they have done it for a singer and a painter.
They have also started a new project that helps raise money for a charity fund for young children with life threatening diseases (such as cancer). They help with providing free or reduced prices in surgery. Over 7,000 people attended their first charity concert for the fund. They are planning 2 other concerts now. They also raise money by completing Cocktails4Charity, with different VIPs from Bitola.
In the Bitola Summer Festival, which is for cultural events, NGOs can help sponsor/put on an event. They are allowed to last between 1-3 days, and are fully sponsored by the local government. The goal is to connect citizens to culture and let them enjoy some leisure time. The municipality provides projectors, help organizing the events, and advertising. But only 3-5 NGOs apply. Sfera has cooperation with other NGOs in Bitola. They help preform a street theater, presentations on EVS, Peace Corps, and even flash mobs!
However, when discussing cooperation with the government, they have none with the national government. The municipality, however, is a different story. The municipality helps them out with about 10% of the time, such as when using the trucks (for fuel and water) or supplies.
The municipality does have a fund for NGOs, but it is split equally between all who apply. There are 136 registered NGOs in Bitola, but, according to Sfera, only about 8 actually function- but they all apply in February! Sfera and a few others are trying to show that the others are not actually working. The fund, upon being split comes to about 350 Euros yearly. But Sfera pointed out that it would be about 13, 500 Euros if it was split between those who actually worked.
Sfera’s yearly budget comes from the following sources: 90% EU and their partners, 2% sponsors, 8% Macedonia. It is really hard for them to find a sponsor in Bitola, as most of the companies are located in Skopje. There are 5 companies that regularly help the NGOs in MK, but they are still mainly located in Skopje.
Sfera is hopeful for the future and believe they will continue to make a positive impact in Bitola.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Meeting with a Contact
While there are technically three guys who work at Florozon, I had only met one of them once at the workshop they hosted. I was able to set up a meeting with him to see his views of the NGO sector. He has worked since 1994 in the civil society sector, and since 1998 with NGOs specifically. Many of the views stated below are his, and just give another perspective to the debate.
He said that the sector has changed in the last five years in a positive sense. In the post-conflict society, there was some activism, mostly in youth organizations. The organizations were mostly with sports, schools, labor unions. In the beginning of transnational period, there was additional input from external sources. They began activism with issues of the environment, humanitarian aid connected to the Balkan wars. After 2001, there were organizations who dealt with peace issues and human rights. During their unlucky circumstances, it developed positively.
The problem with civil society in Macedonia, according to him, is that they mainly lack activism. Most NGOs are not member based or financed well. The knowledge and skills of NGO workers are still in development. Many people are not involved in civil society due to their fear of the government. there were some attempts to work critically against the government, but they were often “neutralized immediately.” Some of the attempts were shut down discreetly by discrediting the organizations or threatening the people who work there with jail.
When I asked if there was cooperation with the government, and he commented that there is some. Int he transition, the government didn’t see the benefit of civil society. Soon they realized the power that civil society had and wanted to be involved. Sometimes it is called the 5th sector, and the government tries to discredit NGOs as working for foreign agencies as spies. The political party with power is dealing with establishing small satellites all over the country (the NGOGOs). However, cooperation exists with a lot of analysis on who and why. The EU is pushing for cooperation especially in UNDP. There are areas where the government has no experience, and he thinks that NGOs can help in this area.
My contact is currently working in the government helping them to implement affirmative action. “No matter what, the government should cooperate to better serve.” He is helping the government to try to link projects to have a better impact. The municipalities have responded favorable to the linkage. They are trying a mediation in schools as well. He wants better cooperation so there is a better institutionalization of the cooperation. He has worked with ‘teaching the teacher’ to reteach for more mediation between different groups, if the government doesn’t like anything they can just forget.
Financially, there are some connections between the government and NGOs. There is funding from casinos and the lottery. There are yearly bases, but they only give money to ‘their’ NGOs. There are special funds for NGOs, but there is a lot of criticism. When the government changes (as in the party changes), the list of recipients changes. If cooperation doesn’t go well, they will loose the money. Many NGOs have never asked for money, because they don’t want the money from the government. Many feel that it lacks impartially. It is seen as corrupted if they take the money; however, if there was a separate organization, they feel it would be corrupted too. Money often comes from international organizations and bilateral agreements.
For cooperation with the municipality, it depends on the individual municipalities. Some municipalities still want NGOs to be obedient. If the municipalities see the NGOs as having some power- they want to work with them. The municipalities will also work closer if the NGO is connected internationally. Sometimes municipalities support small NGOs or smaller projects by NGOs.
The biggest organizations are focused in Skopje, where there is a higher concentration of money. A few have tried to decentralize from Skopje, but most are still there. There is rarely any high profile organizations or money in the non-capital cities.
The current NGOs focus mostly on peace building. They might be dealing with the past and conflict management or the “burning issues” (more ad-hoc intervention, monuments, identity issues, etc.). Some of the more successful ones focus on youth leadership and identification of potential leaders. Since 2001, most have focused on inter-ethnic cooperation. Many have targeted secondary schools and the youth. Some do this by teaching the directors and teachers of schools other by reaching out to the students. Some organizations want to better teach the OFA an related issues, others focus more on the environment.
This meeting went very well for such a short meeting, he offered to give me some contact information to other NGOs.
He said that the sector has changed in the last five years in a positive sense. In the post-conflict society, there was some activism, mostly in youth organizations. The organizations were mostly with sports, schools, labor unions. In the beginning of transnational period, there was additional input from external sources. They began activism with issues of the environment, humanitarian aid connected to the Balkan wars. After 2001, there were organizations who dealt with peace issues and human rights. During their unlucky circumstances, it developed positively.
The problem with civil society in Macedonia, according to him, is that they mainly lack activism. Most NGOs are not member based or financed well. The knowledge and skills of NGO workers are still in development. Many people are not involved in civil society due to their fear of the government. there were some attempts to work critically against the government, but they were often “neutralized immediately.” Some of the attempts were shut down discreetly by discrediting the organizations or threatening the people who work there with jail.
When I asked if there was cooperation with the government, and he commented that there is some. Int he transition, the government didn’t see the benefit of civil society. Soon they realized the power that civil society had and wanted to be involved. Sometimes it is called the 5th sector, and the government tries to discredit NGOs as working for foreign agencies as spies. The political party with power is dealing with establishing small satellites all over the country (the NGOGOs). However, cooperation exists with a lot of analysis on who and why. The EU is pushing for cooperation especially in UNDP. There are areas where the government has no experience, and he thinks that NGOs can help in this area.
My contact is currently working in the government helping them to implement affirmative action. “No matter what, the government should cooperate to better serve.” He is helping the government to try to link projects to have a better impact. The municipalities have responded favorable to the linkage. They are trying a mediation in schools as well. He wants better cooperation so there is a better institutionalization of the cooperation. He has worked with ‘teaching the teacher’ to reteach for more mediation between different groups, if the government doesn’t like anything they can just forget.
Financially, there are some connections between the government and NGOs. There is funding from casinos and the lottery. There are yearly bases, but they only give money to ‘their’ NGOs. There are special funds for NGOs, but there is a lot of criticism. When the government changes (as in the party changes), the list of recipients changes. If cooperation doesn’t go well, they will loose the money. Many NGOs have never asked for money, because they don’t want the money from the government. Many feel that it lacks impartially. It is seen as corrupted if they take the money; however, if there was a separate organization, they feel it would be corrupted too. Money often comes from international organizations and bilateral agreements.
For cooperation with the municipality, it depends on the individual municipalities. Some municipalities still want NGOs to be obedient. If the municipalities see the NGOs as having some power- they want to work with them. The municipalities will also work closer if the NGO is connected internationally. Sometimes municipalities support small NGOs or smaller projects by NGOs.
The biggest organizations are focused in Skopje, where there is a higher concentration of money. A few have tried to decentralize from Skopje, but most are still there. There is rarely any high profile organizations or money in the non-capital cities.
The current NGOs focus mostly on peace building. They might be dealing with the past and conflict management or the “burning issues” (more ad-hoc intervention, monuments, identity issues, etc.). Some of the more successful ones focus on youth leadership and identification of potential leaders. Since 2001, most have focused on inter-ethnic cooperation. Many have targeted secondary schools and the youth. Some do this by teaching the directors and teachers of schools other by reaching out to the students. Some organizations want to better teach the OFA an related issues, others focus more on the environment.
This meeting went very well for such a short meeting, he offered to give me some contact information to other NGOs.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Regional Center For Sustainable Development Kratovo
I had a bit of trouble meeting with this NGO- but for once it was me and not them! I confirmed the meeting with them on a Thursday for a Friday meeting. I had been fighting a cold for a while, but on Friday morning when I woke up I couldn’t even get out of bed. Like I got up and started to get dress and felt like I had been awake for 30 hours straight doing hard labor. I texted them and sent an email saying I couldn’t make it. Sadly they still showed up to meet me at the bus, but we were able to rearrange my visit to them until later. I felt so bad, but there was just nothing I could do! That whole weekend was literally spent laying in bed or on the couch drinking sprite!
The mysterious NGO is the Regional Center for Sustainable Development (RCSD) in Kratovo. Kratovo is about a 2 our bus ride away from Skopje towards Bulgaria. They met me at the bus station and we walked through the town on our way to their NGO’s building. They had the second floor of a building, with a restaurant on the first floor. Their office had a storage room, bathroom, small office with computers in it, large boardroom connected to an office room. Their walls had tons of posters on it from various campaigns they had participated in in the past. Most of their furniture had “Donated by the EU” on it.
RCSD is a result of an EU project, rather than grassroots support (which they also have). They were established in 2003; until 2006 they were the NGO support center in the region. They were part of a project that helped to open 8 other NGO support centers. When they became their own NGO, they focused on social and economic fragility. They established their NGO as a way of providing sustainability to the region. In their position as a support center, they keep abreast of the most recent changes in NGO law, which happens often- they advice other NGOs on the changes. While they act as a support center for other NGOs, they have the same status as any other NGO and fight for the same funding as the other NGOs. They offer their office up for free to use for meetings or access to the internet. Currently they have three paid staff and three volunteers. They are a part of several national and international organisations with different but compatible goals, mostly in support of quality youth laws.
They work towards sustainable development in MK. They want to have a better social and economic integration in Kratovo. This NGO tries to help make Kratovo more developed, while gaining more perspective on the national level. They are also trying to make the local government function more as a “good governance” partner. They are working with the government to make their actions more transparent and accountable towards the local community. They also work with minority groups, such as the Roma community, to help them get their voice out.
They provide trainings for public institutions and the community. When they train the community they do so because often the public is uninformed about how the government works. This way citizens can know how to best maximize their contact with the government- especially to gain better access to their services. They cover 4 municipalities and about 180 NGOs. They help people learn how to establish an NGO, strategically plan, finance, and budget for an NGO as well as project management. They do this through about 30 trainings a year. The Regional Center wants the government and private companies to be more energy efficient. Not only is this more economically, they claim, but also allows a more efficient use of taxpayer money. They are advocating for the government to create an annual energy efficiency plan; they are helping the government better understand the reasons.
They also support a youth club, in its infancy, that is focused on building the capacity of the youth. Allowing them to learn how to advocate on all issues that are important to them. They hope to grow leaders who will have developed quality work towards the youth. They focus on areas that the local youth is concerned with: training for debates (such as in a model EU), how EU policies are implemented and able to raise their voices for issues relevant to them.
They also are trying to expand the tourism base in Kratovo. Their city is known for many old buildings and a specific style of architecture that is not found elsewhere in MK. However, since they are 22 hours outside of Skopje, and they are not well advertised, no one comes. Therefore they are trying to develop sustainable tourism. They want a long term plan to draw tourists to the area. Tourism, they claim, will also provide better integration and strengthen the capacity to provide social development in the region.
In relation to both the local and national governments, they like most others, have tried to work with the national, but have had more success in the local environment. The national government cooperates when they need help but never the other way around. The national government might help in any way that doesn’t involve money, such as providing training. RCSD doesn’t feel that this is helpful cooperation nor do they count it as being supportive. When it doesn’t cost them any money, time or people, the national government will help. They will provide space, such as what they did with the local children’s park that was recently built. The national government might help with some form of money, but this is extremely rare. The government claims that they no longer have the time, but RCSD believes it is because they do not find it important. The RCSD completed all of their trainings and provided suggestions to the government.They completed all of their responsibilities to the government and received no support. The government claims there are other responsibilities.
There is a part of the budget set aside for NGOs, roughly 400,000 MKD ($8,480). They stated that the NGOs that receive the funding are often the newly formed national government/party related. Or the same ones get the grants every year. They have never received money from the MK government. As part of a way to raise money, they teach French, Spanish, and Italian to local students. They also provide other services that they charge a small fee for. But most of their money is from international donors.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
After our meeting in their office, we went to a local school in Rankovce. They met up with some trainers who were going to be presenting on energy efficiency to a group of kids. Every class sent a representative to the presentation. Then, after the presentation to the children, they made one to the teachers. There were less teachers there than there should have been due to a “emergency” meeting. Both sets of trainers suggested that it was politics rather than an emergency for the meeting.
The trainers who showed up from Skopje were a part of another NGO (who I have been trying to meet with to no avail). They did most of the presentation to the children, while RCSD did most of the presentation to the adults. The trainer for the kids had an amazing personality. And I felt super good about it because I could understand most of the presentation.
The children were pretty attentive during her presentation. They used a powerpoint and handed out comic books. they also had some things that they hung up around the classroom and just for the presentation. The presentation was on how to use energy efficiently and the different types of places we can get energy from in the world (water, sun, wind, gas, coal, waste). My favorite line of the whole day was “Енергетски ресрси виза за зелена иднина!“ “‘Renewable Energy is the visa for a green future!”
See my travel blog for the travel part of this trip.
The mysterious NGO is the Regional Center for Sustainable Development (RCSD) in Kratovo. Kratovo is about a 2 our bus ride away from Skopje towards Bulgaria. They met me at the bus station and we walked through the town on our way to their NGO’s building. They had the second floor of a building, with a restaurant on the first floor. Their office had a storage room, bathroom, small office with computers in it, large boardroom connected to an office room. Their walls had tons of posters on it from various campaigns they had participated in in the past. Most of their furniture had “Donated by the EU” on it.
RCSD is a result of an EU project, rather than grassroots support (which they also have). They were established in 2003; until 2006 they were the NGO support center in the region. They were part of a project that helped to open 8 other NGO support centers. When they became their own NGO, they focused on social and economic fragility. They established their NGO as a way of providing sustainability to the region. In their position as a support center, they keep abreast of the most recent changes in NGO law, which happens often- they advice other NGOs on the changes. While they act as a support center for other NGOs, they have the same status as any other NGO and fight for the same funding as the other NGOs. They offer their office up for free to use for meetings or access to the internet. Currently they have three paid staff and three volunteers. They are a part of several national and international organisations with different but compatible goals, mostly in support of quality youth laws.
They work towards sustainable development in MK. They want to have a better social and economic integration in Kratovo. This NGO tries to help make Kratovo more developed, while gaining more perspective on the national level. They are also trying to make the local government function more as a “good governance” partner. They are working with the government to make their actions more transparent and accountable towards the local community. They also work with minority groups, such as the Roma community, to help them get their voice out.
They provide trainings for public institutions and the community. When they train the community they do so because often the public is uninformed about how the government works. This way citizens can know how to best maximize their contact with the government- especially to gain better access to their services. They cover 4 municipalities and about 180 NGOs. They help people learn how to establish an NGO, strategically plan, finance, and budget for an NGO as well as project management. They do this through about 30 trainings a year. The Regional Center wants the government and private companies to be more energy efficient. Not only is this more economically, they claim, but also allows a more efficient use of taxpayer money. They are advocating for the government to create an annual energy efficiency plan; they are helping the government better understand the reasons.
They also support a youth club, in its infancy, that is focused on building the capacity of the youth. Allowing them to learn how to advocate on all issues that are important to them. They hope to grow leaders who will have developed quality work towards the youth. They focus on areas that the local youth is concerned with: training for debates (such as in a model EU), how EU policies are implemented and able to raise their voices for issues relevant to them.
They also are trying to expand the tourism base in Kratovo. Their city is known for many old buildings and a specific style of architecture that is not found elsewhere in MK. However, since they are 22 hours outside of Skopje, and they are not well advertised, no one comes. Therefore they are trying to develop sustainable tourism. They want a long term plan to draw tourists to the area. Tourism, they claim, will also provide better integration and strengthen the capacity to provide social development in the region.
In relation to both the local and national governments, they like most others, have tried to work with the national, but have had more success in the local environment. The national government cooperates when they need help but never the other way around. The national government might help in any way that doesn’t involve money, such as providing training. RCSD doesn’t feel that this is helpful cooperation nor do they count it as being supportive. When it doesn’t cost them any money, time or people, the national government will help. They will provide space, such as what they did with the local children’s park that was recently built. The national government might help with some form of money, but this is extremely rare. The government claims that they no longer have the time, but RCSD believes it is because they do not find it important. The RCSD completed all of their trainings and provided suggestions to the government.They completed all of their responsibilities to the government and received no support. The government claims there are other responsibilities.
There is a part of the budget set aside for NGOs, roughly 400,000 MKD ($8,480). They stated that the NGOs that receive the funding are often the newly formed national government/party related. Or the same ones get the grants every year. They have never received money from the MK government. As part of a way to raise money, they teach French, Spanish, and Italian to local students. They also provide other services that they charge a small fee for. But most of their money is from international donors.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
After our meeting in their office, we went to a local school in Rankovce. They met up with some trainers who were going to be presenting on energy efficiency to a group of kids. Every class sent a representative to the presentation. Then, after the presentation to the children, they made one to the teachers. There were less teachers there than there should have been due to a “emergency” meeting. Both sets of trainers suggested that it was politics rather than an emergency for the meeting.
The trainers who showed up from Skopje were a part of another NGO (who I have been trying to meet with to no avail). They did most of the presentation to the children, while RCSD did most of the presentation to the adults. The trainer for the kids had an amazing personality. And I felt super good about it because I could understand most of the presentation.
The children were pretty attentive during her presentation. They used a powerpoint and handed out comic books. they also had some things that they hung up around the classroom and just for the presentation. The presentation was on how to use energy efficiently and the different types of places we can get energy from in the world (water, sun, wind, gas, coal, waste). My favorite line of the whole day was “Енергетски ресрси виза за зелена иднина!“ “‘Renewable Energy is the visa for a green future!”
See my travel blog for the travel part of this trip.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
City Red Cross-Skopje
My next meeting was with someone at the Red Cross, sadly they did not put me in contact with the right person to get all of my questions answered right away, but rather with the people who organize volunteering. Thus this blog post is less about any concrete information like the other interviews and more about what the Red cross does. There is a organization within the Red Cross here (and in Europe from what I can tell) that is called the PHV (Promotion of Human Values) which is basically a large volunteer group of young people.
The lady I was put in contact with provided me with a presentation that she would be giving soon to a visiting Red Cross Dignitary. IT had an overview of the entire work of the Skopje Red Cross, which is separate from the National Red Cross (they are in different buildings). Also, this was the most well established organization I have yet to interview. They are comprised of 5 different branches in the City Red Cross. Where other NGOs had only one small apartment, I got lost trying to find the right office door! Their building had signs all over it of campaigns they had done in the past- ads for AIDS, hungry children, stateless refugees, etc. There are 34 branches in different cities around the country. They have a training center in Struga. They provide their PHV and volunteer retreats there. While only the professional staff is paid, there are many many volunteers.
They have 7 main activities in the City Red Cross:
She also mentioned the different projects that they were currently working on.
I was able to get some information about how closely they worked with the government. They said that it depends on what level of government they are working with and what level of the Red Cross is trying to reach them. The City of Skopje has been a big help to the city Red Cross, but it just depends on the day or week or mood of the government. The local municipalities sometimes help with gaining extra support from their citizens or providing logistical support.
In reference to funding, they get some money for running the blood donation campaigns. In addition, part of the car registration fee goes to the Red Cross. They also provide commercial training to businesses for a fee.
The lady I was put in contact with provided me with a presentation that she would be giving soon to a visiting Red Cross Dignitary. IT had an overview of the entire work of the Skopje Red Cross, which is separate from the National Red Cross (they are in different buildings). Also, this was the most well established organization I have yet to interview. They are comprised of 5 different branches in the City Red Cross. Where other NGOs had only one small apartment, I got lost trying to find the right office door! Their building had signs all over it of campaigns they had done in the past- ads for AIDS, hungry children, stateless refugees, etc. There are 34 branches in different cities around the country. They have a training center in Struga. They provide their PHV and volunteer retreats there. While only the professional staff is paid, there are many many volunteers.
They have 7 main activities in the City Red Cross:
- Dissemination: Or rather the promotion of the Red Cross. Basically this is their PR department without saying so. They promote the red Cross and the principles that they hold, such as the Geneva convention.
- First Aid: Usually completed through schools and businesses. Since there is a law in MK that says for every 20 people employed 1 person has to be trained in First Aid/CPR. Also, every person to get a drivers licence has to have first aid training. (although it is interesting to note that the safety officer at the US Embassy at our briefing told us that there is no Good Samaritan Law here, meaning if you injure someone while trying to help them to the best of your ability, you are liable for their injuries. But if everyone has to get trained I am shocked there is no law like this.)
- Youth Red Cross: There are about 50 active youth volunteers. They are taught how they can be proactive and do different activities with their hands so they can better themselves in the future. Their traditional activities relate to cancer, AIDS or different small projects
- Disaster Outreach and Preparedness: They train a team so they can help with injuries. Every week they have a team on Vodno and Matka (mountains in MK) to help with lost hikers or trapped skiers.
- Blood Donation: They work with an institute for the actual transfusion. The Institute (name less) will come collect the blood. There are campaigns to collect blood as well as clubs for blood donors (to increase their motivation).
- An interesting note is that in the US the Red Cross lets you donate blood every 56 days (in case you need a comparison, less than 2 months for any one!). Here men have to wait 3 months and women 4! When I asked the lady I had been talking too if she knew why she told me it was because of the “delicate balance that women have.” THIS is why I wanted to study gender in MK!
- Social Welfare: They run a campaign against hunger where people can donate food/clothes which are given to “social cases” (AKA the homeless). They also have a program called the week of Solidarity where the 5 centers collect donations from people for the less fortunate.
- Health Prevention: The United Nation’s Refugee program is collaborating with them to help have a center for children (kindergarten).
She also mentioned the different projects that they were currently working on.
- A program, with “Dormeo,” where you can donate an old mattress and they will clean it and it will be given to jails or hospitals. You will be give a coupon for a discount on a new mattress.
- The Center For Homeless People: Every Friday/Tuesday they meet with the homeless people to take them to a center where they can take a shower, get clean clothes, receive basic medical care, and some food. This has been done for the last 3 years.
- Over the next two years they will be implementing a program for the elderly. They will give 80 people a phone with free minutes on it. They will also provide 2 nurses who will help on the phone. They hope to give the elderly people some community to socialize in and get some medical care.
I was able to get some information about how closely they worked with the government. They said that it depends on what level of government they are working with and what level of the Red Cross is trying to reach them. The City of Skopje has been a big help to the city Red Cross, but it just depends on the day or week or mood of the government. The local municipalities sometimes help with gaining extra support from their citizens or providing logistical support.
In reference to funding, they get some money for running the blood donation campaigns. In addition, part of the car registration fee goes to the Red Cross. They also provide commercial training to businesses for a fee.
Monday, November 28, 2011
YES Foundation
My next visit was to YES Foundation an NGO/foundation that “seeks to strengthen the local innovation system in Macedonia by stimulating to practical entrepreneurship among the youth by offering complementary activities that will ease the start-up of new ventures.” This was by far my shortest meeting- barely over one hour. Unlike others that I had interviewed or talked to, they barely volunteered any information.
They told me in my interview that they are a business incubator who currently supports 16 different companies in the IT (information technology) field. They try to stimulate entrepreneurship and help young people create new job positions by establishing their own businesses. They usually try to focus on young people ages 18-30 or 35 who are highly educated.
It is difficult to start a business in MK, and more so when they tried to start their foundation. Business incubation was very unknown when they started. People did not understand what it was supposed to do. But now people are starting to come to them when they want to start a business. They have received this renown because they have started making presentations with in the different faculties. Some of their other advertisements include: information on websites geared towards businesses, hosting big events such as start up weekends, or offering several trainings a month. Some of the trainings are about how to get others to get to know your company, others are about creating social networks to “network” for your business. They like to combine traditional ways of promotion with adhoc ways.
While technically they serve the entire country, mostly they focus on Skopje due to the location of the government and the fact that most people come to Skopje to start businesses. When businesses come to them for help, they have to be IT oriented. If they are not, they will refer them to other organizations. When helping businesses start, they like to provide fully furnished office space with lower rent and utilities. They are able to offer mentoring, consultant work, and trainings.
They are totally financed by international organizations- they receive no MK funding. Much of their fiances stopped last year and they are currently looking for new sources of funding. They had received 1,000 Euros a few years ago from the MK government, but it was a one time thing. While the government has some grants intended to support new businesses, the amount is too small to make any real difference.
However, the space that they currently use was donated to them free of rent for 10 years. It used to be barracks for the Ministry of Education. (I do believe that there was a miss communication with what a barrack is in English- these are right next to a few school building- but I could be wrong, I just wasn’t comfortable asking.) They have been using the facility for 4 to 5 years now. There is a possibility to extend the contract, but they are unsure of how big of a possibility that is. In addition, the government does provide support at their events, with an appearance of a minister or so. The government might not have the money to financially support YES, but they do support their mission with public appearances, according to YES. They can maintain regular contact with the municipalities and the Ministry of Economy and they are able to work with specific people in these ministries often.
There have been changes in the civil society sector since they have been in existence. Most of them have to do with the change in mentality and perception of NGOs. Some NGOs and the citizens have negative experiences with donors money and how the NGOs implement to proposed projects. This has lead to the perception that NGOs are just there to steal other people’s money and not do anything to help the citizens.The public often believes that they will get robbed if they donate money or participate in events. Or even that too many events are too expensive for what you get. A positive change has been the increase in local support from the government.
The fact that YES is technically a foundation means that there is a difference in public opinion to them compared to your average NGO. People believe that all foundations have lots of money, while YES often struggles to make ends meet. There are some commercial sponsors who are looking at helping them out, but YES has to fight against the foundation ideal.
On a day to day basis they are occupied with helping the companies that have questions. Many people walked into the office where I was interviewing the head project managers asking questions. They are currently focused on organizing more events and implementing the projects that they have funding for. There big upcoming events (well, they were upcoming at the time of the interview, but have in fact already occurred by the time of publishing) are Start-Up Weekend and Global Entrepreneurship Week. Global Entrepreneurship week was established by Kaufman and more than 100 countries participate each year. This year they will have Business Speed Dating (where you can quickly summarize what your business is about to others), Panel Discussions, and Group Discussions.
We had a discussion about how one goes about starting and ending a business in MK- and the process is lengthy. There is no good way to end a business or NGO. If you are bankrupt, there is nothing like Chapter 11, you even have to pay the government to shut down. This stems from the days of privatization where people would start a business to get the government’s old job and then promptly close and take all of the money. Therefore, there are many business and NGOs officially on the books, but who in practice do not operate.
When asked if there was anything else they wish I or the public knew, they actually had an answer! They wish they were able to inform the public more about their efforts. In the past three years alone, they have helped to crease over 120 jobs. They also wish that the government was more aware of their progress, and thus maybe more generous with their money. They believe that entrepreneurship should be a focus of the government because it has the potential to help the economy of Macedonia. MK is 20 years past the previous system, and they need to change the perceptions that socialism laid in people (and they are passing on to their children.
They told me in my interview that they are a business incubator who currently supports 16 different companies in the IT (information technology) field. They try to stimulate entrepreneurship and help young people create new job positions by establishing their own businesses. They usually try to focus on young people ages 18-30 or 35 who are highly educated.
It is difficult to start a business in MK, and more so when they tried to start their foundation. Business incubation was very unknown when they started. People did not understand what it was supposed to do. But now people are starting to come to them when they want to start a business. They have received this renown because they have started making presentations with in the different faculties. Some of their other advertisements include: information on websites geared towards businesses, hosting big events such as start up weekends, or offering several trainings a month. Some of the trainings are about how to get others to get to know your company, others are about creating social networks to “network” for your business. They like to combine traditional ways of promotion with adhoc ways.
While technically they serve the entire country, mostly they focus on Skopje due to the location of the government and the fact that most people come to Skopje to start businesses. When businesses come to them for help, they have to be IT oriented. If they are not, they will refer them to other organizations. When helping businesses start, they like to provide fully furnished office space with lower rent and utilities. They are able to offer mentoring, consultant work, and trainings.
They are totally financed by international organizations- they receive no MK funding. Much of their fiances stopped last year and they are currently looking for new sources of funding. They had received 1,000 Euros a few years ago from the MK government, but it was a one time thing. While the government has some grants intended to support new businesses, the amount is too small to make any real difference.
However, the space that they currently use was donated to them free of rent for 10 years. It used to be barracks for the Ministry of Education. (I do believe that there was a miss communication with what a barrack is in English- these are right next to a few school building- but I could be wrong, I just wasn’t comfortable asking.) They have been using the facility for 4 to 5 years now. There is a possibility to extend the contract, but they are unsure of how big of a possibility that is. In addition, the government does provide support at their events, with an appearance of a minister or so. The government might not have the money to financially support YES, but they do support their mission with public appearances, according to YES. They can maintain regular contact with the municipalities and the Ministry of Economy and they are able to work with specific people in these ministries often.
There have been changes in the civil society sector since they have been in existence. Most of them have to do with the change in mentality and perception of NGOs. Some NGOs and the citizens have negative experiences with donors money and how the NGOs implement to proposed projects. This has lead to the perception that NGOs are just there to steal other people’s money and not do anything to help the citizens.The public often believes that they will get robbed if they donate money or participate in events. Or even that too many events are too expensive for what you get. A positive change has been the increase in local support from the government.
The fact that YES is technically a foundation means that there is a difference in public opinion to them compared to your average NGO. People believe that all foundations have lots of money, while YES often struggles to make ends meet. There are some commercial sponsors who are looking at helping them out, but YES has to fight against the foundation ideal.
On a day to day basis they are occupied with helping the companies that have questions. Many people walked into the office where I was interviewing the head project managers asking questions. They are currently focused on organizing more events and implementing the projects that they have funding for. There big upcoming events (well, they were upcoming at the time of the interview, but have in fact already occurred by the time of publishing) are Start-Up Weekend and Global Entrepreneurship Week. Global Entrepreneurship week was established by Kaufman and more than 100 countries participate each year. This year they will have Business Speed Dating (where you can quickly summarize what your business is about to others), Panel Discussions, and Group Discussions.
We had a discussion about how one goes about starting and ending a business in MK- and the process is lengthy. There is no good way to end a business or NGO. If you are bankrupt, there is nothing like Chapter 11, you even have to pay the government to shut down. This stems from the days of privatization where people would start a business to get the government’s old job and then promptly close and take all of the money. Therefore, there are many business and NGOs officially on the books, but who in practice do not operate.
When asked if there was anything else they wish I or the public knew, they actually had an answer! They wish they were able to inform the public more about their efforts. In the past three years alone, they have helped to crease over 120 jobs. They also wish that the government was more aware of their progress, and thus maybe more generous with their money. They believe that entrepreneurship should be a focus of the government because it has the potential to help the economy of Macedonia. MK is 20 years past the previous system, and they need to change the perceptions that socialism laid in people (and they are passing on to their children.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Volunteer Center Skopje
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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