VRNJAČKA BANJA – The RYCO Local Branch Office in Serbia with the support of the OSCE Mission to Serbia organized for the fifth year in a row a capacity building training on project proposal design for civil society organizations from Serbia with less experience and low capacities in conducting regional projects. This year the training took place from 27th to 30th of August in Vrnjačka Banja and gathered representatives of 14 civil society organizations from Serbia, with the aim to raise their capacities and improve knowledge on project proposal design in the areas of youth mobility, cooperation, activism, and intercultural learning in the Western Balkans, with the emphasis on gender-sensitive communication.
Head of the Local Branch Office in Serbia Ms.Marija Bulat and representative of the OSCE Mission to Serbia Ms.Milena Stošić welcomed the participants and emphasized their joint commitment to support the long-term capacity-building of civil society organizations in Serbia. They emphasized the importance of this support for enhancing regional mobility and cooperation, reconciliation and peacebuilding processes, as well as active civic participation of young people in the Western Balkans.
During the four-day training, participants had the opportunity to get more familiar with a theoretical basis for project development and the standard elements of project proposals. Additionally, they strengthened their practical skills for the development of universal elements in project applications – from justifying the idea, through setting goals and activities, to forming a realistic budget and considering the relationship with the public. Moreover, participants enhanced their knowledge about the concepts of reconciliation, gender equality, youth participation and social inclusion, as well as the possibilities of establishing partnerships in the region.
Beginner’s Manual for Project Proposal Writing 101, developed jointly by RYCO Serbia and OSCE Mission to Serbia last year, was presented to participants and used as a tool during training sessions. This Manual is conceptualized to support the advancement of project writing skills for the successful design of projects and initiatives that can connect the Western Balkan youth. All participants received a copy of the Manual, as well as a newly designed participatory social game for inclusion of young people in the design of project proposals.
