NGOs/CSOs Skills Enhancement in the Western Balkans and Moldova

The project aims to enhance the soft skills of the CSO/NGO community to increase citizen-led professional democratic participation in public discussions and increase their professional reflection on the future of Europe in the six Western Balkan countries and Moldova. The project will enhance the soft skills of the CSO/NGO community from the six Western Balkan countries and Moldova to increase citizen-led professional democratic participation in public discussions and increase their professional reflection. The project will train members of the CSO/NGO in each of the seven project countries on project management skills. That will enable mentioned professionals to use these skills in their home regions to seek a positive change, cooperate more with the European Union and participate in debates about the future of the EU and Western Balkans and Moldova.

These countries are characterized by the weaker involvement of their citizens in democratic processes. The project also aims to boost regional cooperation for a more palpable involvement on the European level. NGOs and CSOs play a crucial role in the development of Western Balkans and Moldova since they are ones of the leading forces behind the democratization in the region: they are a vital part of the society since they serve, protect, develop, examine, educate, verify, understand and describe, represent those who are not represented, point out the needs of individuals marginalized within the society, they work in all communities to make them more inclusive.

The project will train members of the CSO/NGO in each of the seven project countries (Roadshow of trainings) the essential project management skills to develop a more comprehensive professional baseline for this community. Following each training, a discussion will be organized with the members of the local CSO/NGO community on the Future of Europe, during which the project team will collect recommendations and views represented by the sample of local NGOs/CSOs representatives from various walks of life.

During the training participants will also have an opportunity to elaborate their project ideas, which will be collected by the Network manager and matched to similar ones regionally and internationally. The selected projects ideas will receive further mentoring by the project team to boost its chances for success. These projects will be then submitted to suitable donors in the closing stage of the proposed project. Following the series of trainings, participants will be asked to write a short essay/blog on a topic of their choice that will touch upon the issue of democratization or civil society support in their country, and simultaneously debates the future of the European Union in regard to the EU enlargement in the Western Balkans and association process with Moldova. From each project country, two participants will be selected based on the best essay/blog to attend the Summer School that will take place in Montenegro. At the Summer School, they will further deepen their training to become trainers themselves (train-the-trainers).

Dates of the upcoming Project Activities

Duration of the project January 24 – November 11, 2022

This project is generously funded by:

The project is implemented by the consortium of implementers:

Project Activities:

The Summer School training of the project NGOs/ CSOs Skills Enhancement in the Western Balkans and Moldova

From the 4th of September until the 9th of September, 2022, the team of Strategic Analysis, in cooperation with ALFA Centar Niksić, co-organized the Summer School in Žabljak, Montenegro.

Summer School is a part of the project named NGOs/CSOs Skills Enhancement in the Western Balkans and Moldova, which aims to enhance the soft skills of the CSO and NGO community to increase democratic participation. The Summer School was advanced training in Montenegro, in which participants received more in-depth training (train-the-trainers). 

The whole Summer School training session was led by Filip Gabor from BeInternational organisation.

Thus, the Summer School educated young professionals and experts in soft skills essential for developing the project management, financial management of the project and choice of topic that is crucial for the community of that particular young professional. 

The event was supported by the Visegrad fund.

The training was opened by Pavol Krutosik from Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Montenegro and Jan Cingel, CEO and Founder of Strategic Analysis.

The goal of the event: 

As a result of this training and knowledge and skills passing, our participants  gained knowledge to develop their projects that enhance democratization, reconciliation, support civil society, to support human rights and social justice, gender equality, democratic ownership and participation, promote environmental sustainability, transparency and accountability, pursue effective partnerships and solidarity, share knowledge and mutual learning. 

Seventh project event in Chisinau, Moldova, 16-17 June, 2022

On June 16-17, in cooperation with the Institute for European Policies and Reforms, Strategic Analysis organized the activity within the project NGOs / CSOs Skills Enhancement in the Western Balkans and Moldova, supported by the International Visegrad Fund. The training took place in Chisinau, the Moldova capital. The training was focused on providing participants with knowledge about Topic Management, Project Management, Financial Management, People and event management, Advocacy strategies and Stakeholder mapping. Also, the training equipped participants with the skills that are essential for the CSO or NGO work. All the participants received confirmation of participation after the training.

Also, on June 16, the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) styled panel took place: an in-depth discussion moderated by SATT experts about the perceptions of cooperation of Moldova with the EU.

The representatives of state institutions, NGO sectors, international organizations and political parties discussed ideas, thoughts, suggestions and constructive criticism on the European Union and the future of Moldova-EU relations.

Sixth project event in Skopje, North Macedonia, 30-31 May, 2022

On May 30-31, in cooperation with the Horizon Civitas, Strategic Analysis organized the activity within the project NGOs / CSOs Skills Enhancement in the Western Balkans and Moldova, supported by the International Visegrad Fund. The training took place in Skopje, the North Macedonia capital. The training was focused on providing participants with knowledge about Topic Management, Project Management, Financial Management, People and event management, Advocacy strategies and Stakeholder mapping. Also, the training equipped participants with the skills that are essential for the CSO or NGO work. All the participants received confirmation of participation after the training.

Also, on May 30, the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) styled panel took place: an in-depth discussion moderated by SATT experts about the perceptions of cooperation of North Macedonia with the EU.

The representatives of state institutions, NGO sectors, international organizations and political parties discussed ideas, thoughts, suggestions and constructive criticism on the European Union and the future of North Macedonia-EU relations.

More information about the project here: NGOs/CSOs Skills Enhancement in the Western Balkans and Moldova – Strategic Analysis

Fifth project event in Prishtina, Kosovo, 26-27 May, 2022

On May 26-27, in cooperation with the InnovActive Center for Social Improvement (ICSI), Strategic Analysis organized the activity within the project NGOs / CSOs Skills Enhancement in the Western Balkans and Moldova, supported by the International Visegrad Fund. The training took place in the Kosovo capital, Prishtina. The training was focused on providing participants with knowledge about Topic Management, Project Management, Financial Management, People and event management, Advocacy strategies and Stakeholder mapping. Also, the training equipped participants with the skills that are essential for the CSO or NGO work. All the participants received confirmation of participation after the training.

Also, on May 26, the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) styled panel took place: an in-depth discussion moderated by SATT experts about the perceptions of cooperation of Kosovo with the EU.

The representatives of state institutions, NGO sectors, international organizations and political parties discussed ideas, thoughts, suggestions and constructive criticism on the European Union and the future of Kosovo-EU relations.

More information about the project here: NGOs/CSOs Skills Enhancement in the Western Balkans and Moldova – Strategic Analysis

Fourth project event in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 7-8 May, 2022

Third project event in Tirana, Albania, April 29-30, 2022

On April 29-30, in cooperation with the Youth Center Perspektiva, Strategic Analysis organized the activity within the project NGOs / CSOs Skills Enhancement in the Western Balkans and Moldova, supported by the International Visegrad Fund. The training took place in the Albanian capital, Tirana. The training was focused on providing participants with knowledge about Topic Management, Project Management, Financial Management, People and event management, Advocacy strategies and Stakeholder mapping. Also, the training equipped participants with the skills that are essential for the CSO or NGO work.  All the participants received confirmation of participation after the training.

Also, on April 29, the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) styled panel took place: an in-depth discussion moderated by SATT experts about the perceptions of cooperation of Albania with the EU.

The representatives of state institutions, NGO sectors, international organizations and political parties discussed ideas, thoughts, suggestions and constructive criticism on the European Union and the future of Albania-EU relations.

More information about the project here: NGOs/CSOs Skills Enhancement in the Western Balkans and Moldova – Strategic Analysis

Second project event in Belgrade, Serbia, April 11-12, 2022

On April 11-12, in cooperation with the Professional Association of Security Sector (Serbia), Strategic Analysis organized the activity within the project NGOs / CSOs Skills Enhancement in the Western Balkans and Moldova, supported by the International Visegrad Fund. The training took place in the capital of Serbia, Belgrade. It provided participants with knowledge about Topic Management, Project Management, Financial Management, People and event management, Advocacy strategies and Stakeholder mapping. In addition, the training was focused on equipping participants with the necessary skills essential for the CSO or NGO work. After the training, all the participants received confirmation of participation.

On April 12, Strategic Analysis also organized the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) styled panel: an in-depth discussion moderated by SATT experts about the perceptions of cooperation of Serbia with the EU.

The activity brought together representatives of state institutions, NGO sectors, international organizations and political parties to hear various ideas, thoughts, suggestions and constructive criticism on the European Union and the future of Serbia-EU relations.

More information about the project here: NGOs/CSOs Skills Enhancement in the Western Balkans and Moldova – Strategic Analysis

First project event in Nikšič, Montenegro, March 14-15, 2022

On March 14-15, in cooperation with Alfa Centar Nikšič (MNE), we organized the activity with within the project NGOs / CSOs Skills Enhancement in the Western Balkans and Moldova, supported by the International Visegrad Fund. The training took place in Nikšič, Montenegro. The training provided sessions about Topic Management, Project Management,  Financial Management, People and event management, Advocacy strategies and Stakeholder mapping. The training sought to equip participants with necessary skills important for the CSO or NGO work. After the training, all the participants received confirmation of participation.

Also, on March 15, we held the Conference on the Future of Europe (CoFoE) styled panel: in-depth discussion moderated by SATT experts about the perceptions of cooperation of project countries with the EU.

The activity aimed to bring together representatives of state institutions, NGO sectors, international organizations and political parties to hear various ideas, thoughts, suggestions and constructive criticism on the European Union and future of Montenegro in the EU.

Initial Kick-off meeting of our new project

On January 26, 2022, the kick-off meeting of the project „NGOs/CSOs Skills Enhancement in the Western Balkans and Moldova“ was held between Strategic Analysis Think Tank and partners from the Western Balkans and Moldova. During the meeting, structural details of the project were discussed, methodology of the project, and the final dates of the particular events were agreed upon. The meeting was also focused on the explanation of the Conference on the Future of Europe format. We are looking forward to a successful cooperation and implementation.

Photos from the kick-off meeting