Youth Assembly
| ICSW Youth Assembly, Hotel Norcev, Novi Sad | |
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| The ICSW Youth Assembly is a place for young people to engage with international peers, and to strategise and prepare for International Civil Society Week. The 2019 Youth Assembly will explore alternatives to better support youth movements to make their work more efficient and effective and outline recommendations for resourcing youth engagement. Additionally, the agenda will give space for challenging conversations about the different innovative actions young people are leading to hold leaders accountable in their promise to achieve the Agenda 2030. | CIVICUS Youth Action Team National Youth Council of Serbia (KOMS) Novi Sad European Youth Capital - OPENS, Serbia Pacific Medical Students Association, Fiji Plan International, United Kingdom NIDA Civic Movement, Azerbaijan Movement toward Education and Youth Empowerment, Sierra Leone Arab Youth Climate Movement Qatar |
Setting the Scene
| Civic Space Summit, Belgrade Youth Centre | |
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| The purpose of this one-day Summit is to launch a concerted mobilisation of civil society between April and September 2019 to put the issue of closing and shrinking space for civil society globally on the agenda of the UN Special General Assembly and High-Level Political Forum in September. The Civil Society Summit will bring together the leadership and members of civil society networks, platforms and international organisations to sign a Declaration and Call to Action and to set out our plan of action to put closing civic space on the international agenda. | CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness Balkan Civil Society Development Network Action for Sustainable Development Civic Initiatives CIVICUS |
| Opening Ceremony, Kombank Hall | |
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| A lively and informative introduction to the week including a performance by Girls Rock Camp curated by the Femix Network of Female Creativity in Serbia, a political satire put on by 24-minutes's Zoran Kesic, and personal reflections on the event theme "the power of togetherness" by Ethiopian Activist Yetnebersh Nigussie. The opening ceremony will conclude with a drinks’ reception. | Civic Initiatives CIVICUS |
Bridges
| Morning Plenary, Belgrade Youth Centre | 9:00 - 10:30 |
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The morning plenary will explore how the broader civil society context is changing and what is required for sustainable collaboration, focusing on the following key questions:
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Farayi Murambwa, Activist, Zimbabwe
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| Concurrent Events, Belgrade Youth Centre | 11:00 - 13:00 |
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| 01 Protecting Civic Freedoms - Our Stories of Resilience The anti-NGO law in Hungary, the Law on Freedom of Association in NGOs in Kosovo, SLAPPs in France, new “uncivil society organizations” rising in Serbia, Poland and elsewhere… All these phenomena contribute to a shrinking civic space. However, by limiting the freedoms and spaces, governments face a growing resistance in Europe. The workshop share stories of CSOs actions in times of shrinking civic space in the Balkans and the wider Europe. It will tackle how CSOs counteract the negative trends, gauge where actions of resilience come from, and offer joint paths to explore in the future. The aim is to inspire and learn from each other, to reaffirm the collective voice in the joint struggles and to encourage coalition building across regions. |
Balkan Civil Society Development Network FOND Romania (Black Sea NGO Forum) European Civic Forum Balkan Trust for Democracy German Marshal Fund |
| 02 Civil Society, Peacebuilding & Inclusion Inclusive peace reflects the idea that everyone in society - not just governments and conflict parties - should be involved in defining and shaping peace. Although this idea is receiving widespread recognition, it has proven difficult to achieve in reality. Meanwhile, conflicts are on the rise, and civic space is shrinking globally. Do we need a reality check? This workshop will share insights from a global consultation on this topic, and facilitate a highly interactive discussion to unpack different perspectives, from outside the peacebuilding sector, on civil society’s role, challenges and opportunities, in building inclusive peace. |
The Inclusive Peace & Transition Initiative (IPTI) Peace Direct |
| 03 Transforming CSO accountability: a stakeholder-driven approach for increased trust and impact This session will explore how an inclusive, dynamic approach to accountability that puts people at the core of decision-making can help CSOs strengthen their legitimacy and impact. The Global Standard for CSO Accountability and its project partners from around the world will provide a starting point to discuss different aspects of accountability, from the basics such as transparency and feedback to more advanced concepts around stakeholder engagement, responsive decision-making, adaptive programming, and innovative partnerships. This session offers something for everyone – from those who are new to the concept to accountability experts, for organisations large and small. |
Accountable Now |
| 04 Unpacking Civic Space: Challenges and opportunities Civic space is the bedrock of any democratic society. It’s premised on universally-accepted rules that enable people to organise, participate and communicate with each other freely to influence the political and social structures around them. However, the state of civic space remains contested around the world. There are restrictions in law and policy, and attacks on civil society organisations and the independent media who hold duty bearers to account and give voice to citizens’ concerns. Nevertheless, gains can be made in protecting and expanding civic space. This event will present an overview of global civic space trends with a focus on the Balkans. |
Civic Space Initiative |
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05 Global Citizenship Education: Reclaiming Power (Closed)
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Bridge 47 |
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06 Shrinking media freedoms=shrinking democracy
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Independent Association of Journalists in Serbia, Civic Intiatives |
| Lunch, Belgrade Youth Centre | 13:00 - 15:00 |
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| ICSW Local Presentations, Belgrade Youth Centre | 13:00 - 15:00 |
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| Interactive Sessions, Belgrade Youth Centre | 15:00 - 17:30 |
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| 01 Global Citizenship Education: The Power of Sharing Power As an empowering lifelong education, GCE is not only a tool for civil society organisations to reach out to their target audiences and mobilise citizens in their area of activity. Adjusting the civil society raison d'être in the turbulent times, requires challenging ourselves as activists and enthusiasts – by rethinking our own contexts and the roles we play in our organizations, networks, communities, regions and beyond. We need to not only express and confront ourselves, but also to be one with each other. To dissect our assumptions, critically reflect on them and re-assemble the pieces into a puzzle of a braver new world. |
Bridge 47 |
| 2.1 Fish Bowl: What does the Power of Togetherness mean to you? Gaining perspectives of youth and local communities. ICSW delegates are invited to share insights about how the Power of Togetherness in the 21st Century is perceived across regions and generations. During an hour and a half, ICSW\local representatives and Youth Assembly delegates will open a space for the diverse and inspiring delegation of ICSW2019 to exchange examples and cases where coalition building and solidarity has proven to be a mobilizing element in civil society to create a positive change in a community. What have been the key triggers for civil society to organize a collective action? How have different generations collaborated towards a common goal? What does it take to coordinate strategies and work as one community of social justice advocates? |
CIVICUS Youth Assembly ICSW\local representatives |
| 2.2 HRDs in Hostile Environments: The Importance of Respecting Fundamental Rights and Forming Alliances Civil Rights Defenders will organize an interactive panel discussion with prominent human rights defenders coming from different regions of the world. During the discussion, panelists will share their experiences and discuss the challenges they face daily, working in an increasingly hostile environment. Panelists from different regions (Eurasia, SouthEast Asia, Europe) will present their strategies which they are implementing in their daily operations in order to overcome hostile environment. The discussion will highlight the importance of respecting fundamental and human rights in the context of shrinking civic space as well as the need of forming stronger alliances between different stakeholders around the world. |
Civil Rights Defenders International |
| 03 Claiming space as political leverage Civil society is under severe pressure worldwide. The freedom of association and assembly and the freedom of speech is under attack from governments, business and other undefined actors. How does civil society respond? When we are deprived of our rights and power is consolidated, which counter-measures are at our disposal? In this inter-active workshop you will meet civil society organizations from Africa, South-East Asia and Middle East that use different methods for claiming space. In some contexts, in order to regain power it has to be claimed through physical, cultural, online or other forms of space. They will take you through their experiences - both victories and set-backs. You will also have the opportunity to discuss your challenges and hopefully get new ideas of how to regain strength. |
Norwegian Peoples Aid |
| 04 Peer Networking: Change champions: re-thinking approaches to strengthening civil society In 2018, INTRAC convened the first ICSW virtual event. Many providers of capacity development for civil society took part in that event. A key point of discussion was the need for new approaches to strengthen local provision of training and organisational development for civil society. Since then debates on shifting power and localisation have gained momentum, and this need is growing. Participants interested in expanding in-country support to strengthen civil society are invited to this participatory brainstorming event. The objective? To form a peer network of values-driven ‘civil society change champions’ that can share learning, good practice and develop ideas. |
Intrac |
| 05 Collaborative Networks: Changing the way we organise Interactive session exploring the future of organisations and the role of collaborative networks. Given the change in the funding landscape, competitive organisations need to give way to collaborative networks - which require skills, trust and communication. Using the Latin American & Caribbean Innovation for Change hub's product ComuniDAS as a test example, this session will explore concepts such as contributive networks, ecosystemic business models and how to move towards a collaborative and dynamic network. The future of organisations is changing and civil society must also innovate and change! |
Innovation for Change and Ouishare |
| 06 New Strategies for Advocacy in Closed Civic Spaces The Consortium of the Lifeline Embattled CSO Assistance Fund* will facilitate an interactive session on overcoming key challenges to conducting advocacy in restrictive environments. CSOs will share how they operate in closed and closing spaces. Partners, including those working at grassroots level and in severely restrictive contexts, will be invited to present detail on how they implement advocacy activities and the lessons that have emerged from their work. These contributions will shape the development of a toolkit to assist CSOs in developing effective and safe strategies to advance their advocacy agenda. This will include presentation of case studies, best practices, secure communication essentials, and a methodology to help CSOs design their own advocacy plans. |
Lifeline Consortium |
| Public Events | |
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| 01: Illuminating New Solutions and Programmatic Innovations for Resilient Spaces, Impact Hub Belgrade This event features an interactive conversation with local civil society actors about the machine learning aspect of the Illuminating New Solutions and Programmatic Innovations for Resilient Spaces (INSPIRES) project. INSPIRES will create an unprecedented data repository to analyze the drivers of shifts in civic space, combining locally-created and curated data sets with extensive digital data sets and longstanding research. |
Duke University |
| 02: Promoting CSO Impact and Sustainability through Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Social entrepreneurship and innovation play a major role in promoting and supporting CSO impact. Divac Foundation and Civici Initiatives, with the regional Smart Start project will share experiences of collaboration and work in the region of Western Balkans. The objective of the session is to share ways of how to improve the sustainability and social impact of civil society organisations through start-up financial programmes, the use of socially and environmentally responsible strategies for self-financing, social innovation and models of social entrepreneurship. This event will feature ten Serbian CSOs supported by the Smart Start project who will pitch their ideas for social enterprises and receive feedback from an international mentor panel. |
Civic Initatives, Divac Foundation |
| Open Doors, local site visits | 18:00-20:00 |
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| Bagel Bagel Shop, social business run by women (see map) Center for Cultural Decontamination, nonprofit cultural institution whose work is based on critical thinking, and cultural and artistic production (see map) Center for Youth Integration (see map) Human Rights House (see map) ICT Hub (see map) Impact Hub Belgrade, co-working space for changemakers (see map) Pride Info Center (see map) Catalyst Balkans (see map) |
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Stairs
| Morning Plenary, Belgrade Youth Centre | 9:00 - 10:30 |
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The morning plenary will explore the most effective ways to connect and scale collective action, focusing on the following key questions:
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Darko Brkan, UG Zasto ne, Bosnia |
| Concurrent Events, Belgrade Youth Centre | 11:00 - 13:00 |
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| 01 Organizational Resiliency in Times of Closing Civic Space PartnersGlobal and CIVICUS have engaged their network partners on the topic of organizational resiliency in the face of closing civic space. The Resiliency+ Framework is the result of this process and is grounded in the realities facing civil society organizations around the world. The Resiliency+ Framework provides a process for CSOs to increase their adaptive capacity to prevent and/or respond to closing civic space based on the emergence/presence of external threats, assessment of internal capacities, and matched with specific strategies tools and tactics that are then organized into a Resiliency+ Roadmap (or intervention plan) and peer mentorship. This session invites CSOs to learn more about the framework and contribute to the ongoing refinement and trust-testing of it by creating the space for feedback, reflections, and sharing of experiences. |
Partners Global |
| 02 Improving our Coalitions for Civic Participation Citizens around the world are prevented from exercising their inherit right and instinctive need to participate in shaping their societies. Organised civil society and individual activists face major backlash from governments when trying to enforce this right. Now more than ever, it is essential that we not only stand in solidarity when threatened but also that we work together. In this workshop, participants will learn about the Civic Charter – The Global Framework for People’s Participation, and how to use this tool to push back against the clampdown on civil society, focusing on their own coalition-building efforts, while also receiving advice from peers and finding new allies to drive forward their work. |
International Civil Society Centre |
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03 Civic Activism and the Armenian Velvet Revolution: the power of Youth, Women and Diaspora as agents for change |
Armenian General Benevolent Union |
| 04 Hope-Based Communications: Finding a New Narrative for Civil Society The more we try to counter populist attacks, the more we feed those narratives in the minds of our audience. Advice from framing experts, based on findings from neuroscience, tell us that instead we need to create new ideas, new narratives, of our own. Instead of saying that civil society organizations are not criminal, we need to make people care passionately about civil society, with messages that appeal to emotions as well as to rationality, creating a sense of belonging and optimism. Through an interactive set of exercises, we will develop common value messaging for civil society, including talking points and key words, visual moments and activities that can effect narrative change. |
VUKA! Coalition for Civic Action |
| 05 Philanthropy for Active Citizenship Civil society around the world is struggling to secure long-term sustainability and constituency support. Their causes are relevant, but are they using the right approaches and language to mobilize citizens and effectively engage them in decision-making processes? What tools can they use to demonstrate transparency and build trust in their communities? How can they build strategic partnerships with businesses and other stakeholders? What other local (re)sources can they tap into, to increase their financial sustainability and become more impactful? How can we add value to the development of local philanthropy and generate lasting support to local communities? |
SIGN (South-East European Indigenous Grantmakers Network) |
| 06 Digital Security and Rapid Response Funding Clinic for Civil Society Actors in Need, Impact Hub Belgrade Recognizing the frequent threats facing civil society actors, this ‘clinic’ aims to (1) provide participants the opportunity to learn about implementing digital security processes to store, monitor and protect their information from threats while they undertake their work, and (2) share information on different rapid response funding mechanisms available to civil society actors and provide in-depth information on the application process. Bringing together multiple experts in these two spheres, the session will include opportunity for participants to have their questions answered and receive in-depth support. |
Lifeline Consortium |
| Lunch, Belgrade Youth Centre | 13:00 - 15:00 |
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| ICSW Local Presentations, Belgrade Youth Centre | 13:00 - 15:00 |
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| Interactive Sessions, Belgrade Youth Centre | 15:00 - 17:30 |
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| Buzz Group 1.1 La redevabilité des preneurs de décision au service de la démocratie et de l'Etat de droit au Bénin Government accountability towards Democracy and Rule of Law Cette session a pour but d’explorer en groupe les meilleures pratiques de reddition des comptes par les preneurs de décision aux citoyens. Comment instaurer des systèmes où le gouvernement a pour gage d'être transparent quant à ses actions et résultats? PJUD stimulera les échanges en présentant la façon dont il favorise les discussions entre citoyens des zones rurales et preneurs de décision locaux au Benin, notamment à travers leur radio communautaire. The purpose of this session is to explore as a group the best practices of accountability by decision-makers to citizens. What kind of systems can we put in place so that governments be transparent about their actions and results? PJUD will kick off the exchange by presenting how it promotes discussions between citizens in rural areas and local decision-makers in Benin, through their community radio particularly. |
PJUD - Promotion Jeunesse Unie pour le Développement, Benin |
| Buzz Group 1.2 DramaNass (Nass means people in Arabic language): Theater for youth active citizenship This interactive session will look at accompagnying participants to explore a new theater methodology called Youth-Quake. It encourages active citizenship among children and youth and prevents young people from marginalization. Participants will go through a simulated exercise of what the use of drama and theater can do to achieve the following sub-objectives: Improve the communication skills among their targeted groups Motivate their target groups to address and work together on a social, political or economic issue Empower young people and youth to know and claim their rights Sensitize local and international communities to the main challenges of our globe |
Yes Theater, Palestine |
| Buzz Group 1.3 Strengthening Membership Platforms for CSO Effectiveness This session will kick start with sharing about the case of Cooperation Committee for Cambodia’s membership platform which will cover key services and platforms for CSO effectiveness, along with some key challenges and lessons learnt. Then small group discussions will follow and conclusions will be shared as a whole group. Therefore, all participants will be able to get new learnings and food for thoughts from all experiences and might come with innovative approaches for better coordination and effectiveness of the member services in respected countries. |
Cooperation Committee for Cambodia |
| Buzz Group 1.4 Transforming the United Nations in the 21st Century The UN’s 75th anniversary in 2020 must be the starting point of a global governance transformation. This session will discuss how we may promote national, regional and global consultations across all sectors, to provide essential inputs from civil society for a system-wide stocktaking, strengthening and renewal of the UN in 2020 and beyond. |
UN2020, Together First and Asia Development Alliance |
| 02 Youthtopia intergenerational co-creation event Interactive session exploring the how young activists can tap into collaborative networks, build powerful alliances and achieve the impact the world needs. In the face of shared challenges and growing complexity, people are innovating on how we come together to explore the answers. It is now easier than ever for people to collaborate, take collective action and inject new ideas, formations and energy into civil society. Participants will share and co-create how to support 21st century activism, building on the ideas of ten young social activists and movement builders. The future of activism is here, and civil society must innovate and adapt! |
CIVICUS Youth Action Team Ouishare |
| 03 The Spark that Lit the Bonfire: Civil Society and Democratic Transitions The CIVICUS Monitor has documented increasing levels of human rights violations and restrictions on civil society: recent findings show that civil society is under serious attack in 111 countries- almost six in 10 countries worldwide. However, in recent years, political transitions have taken place that have led to restrictions being lifted in countries that were previously closed to civil society participation. This aim of the session is to focus on the actions that lead to positive changes in civic space and the role of civil society in making such changes sustainable. |
CIVICUS Monitor / Advocacy & Campaigns |
| 04 Pop Your Bubble: How to speak with people you don't know, like or agree with In many ways our world has never been more connected. And yet, we seem increasingly divided: by identity, ideology, fear, and those seeking to turn us against each other. The challenges we face will not be overcome if we simply speak to those we know, like and agree with; we need to learn how to speak with those we don't. Civil society can help lead the way, but many of us are stuck in our own 'bubbles'. So, let's change that! Inspired by CIVICUS' global SPEAK! campaign, this highly interactive session will engage attendees in three methodologies for bridging division and building connection, then reflect on how they might be applied in different countries and communities. |
SPEAK! |
| 05 Resilient Roots: How to make your organisation more accountable (and resilient?) This event will demonstrate the benefits of CSOs boosting accountability to their primary constituents - which includes greater legitimacy, relevance and effectiveness. It will then enable all participants to start planning how this could be achieved at their own organisations, and explore how this may also contribute to increasing their resilience in the face of closing civic space. To do this, participants will work in groups with organisations from the 14 Resilient Roots pilot countries, building upon their experiences of implementing new approaches to primary constituent accountability to identify the capacities, challenges and opportunities for doing so in their own contexts. |
Resilient Roots CIVICUS Keystone Accountability Accountable Now Instituto de Comunicación y Desarrollo |
| River Party | 20:30 |
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| Inspired by the beautiful riverside in Belgrade, ICSW delegates will get the chance to experience unique festive atmosphere at the river rafts, introducing regional music sets and performances. The event will be co-organized by the organizers of Mirdita, Dobar dan cultural festival. LOCATION: Meet at Youth Center at 19:30 for transportation to the River Party. |
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Streets
| Morning Plenary, Belgrade Youth Centre | 9:00 - 10:30 |
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This session will explore what we can learn from current civic movements and how we can ensure citizens are at the center of driving change. It will focus on the following key questions:
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Abraham M. Keita, Give Hope to Children Foundation, Liberia Ana Babovic, Leading Change Network, Serbia Besa Luci, Kosovo 2.0, Kosovo Diana Vegas Castro, Sinergia, Venezuela Srdja Popovic, Center for Applied Nonviolent Action and Strategies, Serbia Wiem Chamsi, Activist, Tunisia Moderated by: Maja Stojanovic, Civic Initiatives, Serbia SPARK: Caroline Vernaillen, Democracy International, Germany |
| Concurrent Events, Belgrade Youth Centre | 11:00 - 13:00 |
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| 01 Civil movements as correctors of society To see us, and to hear us, is the motto used by millions of citizens all around the world. People are filling up the streets of their cities demanding justice, better living conditions, more democracy and human rights for all. They’re protesting injustice, violence or climate change. At this session, we will have the opportunity to hear inspiring leaders of the civil movements who will share how they are making the change we want to see in the world. From mass street protests and guerilla action, to the dilemmas of entering the electoral political arena, do citizens really have the power to change the world? Yes, we have! |
Don't let Belgrade d(r)own |
| 02 Collective Action to End Child Marriage Based on the experience of Girls Not Brides partnerships in Africa and Asia, this session will look at some of the critical success factors for working in partnership. The session will zoom in on the different stages of partnership building, and explore some of the tools and methodologies developed by Girls Not Brides. Moreover, we will hear from different Girls Not Brides members how collective action has enabled them drive change in their country. |
Girls not Brides |
| 03 Local resource mobilization – a passing concept or an emerging shift in funding patterns? The workshop will be an exploration into experiences with mobilizing local community support for addressing local challenges – based on examples from Ghana and Kenya. Are experiences pointing to a passing development hype or is there a potential for improved sustainable community-led development? How can these new ways of organizing support and mobilizing resources pave ways for a change in the sustainability patterns and power dynamics in development work? |
CISU, West Africa Civil Society Institute, Kenya Community Development Foundation |
| 04 Trust-based Support for CSOs Sida is among the few donors that provide long-term Core Support to Kosovar CSOs, and KCSF is its first and biggest beneficiary. This relationship is based on trust – trust that the recipient organization knows best what is needed to fulfill its mission, trust that the recipient organization is best positioned to lead its strategic thinking and reflection, trust in the benefit of long-term partnerships, etc. This trust has enabled KCSF to express its potential, without feeling pressure to satisfy donor requirements only for the sake of continuation of support. This session makes the case for a trust-based approach for well-established organizations ready to embark on longer term partnerships. |
Kosovar Civil Society Foundation |
| 05 Reaching out and Engaging Citizens Communication and storytelling play a major role in engaging citizens and reaching out to a global audience. This workshop will focus on learning key communication concepts and understanding how emotional communication works, exploring what defines organisations with the biggest impact on their surroundings, and understanding the impact of storytelling on an organisation’s DNA. Join us in creating a space of inspiration, focus and motivation. |
Alan Clayton and Associates, Civic Initiatives |
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06 Diversity and Inclusion at the center of organizational work? Let's get practical! |
CIVICUS Diversity and Inclusion Group |
| Freedom of Association and Assembly in Iran: A Call for Action (Atrium) A session to elaborate on the dire situation of civil society in Iran, and launch of a joint call for action |
Volunteer Activists and CIVICUS |
| Lunch, Belgrade Youth Centre | 13:00 - 15:00 |
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| Closing Action: #FreedomRunner | 15:00 - 18:00 |
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| Participants are invited to a closing action that literally takes delegates out onto the streets of Belgrade for a run/walk that will be a physical manifestation of the event theme “the power of togetherness”. By crossing a bridge, walking on the streets and moving on stairs, participants will discover a different side of Belgrade and take part in the launch of a global campaign #FreedomRunner. | |
Regional Wrap-up
| Regional Wrap-up: Where do we go from here?, Belgrade Youth Centre | |
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Civic Initiatives |
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