KINDLE ADVOCACY School of Informed Activism - Call for Applications
Vendimarrja Percaktimi i axhendes
If you have a cause you are passionate about as a citizen, but are experiencing obstacles in making it reach to the policy-makers desk; If you feel you can spark that next change in your community, but are not quite certain about how to; This is your opportunity to make this change happen! Co-PLAN Institute for Habitat Development in cooperation with the US Embassy in Tirana in cooperation launch the School of Informed Activism, an initiative under the KINDLE Advocacy project. This call is aimed at: - Young organisations that are pro-active in the field of multi-level governance, energetic, and interested to develop their capacities; - Young activists, not necessarily structured/belonging to a formal establishment, yet engaged and pro-actively involved in change-driving actions.
itikes
THE FOCUS SIA welcomes applications in one of the following categories, all of which under the larger over-arching theme of good multi-level governance: - Elections - focusing on preparing, monitoring and reporting for Elections, particularly relevant with the upcoming Parliamentary Elections of 2017/ Local in 2019) - Communication for Impact - With local constituencies, authorities, policy-makers, using the most effective channels of communication to convey a policy-influencing message, ensuring the message is packaged in the most suitable format for the intended recipient; - Urban Activism - Evidence-based initiatives to engage communities and to highlight issues and convey important messages to the perceived body of change / decision-makers - Free Topic - Providing it makes for a pressing, current issue, of high interest and impact, such as: unexpected developments, natural occurrences that call for improved policies, etc.)
Vleresimi i politikes
WHY APPLY AT SIA? The successful applicants will benefit from a tailor-made capacity development program. This program, which is on a parttime basis and allows for commitment to paralel activities (including professional ones), is designed in the form of structured seminars (4 months) and coaching (5-10 months depending on the cause) in one of the following themes: - Policy Cycle, Lobbying and Advocacy (structured workshop) - Policy Writing, evidence-based policy-influencing (structured workshop) - Theme-specific on the job assistance – depending on a organisation’s focus and field of interest, on-the-job assistance Supported by the Public Relations Office, US Embassy, Tirana
mi i axhendes will be offered to specific organisations to produce a solid evidence-based-case, preferably within the project focus themes. (individual support in the process - coaching) - IT and multi-media use for policy influencing (IT use for impact) – enable organisations and activists to get the most of the technology and web-based applications and communication channels to reach out to their intended audiences. (individual support in the process - coaching) The team of SIA mentors and experts, comprising of internationally renowned and experienced professionals, will closely work with each successful organization and activist, to ensure their cause completes the public policy cycle, building all the necessary evidence base required to advocate for impact/ change. The structured seminars will span over 4-6 days per month, whilst the coaching process will continue throughout the cycle, in line with the needs and individual dynamics of the participants.
Formulim politikes
WHAT DOES IT TAKE?
Applicants aspiring to join SIA will need to have: - A good civic cause they believe in, in line with the focus of the call (listed above); - The dedication and commitment to engage and follow the full SIA cycle, which is to say attending the foreseen program, and responding to the program tempo & requirements - The determination to not give up even when faced with obstacles and challenges; - The drive to make change happen.
HOW TO APPLY? If you feel passionate about a strong case in the above-mentioned areas, and want to make change happen, please send the following to documents to: co-plan@co-plan.org dhe aida_ciro@co-plan.org: - The organizational or your individual CV, - A Motivation Letter explaining why you would like to participate, - A presentation on the cause of your choice including a fact-file (some materials or information you have already collected on the cause) including the expected time span the applicant deems as necessary to bring the cause to a fruitful completion (expressed in months).
Vendimarrj
Applications accepted until February 28, 2017.
Zbatimi batimi i politikes Supported by the Public Relations Office, US Embassy, Tirana
mi i
ja
WHY KINDLE ADVOCACY ? The CSO scene in Albania is just as bumpy/turbulent as the socio-political context itself. Amidst the several top-down reforms, questionable high-profile decisions and un-kept electoral promises, the civic response, has either lacked entirely, or it has been very poorly argued and slow to follow. The reasons to the current state of the Civil Society Sector in Albania are numerous and as recent dynamics have repeatedly shown, they stem mainly from: - A general lack of trust – Because of a general, widespread climate of low trust (among people themselves, entities, and between the two), CSO organisations and activist groups, particularly grass-root ones, have by and large operated detached from other entities. This has lead to low visibility and engagement in ongoing processes. - Weak internal organisational structures and governance - According to the 2015 CSO Sustainability Index for Central and Eastern Europe and Eurasia , there were 6885 registered CSOs operating in Albania by the end of 2014, of which only 2427 active (35%). Aside for the few well-established organisations that have successfully transited and matured over the years, the picture for the remaining majority looks challenging. Most small, local CSOs have weak internal structures, and a limited capacity and ability to engage in research, and complete in full policy research cycles. This has meant that there are very few occasions whereby (local) CSOs and activists have managed to successfully engage in on-going processes of policy-making and policy- implementing and ultimately influence it. - Lack of an evidence-based approach – The inability to engage in policy research and analysis, has inevitably meant that Civic (re) actions, stances or public statements resemble more to biased emotional pleas, that are quick to be associated to specific political parties, stripping the CSOs and activists off the ability to provide persuasive arguments that are credible, and evidence-based. - Few alternative voices & lack of the diversification – Although the legal environment for CSOs is reportedly improved with the enactment of several legal acts , the sector is mainly dominated by the same actors. There is an increasing need for a newly emerged critical mass of civic actors, to add alternative views that go beyond “either – or” stances.
ABOUT KINDLE ADVOCACY SIA comes as part of the KINDLE Advocacy project, implemented by Co-PLAN, Institute for Habitat Development with the support of the US Embassy in Tirana. KINDLE Advocacy tackles the need for the young CSOs and newly emerging activists to articulate evidence-based responses in influencing policy-making in pressing issues related to city-making, democracy and environment. The project aims to strengthen internal capacities of local CSOs and young activists to monitor, analyze, and undertake concrete steps/actions through a dual/integral approach, providing the target groups with both capacity development and advocating experience. A tailored capacity development program is envisioned in the form of structured workshops and coaching components, covering five core themes under the overarching multilevel governance, such as elections, communication for impact, urban activisms, environmental resources and a free topic. In the process the participants will have improved their knowledge of how to engage in policy processes (monitoring, analyzing, influencing), how to establish dialogue platforms with the local/regional/ and national authorities, how to raise particular pressing issues within the sector, and how to initiate lobbying and advocacy actions in view of influencing policy-making. In the end, all the project findings and results, in the form of policy briefs, recommendations, and awareness raising campaigns will be used for influencing policy-making and policy-implementation of the actual causes of the participating organizations and activists. Follow us: Facebook: Co-PLAN-Institute-for-Habitat-Development Web: www.co-plan.org/ Email: co-plan@co-plan.org For more detailed information on the project, please contact: Aida Ciro – Project Manager: aida_ciro@co-plan.org or Tel: 0696089130. Co-PLAN, Institute for Habitat Development is a non-for-profit organisation that has contributed to sustainable development and good urban and regional governance, influencing policy-making and promoting community participation since 1995. Supported by the Public Relations Office, US Embassy, Tirana