Annual Report 2006

Y M C A Bitola Annual Report …Putting The Pieces Together

Annual Report 2006 Introduces:

…Opening words …People behind the idea …Mission and strategies …Programme structure and groups …Activities in 2006 …Facts and figures …Intentions and challenges …Closing words

We believe that you'll find this Annual Report journey pleasant to read, but we also believe that it will awake your creative energy and will bring additional energy and enthusiasm in YOU to continue on our common road - serving the community, promoting and standing for the proper and right values.

‌Opening words The year 2006 is behind us. It's time for reporting to everyone interested for our activities. This is the first formal annual report of YMCA Bitola and therefore here, in the opening word, I will also remember for the previous period too.

After short period of preparation and research, in May 2002 the flow of ideas among few young people from Bitola resulted with forming YMCA Bitola. We saw YMCA as bridge between our ideas and our capabilities. At that time we were not so visionary oriented, we were enthusiastic and we wanted to do something for us, for our friends and our local community. We identified our path and decided to found an organization that will connect youth, build their capacity, awake their creative energy and provide them opportunities to realize themselves within the community.

Many challenges and problems appeared and from today's perspective many of them were successfully solved. As a young organization we have faced problems similar to others in the region connected with lack of financial support. The way we overcame this challenge was voluntarily work, by us and by all programme coordinators in YMCA Bitola and soon after YMCA Bitola become one of the biggest promoters of the volunteerism in our local community.

For our successes BIG THANK YOU deserves our volunteers & members and our friends & partners for their unselfish efforts and work committed to YMCA Bitola and YMCA Macedonia.

YMCA Bitola has been serving the local community since 2002 interacting with our young people, meeting their and other target group's needs. Believe it or not this year we celebrate 5 years of existence, 5 years of service to our community. Today YMCA Bitola holds a significant position in our local community showing tangible results with limited resources.

On the behalf of all the membership, volunteers and board management may I express my gratitude to all our donors and partners in this previous period for giving the YMCA Bitola the tools to carry on in accomplishing its mission.

May God continue to bless and reward you & yours for being part of our dedicated team. Thank you!

Viktor Iliev

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…People behind the idea

People that stand behind YMCA Bitola and all its activities are many and in different forms: as volunteers, as participants in some of the programmes or maybe programme coordinators.

Following are the people working on grassroots level and who are directly responsible for implementation of the YMCA Bitola programmes and activities:

BOARD MEMBERS Viktor Iliev Borko Tasoski Jovce Krsteski Aleksandra Krstevska Branko Spirovski Blagojce Kolicoski Aleksandar Tasoski

PROGRAMME COORDINATORS Aleksandar Tashoski Blagojce Kolicoski Goran Mitrevski Panche Gjorgevski Zlatko Naumov

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…Mission and strategies YMCA Bitola emphasizes the interaction among our youth working together for personal development of spirit, mind and body.

YMCA Bitola stimulates our young people in their diversity and creativity providing opportunities for better future for all.

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We strive for spiritual, intellectual and physical well-being of individuals and wholeness of communities;

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Empowering all, especially young people and women to take increased responsibilities and assume leadership at all levels and working towards an equitable society;

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One of our main principles is equal possibilities for all. Our organization and work is open for everyone, disregarding the sex, age, cultural and confessional background;

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Our priority group are young people. We see youth as our main target group, human recourse and development potential at the same time. We are helping young people to develop their individual interests and skills and become active members of the community;

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We are offering young people possibilities for healthy development of spirit, mind and body through different group and personal activities involving creative work, intellectual challenges and getting new skills and knowledge;

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We are building bridges of cooperation and friendships among young people. Through our work we are building awareness of the cultural differences. We are stressing the need for tolerant behaviour and conciseness.

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Programme structure and groups What we do…

All programmes provide activities for active involvement of the young people except for our members they are open to everyone who wants take part.

Sport sections in YMCA are designed to instil in our youth the basic principles and values of caring, honesty, inclusiveness, respect and responsibility in a noncompetitive, but fun atmosphere.

Programme Structure YMCA Bitola Informal Education - Basic Computer Knowledge - Camps - English Language - Seminars and Trainings

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Sports

Info Department

Culture & Art

- Bicycle Excursions

- "NotifY" – newsletter

- Chess and Other Games

- Mini library

- Music Workshop

- Promoting materials

- Fire Performances

- Hiking - Table Tennis Programme

- Festivals

- Y – Movie

INFORMAL EDUCATION Basic Computer Knowledge Experienced YMCA Bitola leaders provide training to a group of our volunteers for gaining basic computer skills that they will need for their future work in YMCA Bitola. The products of this section are: trained core group of volunteers of YMCA Bitola; their contribution in working of the existing YMCA Bitola newsletter "NotifY"; working on the official web site of YMCA Bitola.

Camps Each year our young volunteers participate in the summer camps (full with fun, fellowship, playing, singing, drama, studying, training and other) organized by our partners as well as YMCA Bitola. Our volunteers earn a great deal of camp experience which is useful for our work in this area. They also have chance to meet young people from other countries throughout the Balkans and Europe.

English Language Meetings of our young people who want to practice the English language in amusing ways.

English language trainings and discussions are organized for certain topics which concern the youth, but also for important events which happen in YMCA Bitola.

Seminars and Trainings Trough different kinds of seminars and trainings within YMCA Bitola, in our country and abroad we enable our volunteers to gain the necessary knowledge and skills for their active involvement in the activities of YMCA Bitola.

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SPORTS Chess and Other Games Chess today is not as popular as it was in the past, but for everyone who loves this game, from time to time, we are organizing “chess days� and tournaments.

Hiking From the very beginning of YMCA Bitola we have started with organizing excursions in nature. Most visited locations are different places in the National Park Pelister and the city surroundings. We usually use summer and winter (school holidays) as most suitable period for such activities.

Table Tennis Programme It started as a project at the end of August 2002 and lasted 9 months. In this program took part a lot of, mostly, young people. Most of them become YMCA Bitola members later. Since then it is functioning as independent program in YMCA Bitola starting in autumn and lasting until the next spring. It is finishing with final tournament in which everyone can participate.

Bicycle Excursions They are "in" especially during the school summer holiday. The most visited locations are the surroundings of Bitola. Everyone who wants to recreate, associate, have fun, or doesn't have company for recreation is welcomed.

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INFO DEPARTMENT "NotifY" "NotifY" is YMCA Bitola newsletters which cover all interesting activities connected with YMCA Bitola providing appropriate information and which are considered to be interesting for all our members, partners and colleagues. "NotifY" is three months edition (since January 2003), in electronic version, prepared by a team of young YMCA Bitola volunteers. "NotifY" is distributed in an electronic form by e-mails. Everyone who is interested to receive the "NotifY" editions can contact us: ymca_bitola@yahoo.com or download any previous edition from our web site.

Mini Library

Promoting Materials

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CULTURE & ART Youth Festivals Festivals are an excellent combination of: organized workshops from which you can learn more about the topics you are interested in, wide range of funny and amusing activities, and at the same time you can meet new friends (from your and other cities, your and other countries, different organisations), share and exchange experiences, attend concerts and other performances. Festivals are interesting way letting young people more opportunities to express and present their own ideas and beliefs. Such experience includes a lot of fun as well as work :-)

Music Workshop This section includes a group of youngsters who are exchanging their experiences in playing music and sharing them with everyone who is interested. This section is very helpful and complementary to all our other sections.

Y Movie Y Movie is section "on the field" recording and documenting the work of all YMCA Bitola programmes and bigger events. Also this section is working on youth initiatives expressing them in concrete movies prepared by our Y Movie team. Y Movie is on disposal to all young people, NGOs, other YMCAs and everyone who want to bring the creative expression on their events on higher level.

Fire Performances It is a group of young people that are working with fire juggling. Under the name ACID TRIPLE these young YMCA Bitola volunteers are practicing and performing on different youth festivals mainly during the school summer holiday.

In 2006 over 80 young people took part in our programmes directly and over 800 indirectly. In 2006, thanks to NotifY and Y-Movie, our message was sent to more than 15.000 people all over the world, mainly in Europe.

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…Activities in 2006 In 2006 lots of activities were accomplished, mainly through our programmes. New activities also started for first time. And many volunteers and participants took part.

YMCA Bitola remain committed to further developing, strengthening and increasing the sustainability of our programmes for including other young people in future.

Here there is a list of the main activities that took part: 

"Developing Y-Movie" In 8 months period we have transform this YMCA Bitola programme into very successful and sustainable example. In this period, group of YMCA Bitola leaders (the Y-Movie), have made 6 short movies (documentaries, experimental movies, music videos, films etc.). The best success was the video for the Prague festival in 2008. Here are few comments on that: "With the biggest pleasure I am informing you that your film is great and in Portugal we showed it twice. In both cases - big success!!!"

Michal Sczumanczak - YMCA Europe "I have seen the video clip you've made about the YMCA Europe Festival 2008 at the EAY General Assembly in Portugal. And first, I want to congratulate to this great video clip. I like it very much and we think it can be a very good tool to invite young people to this event".

Silke Leitenberger - YMCA Germany

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Promotion of "Read Me" Promotion of the first book of our volunteer Goran Mitrevski. The book is in multimedia version on CD. The content of the book, which is on 3D interactive environment, is accompanied by audio background and give exceptional impression to the reader. Even it is mainly focused towards the young readers everyone can enjoy in it;

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 Camp in Pelister YMCA Bitola has organized an adventurer camp in Pelister on which young volunteers from YMCAs in Bitola and Skopje took part. Hiking, swimming in glacial lakes, rocks climbing and of course, having fun were the topics :) of the agenda. We have documented this unforgettable experience in 25 min. DVD within the Y-Movie section ;

 "I am volunteer and You?" Campaign for affirmation of the volunteerism as character virtue. The campaign included: introduction of the volunteerism (workshop), volunteer certificate for the best volunteer of YMCA Bitola for 2006, presentation of 8 short movies made on volunteer basis by Y-Movie of YMCA Bitola (as examples) and distribution of a calendar with the logo "I am volunteer and You?";

 "Dramul Tilik Project" Group of young YMCA Bitola enthusiasts have started the project within primary schools - working with 13 and 14 years old kids. The project goal is overcoming the prejudices (life in multiethnic environment, problems with racial and class discrimination, problems of today's youth: excessive consumption of alcohol, drugs and increasing the crime and violence) among the young population. We are using the drama sketches as a tool. The project has started in November and will continue in 2007. This project is a common initiative of YMCA Bitola and the Balkan Association for Cooperation from Bitola;

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 "NotifY" Four wonderful editions of this newsletter were prepared by the "NotifY" team.

Here are few comments: "As always, you did a wonderful job with NotifY! I always enjoy the newsletter! And it seems the Y in Bitola is doing very, very well.

As always thank you for remembering me".

Jan Pate - YMCA USA "What a good surprise on this Friday afternoon. Hello from Cape Town" James Benjamin Athlone YMCA, South Africa "This is perfect edition, detailed and well packed, I like it a lot."

Iva Apostolska YMCA Macedonia "Thanks for "Notify". It is interesting to know what you are doing. We do not have so many opportunities to learn from Macedonia."

Norberto Rodríguez YMCA Argentina "The NotifY is gratifying to read and to learn of your creative work in response to human needs of your community."

Norris D. Lineweaver - Jerusalem International YMCA  Volunteers participated in plenty of seminars, camps, festivals, campaigns and common projects. Among the most significant were: o "School for Democracy" (within bigger YMCA Macedonia project); o "Art & Activism Caravan" (with the "Youth Forum" from Bitola); o "March of the Youth" (as supportive activity to JEF Bitola); o Plenty of Lessons, Workshops and Small Trainings due to the good cooperation with the "American Corner Bitola"; o "Balkan Synergy Camp" in Nymfeo, Greece as common initiative of the Balkan YMCAs organized by YMCA Thessalonica; o "Youth Manifesto" few local NGOs initiative.

YMCA Macedonia & the Internacional Leadership Institute with the Macedonian President

YMCA Bitola leadership with the Mayor of Bitola

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…Facts and figures

2006…interesting to analyze

12 volunteers were the main engine of all our activities and 33 young people were part of YMCA Bitola on different positions within

12 types of different activities that were provided within the 4 fields of events.

880 people were directly or indirectly involved by our activities and more than 15.000 saw some of the products "Made in YMCA Bitola”

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‌Intentions and challenges for the period to come In the previous period we have done a lot. And EVERYTHING on VOLUNTEER basis!

For now, "A lot" is a part of the recent history. We are looking forward and continue on our path to answer the needs of the youth in our community.

In the previous period we were faced with many problems and challenges. One by one we succeed to solve most of them. But more are coming! If there won't be any problem that means that there won't be anything to solve and the world will become the most boring place.

The identified challenges and intentions that YMCA Bitola will face with for the period to come are below: -

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Having our own space that will function as Program and Administrative Centre. In the past period we faced up with many problems mainly because we haven't long term solution on that; We are all volunteers. A huge challenge will be employing one full time and few part time youth workers that will fully commit to the further development of YMCA Bitola; Even some of the activities are almost as routine it is very challenging to run all these programmes; In 2006 we have started with new field of activities social services. We are enthusiasts that we can make further development in this area. If 2005 and 2006 were "culture & art focused" we believe that in the coming period we'll be able to provide something more; Increasing the cooperation with others, establishing more contacts and partnerships from country and abroad; Increasing the number of young people on all levels: as members and volunteers in YMCA Bitola and as participants within our activities; Stabilizing the finances structure ensuring us medium level of community actions and services and Becoming relevant for the Bitola community through our services.

Like we said before, it's a lot, but more are coming.

We are optimists!

And You?

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…Closing words YMCA Bitola intention to raise responsible youth is gradually coming into realization through: trainings, workshops, different section of activities, camps, sports and other activities. With such activities in place, the community shall be assured of a more engaged youth and minimal engagement into undesirable behaviour.

But we won't stop here. As times are changing and therefore the needs of the community, YMCA Bitola will continue to provide support for our youth in direct interaction with them.

We believe that you have found something interesting, something more, new and something that draw your attention at least for a moment while you were reading the lines of this annual report.

We believe that this annual report also will inspire you in your further work on our common mission serving the community.

With hope that 2007 will be even better than 2006, but also with lot of efforts and work which will bring that "hope", we believe that YMCA Bitola will become more relevant in satisfying the needs of our local community.

YMCA Bitola here want express gratitude to all who contribute, who were and still are, on the way of accomplishing of our mission:       

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Balkan Fund, Youth Council, Norway YMCA Europe Field Group Macedonia Partners Y Care International, United Kingdom & Ireland HorYzon, Switzerland YMCA Michianna, USA Municipality Of Bitola

‌Official information

Established:

May 2002

Motto:

"Nothing is real if it isn't local"

Main target group:

Youth

Fields of activity:

Civic community, culture and art, social and educational activities, sports, human rights, environment, etc.

Types of activities:

Trainings, seminars, workshops, camps, festivals, international cooperation

Levels of engagement:

Locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.

Representative:

Viktor Iliev

Contact:

ymca_bitola@yahoo.com ilievviktor@yahoo.com www.ymcabitola.org.mk +389 70 59 43 41

Š YMCA Bitola 2007 This Annual Report was prepared and designed in YMCA Bitola.