Annual Report 2012 EN

YMCA Bitola Anual Report 2012 “10 Years of Activism”

Official Information

CONTENTS...

Opening Words

YMCA Bitola

About

of YMCA Bitola

A Brief History

members have to Say

What YMCA Bitola

YMCA Bitola have to say

What colleagues of

Activities

Total Numbers

and Challenges

Strategies

Finances

Gratitudes

03 07 09 11 17 23 59656975 77

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YMCA Bitola

Opening Words At YMCA Bitola we have made 10 years of our existence and now it is time to turn back and see what we have achieved. We are happy that we could realize so many activities and include, activate and train so many young people with aspiration for personal and broader social change and development.

Here I would like to make a short review of our history so you can easily see the phases of the development and the evolution of YMCA Bitola as an organization. The YMCA was founded in 2002 and as a young organization in 2004 committed itself to realize small initiatives and activities. Then followed the period until 2009 when we opened our own office that served as a program center, also a lot of trainings were organized, volunteering and establishing program activities. In 2010 the organization started to focus and moved from the phase “filling out the free time of the young people� to a more professional approach in work, slowly building up the pillars of the or-

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OPENING WORDS

OPENING WORDS

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ganization as an institution that can answer the many needs of the young people. As a result of that, in 2011 has become a national office of YMCA Macedonia with a greater motivation and enthusiasm for success.

But that is only the first decade of our existence. We continue this journey together with all of you in realizing many new ideas, with lots of work and plenty of enthusiasm.

In 2012 we have involved organizational staff, we have started working on bigger and long term projects, we managed to achieve wider outreach in the community, and we achieved collaboration with many institutions.

We increased the relevance of YMCA Bitola on a local and national level, we have increased the visibility, the operational budget of the organization and the overall capacity of the organization.

Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to all of you who were part of YMCA Bitola, or in any way you had supported us in realizing our mission.

YMCA Bitola with its continuous growth over the period of time, with pro-active, responsible and professional approach in work, has managed to distinguish from the mass and become a relevant organization in town, in the state, and beyond working on an international projects.

Looking back and seeing the results, today it is my pride and honor to work at YMCA Bitola and YMCA Macedonia as a part of an international organization, that works on a grassroots level, that is global, but still flexible enough which makes it unique.

Viktor Iliev

President of YMCA Bitola and National General Secretary of YMCA Macedonia

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About YMCA Bitola

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YMCA Bitola is a non-profit, nongovernmental, nonreligious and an inclusive youth association which aims to provide opportunities for local youth and to actively work with them in our community. YMCA Bitola is part of the YMCA family spread throughout 119 countries worldwide reaching over 58 million people. YMCA Bitola was established in May 2002.

The main goal of the Association is to provide activities and opportunities in the fields of non-formal education, promoting healthy lifestyles, arts and culture, and civil society that develop positive values and attitudes among young people.

VISION: YMCA Bitola is а respected local organization that provides opportunities which empower young people to meet the ever-changing future with greater courage, wisdom and love.

MISSION: YMCA Bitola works with young people in their personal development of body, mind and spirit by providing opportunities that nurture their responsibility, stimulate their creativity and celebrate the diversity of all God’s creations.

MOTTO: Empowering youth!

VALUES that we nurture and support: Courage - Responsibility - Respect - Creativity - Care We welcome all people with a focus on youth.

We focus on activities of public interest: non-formal education, culture and art, healthy lifestyle, civil society and children’s rights. We accomplish our activities through: trainings, seminars, workshops, camps, festivals, international study visits and other activities. We work on both local and international levels. Multimedia products from our activities include: documentary movies, short videos, comics and promotional materials.

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Short history of the most important moments in the development of YMCA Bitola

Foundation of the organization. Working on smaller initiatives and developing cooperation with YMCA Skopje and YMCA Europe. This year the Balkan camp in Nymfaio, Greece has been found which was active until the end of the decade.

2003

Foundation of the youth magazine NotifY. On Pelister we organized common camp for youth from Macedonia and Denmark. This year, for the first time, a group of young volunteers from Macedonia participated in a huge event, on the first great YMCA festival in Prague.

YMCA Bitola opened the first office that served as a program center for activities.

Many activities were realized. Y-Movie started working. We successfully organized the first big international event Balkan Leadership Training #3 in which 80 participants from Macedonia and abroad were part of.

2005

2009

A joggling group Acid Triple was integrated within YMCA Bitola. We organized Balkan Program festival “Balkan Mosaics” with more than 130 participants from countries all over the world.

2006

Y-Training started working and we began realizing many workshops, personal development trainings, camps and engaged volunteers. We organized the Balkan Leadership Training #4.

2011

2008

We organized the Balkan Leadership Training #5. Many activities within Y-Training.

We started working with the European Volunteer Service and Peace Corps volunteers in Macedonia. YMCA became part of the Coalition of Youth Organizations SEGA. We started working with local schools. We took part and actively contributed the Forum of NGOs in Bitola. We made our first strategic plan.

2004

Y-Comic started working. We took part in the World YMCA’s Assembly in Durban, South African Republic.

2007

2002

YMCA Macedonia from cooperating organization became a full member of the YMCA Europe. Many activities within Y-Comic, Y-Movie and Acid Triple.

2010

We expanded the target group and we started working with young people aged 11-17. Together with the Peace Corps volunteers, YMCA Bitola started working on the Young Men’s Leadership Project (summer camp for young leaders). YMCA Bitola has become a national office of YMCA Macedonia.

We organized many trainings within Y-Training on a local and international level. Part of the world event YMCA World Challenge together with 432.000 people in 86 countries in the world.

2012

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What YMCA Bitola members have to say...

As a part of this organization, I feel every day like in the top of the mountain. YMCA Bitola has the group of people who has opened my eyes to a new way of reaching my personal challenges.

I will never forget when I had the opportunity to create my own Spanish Language course. When someone just said to you “let’s do it” and the result is so amazing, you cannot even find the proper words to say thanks.

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Also, I will never have expected much support from an NGO as YMCA Bitola has given to me: equipment, software knowledge and essentially motivation. Adaptation is a useless word inside this organization; you just need to feel the nice atmosphere when you are working with them.

YMCA Bitola works hard to implement the voluntarism in this small country full of fruit as is Macedonia. If I have to define the organization in one sentence, it would be: “Be free to choose” Angel Aguilar Pozo Spain European Voluntary Service Volunteer After I graduated university, I felt lost and desperate. YMCA Bitola has given me a hand preventing me to fail, during the period when I am suppose to rise. With their help I was included in the activities where I had the chance to meet new young people who are there for a common purpose: to inspire and be inspired. I built my knowledge with the magazine NotifY, and that determined my career path and my place under the sun.

I am more confident now; I know what I want and what I can. I recommend for all the young people invest in themselves, because knowledge is a life investment. Many thanks to YMCA Bitola that let me join the source of everlasting friendship, travelling and work.

Elena Jonvska Executive Board Member

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What YMCA Bitola members have to say...

At the YMCA I came a year ago when I was offered to become part of the first lineup team that aims towards new challenges.

Without much hesitation I accepted the challenge. Or rather I can say that I accepted the chance to do what I love and what I have determined to do professionally. I liked the energy, and the enthusiasm and positive atmosphere was present on a daily basis. Getting to know new people from different countries with different customs and cultures were only part of my memorable experiences. Today I can say that I am richer with valuable knowledge that helped me to further build up my career.

Katerina Bozinovska Executive Board Member I have met YMCA Bitola in 2006 with interest to learn working with camera and being part of a small video back then when the YMCA Bitola members were shooting for the upcoming Prague Festival in 2008.The experience was very good, being a part of something that I wanted to do - video making! I was very happy to see that possibility come true. With time, I became more interested in that, learning a lot with the available video equipment and software. Today it is the experience that I have, and I share with the other interested volunteers.

With time, for me other things become more important like the intercultural activities that are available through the YMCA worldwide network. I have a great opportunity to learn about other cultures and to build a network, cooperation and friendship based on similarities and diversities that complements various cultures that are in highest interaction in these past decades than ever before.

And this is the reason why I recommend the YMCA to all. Because YMCA Bitola provides opportunities to see new places, to meet new international friends, to explore and expand the life experience which is the most important in building the worldwide cosmopolitan especially among young people today. Along with that are the personal development trainings that I got thanks to YMCA Bitola which had the most impact in my life.

And that is why I say yes, YMCA was an investment for a lifetime!

Jovche Krsteski Executive Board Member

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What YMCA Bitola members have to say...

This week for my job with an American NGO called the National Academies, I hosted a meeting on international research collaborations. Basically the meeting was about how scientists from different parts of the world can overcome cultural differences to work together successfully. It reminded me of my own experience as an American working with Macedonians at YMCA Bitola.

My first interaction with YMCA Bitola was when Viktor asked me to help write the organization’s first strategic plan. What surprised me when we started that project was how receptive Viktor and Jovce were to exchange ideas. Our work together made me realize that even though we do not speak each other’s language fluently, we can be patient and respectful to hear each other’s ideas. By bringing our individual perspectives together, I think we made the strategic plan as strong as possible.

Because my experience writing the strategic plan was so positive, I made YMCA Bitola my main project for the rest of my Peace Corps service. This led to many more positive experiences like leading trainings with Viktor and attending camp in the Ukraine.

I think one of the best things about YMCA Bitola is that it is a place where people can bring their talents and find a way to use them to benefit the organization. I am grateful that I could increase my understanding of the Macedonian people and culture by participating in YMCA Bitola because that cultural sensitivity helps me in my work and personal life even now.

Katie Kalinowski Former Peace Corps volunteer at YMCA Bitola

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I was introduced with the YMCA back in September 2000. Having in mind the limited approach of the internet, it was a real challenge to find relevant information and understand the YMCA. My first international YMCA event was training for volunterism organized

by YMCA Gabrovo in Bulgaria. There, besides learning professional skills I was for first time introduced to the non-formal learning methodology and the YMCA approach of supporting each other as people or as organizations. I felt accepted, included, understood, self-expressed, respected and privileged that I have access to all that.

I wanted more… And that is how my YMCA story had begun.

The baseline was a society that doesn’t have a proactive approach towards young people, based on the formal educational system, not having practical and useful approaches, where the young people’s voice is only an echo and not a moving power, where young people are not self-confident, independent and initiative making, society where young people have not been empowered.

I wanted a change… And that is how I found my vision.

After meeting many great people on lots of international events, attending many professional and personal development trainings, implementing lots of project activities, and working directly with hundreds and even thousands of young people, today I know one thing - that I don’t live anymore in a fishbowl, but in a sea. ... And that is how the YMCA has not become my job, but my mission.

Viktor Iliev President YMCA Bitola

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What colleagues of YMCA Bitola have to say...

With Viktor and few other activists in YMCA Bitola we started cooperating 2-3 years ago when he was making a research for the children’s rights after which he included us in his second project in this area. At the beginning we had a fruitful exchange of experience and opinions, looking for long term opportunities in improving the children’s rights and at the same time to improve the educational work in our school.

We are included in many projects, but I have to emphasize that the cooperation with YMCA Bitola was very useful for us because we managed to discover our weaknesses and turn them into good sides through initializing some crucial activities.

Without YMCA Bitola we wouldn’t have succeeded in accomplishing the already mentioned improvements in our school, and we will continue to cooperate offering new ideas for further cooperation.

I recommend the YMCA because they are people who are serious, honest and devoted to their mission and they help their partner to develop and progress.

We are very thankful and hope we will continue working with them.

Ilija Vasilevski Social worker in Primary school “Elpida Karamandi”

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My association with the YMCA in Bitola began with the formation of the Field Group for Macedonia back in 2002. It was an honor and a privilege to represent the YMCA of the USA at that very critical early time in the Field Group. It was very clear in a short period of time the YMCA in Bitola was the key local association in the country Vibrant young leadership, highly strategic planning and programming, successful collaborations with governmental and non-governmental organizations and extremely effective communications have been the hallmarks of this YMCA. The YMCA was so impressive that I personally brought groups of US Y leaders to see the work and to personally visit the YMCA there during our International Leadership Institutes.

Since leaving the national office for work at my own local association, I have often utilized the communications tools of the YMCA in Bitola with my own young staff as illustrations of creativity and potential. It comes as no surprise to me that 10 years on, when many associations in countries around the world have started and then faltered, that the YMCA in Bitola is truly one of the beacons of hope and progress for youth in Macedonia.

Jan Pate President and CEO at West Cook YMCA, Oak Park, Illinois, USA

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What colleagues of YMCA Bitola have to say...

YMCA London South West is proud to be in partnership with YMCA Bitola.

YMCA LSW was keen to learn from another European YMCA and to also help. YMCA Bitola was suggested by Johan-Vilhelm Eltvik, ex Secretary-General of YMCA Europe. YMCA Bitola had a lot of experience working with volunteers and we did not. We were able to support financially, and a relationship between the two YMCAs started. Two delegates came to Kingston-Upon-Thames in 2008 and I returned the visit by being warmly welcomed during my trip in 2009.

The team at YMCA Bitola should be immensely proud of what they have achieved. Their hard work with young people and students can be seen through the training, and camps that they have attended and set up.Our Board of management was very impressed with the interviews and filming that was achieved at the last European Prague Festival and can see how they put their skills to such good use.

We would very much like to visit again, but this time with young people or young workers, for them to see YMCA Bitola and some of beautiful Macedonia.We would also like to host some delegates who could attend our YMCA National Assembly so that YMCA Bitola can meet more YMCAs across the UK.

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I first contacted YMCA Bitola in January 2011. The purpose of the visit was to start collaboration between the Peace Corps volunteer Catherine Kalinowski and YMCA Bitola. By that time she had already worked with the YMCA and they had a great collaboration which accomplished a lot in terms of organizational development of YMCA Bitola. To this good collaboration contributed the proactive and professional approach of Viktor Iliev and the other members of YMCA Bitola, the openness for collaboration and the wish for making progress and improving the organization in every working area.

The collaboration between Peace Corps and YMCA Bitola continued with collaboration with the volunteer Karli-Marie Reyes which is still in progress. Starting from last year till now, the YMCA is a national partner of the Young Men Leadership Project. This camp is of great significance for young men who attend the camp, for their life and leadership skills. The program which YMCA develops together with Peace Corps is innovative and comprehensive that encourages the development and the skills of the young people.

May God continue to bless you.

From the YMCA counterparts, the Peace Corps always gets significant recommendations in order to develop its program and answer the call and satisfy the needs of local organizations and communities where its volunteers work and live. I would like to express gratitude for the continue cooperation to YMCA Bitola for their contribution to youth development not only in Bitola, but on a national level. I sincerely hope our collaboration will continue, because after this 3 year collaboration we consider the YMCA as part of the family Peace Corps in Macedonia.

Jonathan Melville-Thomas Director of Youth & Children’s Work at YMCA London South West

Ivana Tomovska Program Manager, Peace Corps Macedonia

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What colleagues of YMCA Bitola have to say...

I firstly met the YMCA on a training organized by Peace Corps in 2011.

I was pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm and work they do, and we instantly arranged cooperation between our two organizations (YMCA Bitola and Local Agency for development in Struga). Together we organized leadership training in Bitola that was very successful to our common satisfaction. Then we continued the cooperation on other activities and projects.

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For the YMCA Bitola I can easily say that it is one of the rarest organizations who functions successfully and help young people to organize in order to accomplish their goals. And that is not limited only to young people.

The members of YMCA are professional, active, creative and always opened for collaboration. Our next collaboration will be about organizing leadership camps for young people and I am convinced that we won’t stop there. I recommend YMCA Bitola to every domestic or foreign organization looking for a stable partner in Bitola or Macedonia, especially in youth projects.

The members of this organization have experience and wish to share their knowledge with other organizations, and also support the adult people. I consider them very persistent in what they do; the best witness is the success they have accomplished by now. Part of my knowledge for civic sector comes from YMCA Bitola. We have often talked about their activities on the program of TV Orbis. It is my pleasure to collaborate with YMCA Bitola and I recommend this collaboration to all who are interested in learning, making friends and having fun.

Katerina Vasilevska Program manager in Local Agency for Develop President of the First Soroptimist Club in Macedonia

Pavlina Jovanovska Journalist in TV Orbis

With the YMCA Bitola leadership I have met several years ago at a meeting of NGOs from Bitola. The first impression was very positive and promising which is the reason why we continued to cooperate. Firstly we cooperated on lobbying on specific issues that were of mutual interest. Furthermore I was involved as a volunteer in the development of their new strategic plan.

While visiting their offices the atmosphere that reigns there was primarily professional, warm and inspiring.

The YMCA Bitola team is open and team oriented. I want to thank their leadership for the support that we got in advices and guidance into founding the YWCA Bitola with ambition for better integration into the international network of YWCA.

MSc Lenka Soleska President, YWCA Bitola

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Activities

Y-Training

Camps

Voluntary Service

Healthy Lifestyle

Y-Movie

Y-Comic

Acid Triple

NotifY

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Trough different kinds of trainings at YMCA Bitola, in our country and abroad, we enable our members to gain the necessary knowledge and skills for their personal development as well as their proactive involvement in the activities of YMCA Bitola. Most of the activities are within the “Youth in Action� program. Also through our E-Library we provide different kinds of books, materials, and brochures for work in the civic sector.

Numbers

Y-Тraining

During 2012 we worked on a lot of activities and made cooperation with many partner organizations and projects. We have implemented 46 local and national trainings with a total 1222 participants and sent 10 participants at 9 international trainings.

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NotifY Testimonials

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“The need for theoretical background in the field of projects encouraged my participation in this training. The positive conclusions from the event only supported my desire for more knowledge about writing and project management and the future desired practical work within YMCA Bitola.

This training was a step in achieving my goal and direction for finding my path. My collaboration with YMCA Bitola so far has been very successful and in future I expect a lot of new experiences, positive impressions, rapid progress in the organization and realization of personal and common goals.”

said Natasha Dimitrievska.

“The program was set to give the participants hands-on experience with transformational leadership through a balanced mixture of theory, practice, reflection, and dialogue.

Participants attended powerful sessions, frameworks, and team tasks that explored how the human beings function, think, feel, and how ethical decisions are made. Participants also explored what is communication and dialogue, what is cooperation, teamwork, and how to lead a team during challenging circumstances. The program was full and engaging, and gave a sense of satisfaction to all participants who gained much more than expected from this training.”

said Marija Kovachevska

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NotifY Testimonials

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“Rare experience in which at the same time very successfully woven the positivity of the lecturer with the message that sends the book which was presented at the seminar.

I suggest next seminar lasting at least two days. I warmly recommend to all those who will find out that this seminar are happening again, not to miss such opportunity. The smallest benefit from the seminar is an incentive for building a new paradigm, if you haven’t had yet. That was socializing in which time loses its dimension, and the brain determines that have found an answer to the questions that have long beset.”

said M-r Mimoza Bogdanovska Jovanovska

“In our school for the first time a democratic elections of presidents of clasrooms were held, and we have chosen the School Council in the school in order to help our classmates.

We have also taken action for development of the youth organization and supporting the students involvement and encourage their interest and motivation. The most interesting activity for me was a survey through which reached objective results and knowledge needed for the students attitudes and opinions.”

said Theodora Cvetkovska

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Each year our members participate in youth exchanges, festivals and summer camps (full of learning, fun, fellowship, sharing experiences etc.) organized by YMCA Bitola or our partner organizations. We expect you at some of these events! Contact us!

Numbers

Camps

During 2012 we realized camp for youth leaders and 64 participants took part, and we participated in 1 the study visit for working at camps with 1 participant.

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NotifY Testimonials

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“After dinner was cleared and the sun began to fall behind the beautiful mountain backdrop it was time for campfires, stories, marshmallows. Every night I got an opportunity to get to know a different group of campers a little better, to hear their stories, their interests, and their passions. I was blown away from the smart, motivated, and talented young men who stepped out of their comfort zones, left their communities and jumped into the world of YMLP. I was truly inspired each and every day. The last night of camp we celebrated our achievements with an awards ceremony which inevitably culminated in a boisterous party with traditional music and dance. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a beautiful blend of diverse Macedonian culture with diverse American culture. It was sad to say goodbye to the beautiful campground, amazing campers, and incredible staff who made the event such a success, but I was left rejuvenated and motivated like never before. These are the young people who will become the future leaders of this amazing country and for one brief moment I was a part of something bigger than I could possibly imagine.”

said Karli-Marie Reyes-Dimovska

“I think that YMLP is a great way to have the knowledge, fun, and way of living here at the camp. It’s great learning something new about other religions and cultures. It’s the best way to meet new friends.”

said Dalibor Dimitrov

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NotifY Testimonials

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“I applied for YMLP camp because I had some really good recommendations from my friends that were at YMLP last year and also I like to fill my summer with something fun and educational as well as having new experiences.”

said Predrag Pandiloski

“For me, the best night of camp was when we were at “low camp”. I got to hang out with the Brits and played horseshoes, had marshmallows, and because of Robinson’s story which really touched me.”

said Jordan Mickovski

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38 Volunteer and join in some of the activities of YMCA Bitola! We offer you an opportunities to learn, to volunteer, to gain work experience and working habits, to build your own resume, personal and professional development, travel, discover new horizons and make new friends. YMCA Bitola also offers you unforgettable international volunteer engagement in Europe!

You can realize that through the EVS program in some of the European countries! Leave the daily monotony and don’t stay passive! Get Involved! Do something for yourself and for other young people around you!

Voluntary Service

Numbers During 2012, various activities involved 16 local volunteers, 4 EVS volunteers sent out from Macedonia, and received 3 volunteers from abroad in Bitola and shared experience with 66 young people from Bitola.

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NotifY Testimonials

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“First and foremost: the participation in this kind of institution that provides informal education, the honor to have colleagues who are coordinators in the same institution, filled with energy and knowledge, people who know how to work with children, is the highest knowledge and treasure in life.

Also, to live with strangers, so-called roommates, from Denmark and Poland, share with them every moment of happiness and weakness is something I also treasure. Make friends from all over the world and be invited to visit them whenever you want, to have enough funds to visit your favorite city in Europe; to listen to your favorite band play on a concert, to learn a new language... Isn’t that enough?”

said Ana Kuzmanovska “Now looking back there is just one thing I regret – that I was not open enough to enjoy my experience from the very beginning, giving too much attention to how things should or shouldn’t be: before coming to Balkan I never realized how stressful and hasty I actually was. Being among people whose tradition, lifestyle and mentality differ from the ways you are used to cannot leave you unaffected, so life in Bitola has taught me many lessons and made to reconsider my perceptions, behaviors and thinking patterns. It is not possible to tell yet what the outcome is as the process is still happening. But I am truly happy that I decided to take the challenge and give me this opportunity of intercultural learning, self– development and adventure. And, although the memories about life in Bitola are becoming more and more surreal, I know I have taken a piece of it with me.”

said Paula Praulina

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YMCA Bitola takes care of our young people. We do this through organizing tournaments (of a non competitive nature), bicycle excursions, hiking etc. with the goal of recreation and fellowship.

Healthy Lifestyle

Numbers In the course of 2012 as the main event was the realization of the YMCA World Challenge with the participation of 250 people and 18 volunteers while at the same time in the world took part 432,000 people. In the other healthy lifestyle activities participated 47 young people.

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NotifY Testimonials

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“The following day, the weather was warm and everything was going according to plan. Luck was on our side. Children, teenagers and even adults and parents, participated in breaking the record. Everything was marvelous. Children were playing, trainers were organizing games, volunteers were counting, and every single detail was captured and filmed. The event was a great success. YMCA “scored” once again. The purpose of this world challenge was not only to break the record, but to promote a healthy way of living and to encourage young people to play sports and take care of their health: “In a healthy body, healthy spirit.”

said Ivana Spirovska

“Earth Day was a day full of amusing and educational activities for the children and adults of the Kole Kaninski Primary School. These actions, which aimed to enlighten and motivate everyone involved, will not soon be forgotten. We are never too young or too old to stand up, to speak out, and to protect our Earth.”

said Karli-Marie Reyes-Dimovska

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The Y-Movie is a program in the field, recording and documenting the work of all YMCA Bitola programs and bigger events. Also this program works on other youth initiatives expressing them through concrete movies prepared by our Y-Movie team. Y-Movie is available to all young people, other YMCAs, non-profit organizations and everyone who wants to bring the visual expression of their own events to a higher level. Contact us!

Y-Movie

Numbers 5 videos were made ​for YMCA Bitola activities in order to promote youth activism, which involved 13 volunteers.

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48 NotifY Testimonial

“The event was an interesting mix of various musical styles and dances that attracted the attention of many onlookers who passed through that afternoon on Main Street in Bitola and thus stressed the importance of International Volunteer Day. Watching the video might inspire you to do something similar in your city! Enjoy!�

said Jovce Krsteski

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50 The Y-Comic is a program in which creative artistic expression culminates. It works on different themes that are interesting to and attractive for young people.

The Y-Comics has the creative expression in its focus which is practiced through working on our fanzine, which besides developing the creative potential of our youth has its own educational dimension, organizing exhibitions, as well as a visual expression of different events in a comic art form. If you have an event which you want to see in the form of a comic art, contact us!

Y-Comic

Numbers 1 exhibition was held to promote the comic art in Bitola where participated 9 young talented artists and was attended by 100 guests.

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52 NotifY Testimonial

“Within the celebration of the liberty day of Bitola “4th of November”, for a second time this year, there was an exhibition of comic book illustration. It was called as an exhibition “from the people of Bitola to the people of Bitola”, this exhibition proved that there are great, young talents in Bitola, who work this type of Art called- comic book.”

said Jovce Krsteski

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This is a group of young people who juggle with fire, silk and lighting elements. Under the name Acid Triple, these young enthusiasts of YMCA Bitola are practicing and performing at different youth festivals, mainly during the summer. If you want to see them at your event, contact us!

Numbers

Acid Triple

In 2012 fire juggling group Acid Triple had 4 local/national and 2 international performances with 20 volunteers before an audience of about 11,250 people.

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NotifY Testimonials

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“Though Acid Triple performances normally occur during the summer months, this was an event that just had to be performed! On January the 6th, Christmas Eve in Bitola each year an event is organized for the citizens of the town square with a large Kolede fire, free food, wine and brandy.

The ritual celebration is enriched with a music program from several local bands. This year Acid Triple had the opportunity to open the night of the fire. The performance took part in the traditional Christmas Eve bonfire.”

said Goran Mitrevski

“In addition to the standard program of juggling, the last exhibition was walking on fire, enriched with a dramatic scenario which the audience remained in a trance that was followed by loud applause. Strumica is looking forward to the next opportunity again to enjoy the experience of fire performances from Acid Triple.”

said Goran Mitrevski

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58 The purpose of NotifY is the promotion of public and youth activism, youth participation, volunteerism and other activities that support people’s involvement in the community through sharing of all interesting activities happening at YMCA Bitola or in which YMCA Bitola members took part.

The official magazine of YMCA Bitola

NotifY comes out every three months starting from January 2003 and is prepared by a team of YMCA Bitola volunteers. It is distributed for free in an electronic format via e-mail. Everyone who is interested in receiving the NotifY editions can go in the “NotifY for me!” part and log in or occasionally can visit our NotifY archive. NotifY is for our members, partners and colleagues, and for everyone interested in getting involved in the community life.

Numbers In 2012 the team released 2 NotifY double editions in which have worked and got involved 30 volunteers and other young people. This year we have managed to increase the average number of readers per edition from 400 at the beginning of the year to 730!

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60  Y-Training: 46 local and national trainings with a total 1222 participants and 10 participants at 9 international trainings.

Total Numbers

 Camps: Realized 1 camp for youth leaders and 64 participants and participation at 1 study visit with 1 participant.  Volunteer Service: Involved 16 local volunteers, 4 sending and 3 hosting EVS volunteers and shared experience with 66 young people from Bitola.  Acid Triple: 4 local/national and 2 international performances with 20 volunteers and audience of about 11 250 people.  Healthy Lifestyle: YMCA World Challenge with the participation of 250 people and 18 volunteers and in the other activities participated 47 young people.  Y-Movie: 5 videos were made which involved 13 volunteers.  Y-Comics: 1 exhibition held with participation of 9 artists attended by 100 guests.  NotifY: Released 2 NotifY double editions in which have worked and got involved 30 volunteers and other young people which reached 730 readers per issue.

Number of DIRECTLY targeted people: 1873 Number of organized events: 103

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Total Numbers Events

Participants

62

63

Sex

Total Numbers

Age

64

65

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In 2012 YMCA Bitola has achieved good results implementing the planned projects, has improved the program quality and has become more efficient. Below there is an overview of the most important results as well as challenges in the different working fields.

Program Activities

Strategies and Challenges

I would point out here two projects. The project “Implementation of the Children’s Rights in Republic of Macedonia” in the part of youth participation, was from a great significance taking into consideration the higher number of participants within the activities. It was realized with the Coalition of Youth Organizations SEGA and 2 local schools. Having in mind that the project continued in 2013, it is one of the leading projects of the organization. The results are good, and since the institutions are satisfied that is a great opportunity for continuing the collaboration as well as opportunity for transferring this positive model and expanding the activities in other schools. This year our collaboration with Peace Corps has expanded with the “Young Men’s Leadership Project” as one of the significant projects that we worked on and for which you will read about a lot more in the following reports.

Human resources In 2012 thanks to the project “Program Initiative Center” we have introduced staff person that had a positive influence and have increased the organizational capacity. In this year also the main driving force were the volunteers (local, EVS volunteers and Peace Corps). In order to increase the number of activities and participants, in the following period the organization has to build a system for human resource management, to introduce additional staff members and volunteers, write clear job descriptions and working manuals, as well as to build an effective system for professional and personal development of the staff and the volunteers.

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Partnerships and Networking

YMCA Bitola continues to be recognized as a confident, secure and serious partner for collaboration. On international level we continued the collaboration with our partners and on local level we strengthen the collaboration with two schools and other institutions and organizations. On national level YMCA Bitola is part of the Coalition of Youth Organizations SEGA. On local level YMCA Bitola, beside cooperation with the NGO’s, it has also encouraged the development of the Forum of NGO’s of Bitola through advices, preparing video presentations and designing a common NGO’s report as presentation tools in front of the institutions.

Visibility Through the program activities during the year YMCA Bitola has improved its visibility on a local level. The organization has been led by the principle of maximum transparency, sharing all important information with the public bilingually through: the web page, the NotifY magazine, regular annual reports, video presentations, comic illustrations and regular presence on the social networks (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn).

There is still place for improvement by creating a strategy for marketing and communication and filling in the part in the traditional media (TV, radio, printed media) as well as internet portals.

Financial Sustainability

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During the previous year, thanks to all of the previously mentioned factors, we managed seriously to increase the budget of the organization and improve the general financial capacity of the organization. On the other hand, working on EU grants where 20% of the funds are paid after the end of the project, impose need to increase the funds and liquidity. In the following period of time it is expected that the key source for financing and sustainability of the civil sector in Macedonia will be the EU funds. Additional opportunities should be looked at the passive and yet non stimulated business sector, improved payment for membership fees, program fees, doing economic activities, etc.

Organizational Capacity In 2013 the Strategic Plan expires and the work on the new one is about to start for the period 2014-2016 with diverse involvement of people (staff, volunteers and outsiders).

In order to improve the effectiveness, the organization should start on building organizational policies and procedures, to improve the existing working systems, documenting the activities and building institutional memory, and all of that to be done in a way to keep the organizational flexibility and adaptability.

We are working on a permanent development of the organizational capacity in order to build stable structure which through its own potential will be able to answer the daily challenges and to maintain in realizing its mission and create changes in the community.

Finances 69 70

Finances 71 71

Finances 73 74

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Gratitudes

During the previous year we were supported / had cooperation with the following partners and collaborators: YMCA Europe YMCA Skopje, Macedonia YMCA South West London, UK YMCA West Kent, UK YMCA Michiana, USA YMCA-YWCA Denmark YMCA Baia Mare, Romania YMCA Thessaloniki, Greece YMCA Gabrovo, Bulgaria YMCA Parthenope Onlus, Italy SALTO South East Europe European Commission – Youth in Action National Agency for European Educational Programs and Mobility Olde Vechte Foundation, the Netherlands Coalition of youth organizations SEGA YWCA Bitola Forum of NGO’s of Bitola Together Macedonia American Corner Bitola Peace Corps Macedonia Centre of Culture Bitola Municipality of Bitola Primary school “Elpida Karamandi” Bitola Primary school “Kole Kaninski” Bitola

Economic secondary school “Jane Sandanski” Bitola The high gymnasium “Josip Broz Tito” Bitola Technical secondary school “Gjorgi Naumov” Bitola Children Parliament of Bitola

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Individuals: Kirby Folkenberg, Adam Rychlik

Here we like also to thank all other institutions, organizations and individuals with whom we had cooperation or YMCA Bitola got any kind of support.

At the end, special thanks for all volunteers for their support, time and efforts that helped in the realization of our activities throughout the year.

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Official Information Established: May 2002

Full legal name: Youth Association YMCA Bitola Acronym: YMCA Bitola Target group: Youth ages 11-30 Fields of activity: Non-formal education, culture and art, healthy lifestyle, civil society and children’s rights Types of activities: Trainings, seminars, workshops, camps, festivals, study visits

Contacts

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Telephone: +389 47 529 366 E-mail: contact@ymcabitola.org.mk Web pages: www.ymcabitola.org.mk www.ymca.mk Facebook: www.facebook.com/ymcabitola.org.mk Twitter: www.twitter.com/YMCABitola LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ymca-bitola-macedonia

Levels of engagement: Locally, nationally and internationally Executive Board: Viktor Iliev, Jovce Krsteski, Blagojce Kolicoski, Elena Jonovska, Katerina Bozinovska, Karli-Marie Reyes, Konstantin Petrovski President & CEO: Viktor Iliev Official Address: Vasko Karangelevski REMO 1/3/42 Office Address: Petar Petrovic Njegos No. 128/16 7000, Bitola - Republic of Macedonia Š Designed and Published by YMCA Bitola, August 2013