12.08.2008
Civil Society Advocacy Initiative (CSAI), implemented by the Institute for Sustainable Communities (ISC) and funded by USAID, is launching a Mobile Advocacy School pilot project. The Mobile Advocacy School will offer 4 capacity building trainings on advocacy to local and regional civil society organizations (CSOs) in ethnically mixed and economically underdeveloped communities in Serbia. The first training will be held in the Sandzak region in Novi Pazar on December 13, 2008, in cooperation with the OSCE Mission to Serbia Training Facility in Novi Pazar.

A press conference to announce the first Mobile Advocacy School training will be held on December 12, 2008, at 2 p.m. in the OSCE Mission to Serbia Training Facility in Novi Pazar, Njegoseva 2. Speakers will include Albert Cevallos, ISC Chief of Party, Iulian Fruntasu, Program Manager at the OSCE Mission to Serbia Training Facility in Novi Pazar, and a representative of USAID. In attendance will also be representatives from regional USAID, UNDP PRO, DAI/SCOPES and Forum ZFD offices.

The one-day training on December 13 will gather 20 local and regional CSOs active in the area of human rights, assistance to people with disabilities, European integration, agriculture, reintegration, women’s and children’s rights, ecology etc. The goal of the training is to strengthen citizen capacity in Sandzak by introducing advocacy concepts and techniques, as well as practical know-how in network and coalition building. The training will also provide a forum for CSOs to further develop relations with like-minded partners and potential supporters. ISC Senior staff will lead the training, together with a team of Advocacy Resource Persons, assembled and trained by ISC to support capacity building seminars. By piloting the Mobile Advocacy School project, ISC hopes to create new opportunities for local and regional CSOs throughout Serbia to improve on their advocacy skills, as many might not have had the opportunity or resources for such activities.

CSAI is a five year program (2006-2011) which encourages and supports Serbian citizens to take responsibility for determining the kind of society they live in by increasing citizen participation in all aspects of public life. Through grants, training, and networking opportunities, CSAI assists CSOs communicate their priorities more effectively and coordinate efforts with the government and the private sector to tangibly improve people's lives. 

Since 2007, CSAI has trained more than 300 civic leaders and activists throughout Serbia in advocacy related issues. The Mobile Advocacy School project will continue in 2009, with trainings scheduled in South Serbia (Presevo, Medvedja, Bujanovac), Vojvodina, and central Serbian communities.

For more information please contact the Institute for Sustainable Communities at (011) 3830-960, or Aleksandra Veselinovic, ISC Training Director at (062) 218-900, and Dunja Radosavljevic, ISC Reporting and Outreach Officer at (062) 218-200.