CALL FOR CSOs AND INFORMAL GROUPS: MENTOR SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC ADVOCACY RELATED TO PUBLIC POLICIES AT LOCAL AND NATIONAL LEVEL

31. July 2019.

The Resource Center for Civil Society Organizations in Serbia invites civil society organizations and non-formal citizen groups to apply for mentoring support for public advocacy on public policies at local and national levels. Mentoring support will encourage and strengthen the initiatives by civil society organizations and informal groups at the local level to advocate for policies that are relevant to their communities. The result of this activity will be to influence policies and empower more CSOs to position themselves as partners of the government and active participants in public policy making.

The aim of the call is for civil society organizations and informal groups to submit their initiatives, comments and proposals for changing or formulating public policies, after which they will work with the Resource Center’s staff to design, plan and implement a public advocacy campaign. The selected representatives of associations or informal groups will have the opportunity to exert influence on public policies.

45 initiatives will be supported over the next two years.

Mentoring support for the implementation of the initiatives will be provided by experts in the field of advocacy that are qualified for the topic for which the organization /group applies.

Conditions to be met by CSOs/ informal groups:

Filled in application form (https://gradjanske.civicatalyst.org/javnozagovaranje ) specifying the goal of the advocacy initiative
A clear idea about what act/practice/policy the CSO/ informal group wants to change in its environment
Willingness to devote oneself to a several months’ long work (depending on the duration of the advocacy plan)
Regular communication with the Resource Center’s mentor on the activities undertaken for the purpose of implementing the initiative.

The Resource Center will provide:

A mentor - an expert in the specific field of advocacy
A mentoring support plan with advocacy goals and outcomes
The reimbursement of travel expenses for meetings with a mentor
Coverage of small expenses incurred during the implementation of the campaign /initiative (printed materials, etc.).

The Resource Center is unable to provide funding for conducting the entire campaign (salaries, office expenses ...).

More information on the call can be obtained by sending an e-mail to resurscentar@parlament.org.rs.

The call will be open until the full capacity of mentors and experts is filled.

Source: rc.gradjanske.org and Coordination Body