BiH: Regional Program of Local Democracy in the Western Balkans 2 (ReLOaD2)

Deadline: 17-May-2024

The City of Gradiška in Partnership with the United Nations Development Program announces public call for civil society organizations to submit project proposals for youth components as part of the Project Regional Program of Local Democracy in the Western Balkans 2 (ReLOaD2).

ReLOaD2 is a regional project financed by the European Union (EU) and implemented by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) in six countries/territories of the Western Balkans, namely: Albania, the Republic of North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo and Serbia.

The overall goal of the project is to strengthen participatory democracy and EU integration in the Western Balkans, by empowering civil society and encouraging young people to actively participate in the decision-making process, as well as improving the stimulating legal and financial environment for civil society.

The specific goal of the project is to strengthen partnerships between local authorities and civil society in the Western Balkans, by expanding the successful model of transparent project financing of CSOs (LOD methodology) from the budget of local self-government units, aimed at greater civic participation and youth participation in decision-making processes and improvement of service provision in local communities.

General Objective and Priorities

• The general goal of this call is to further strengthen partnership relations between civil society organizations and the City of Gradiško by building awareness of the usefulness of mutual cooperation in order to jointly contribute to the improvement of the position of young people in the area of the city of Gradiško.
• This is an opportunity to invite all civil society organizations that have experience in implementing youth projects, operating in the area of the city of Gradiško, to submit project proposals related to the development goals and strategic documents of the City of Gradiško. Thematic areas and priorities listed in the development goals were additionally confirmed through consultations with young people within the meetings held as part of the Youth Dialogue in the City of Gradiška through the activities carried out by the ReLOaD project.
• The dialogue for young people of the City of Gradiška is a platform that was used for communication and consultation with young people in the period June, 2022 – October, 2023. A total of four consultative meetings were organized in which 56 young people (26M, 30F), activists, volunteers, representatives of youth and civil society organizations from the area of Gradiška participated.
• Within the consultative process, four thematic areas were prioritized:
  • Sports and Recreation Activities for Young People
    • Support for projects promoting amateur and recreational sports for young people – sport for everyone
  • Organizing Training for Young People
    • Support projects for the organization of educational activities for young people (workshops for mental health care, workshops on reproductive health, workshops for the promotion of activism and volunteerism)
  • Promotion of Volunteerism and Activism Among Young People
    • Support for projects aimed at promoting volunteerism and activism among young people with a special focus on environmental protection
    • Organization of volunteer activities and actions with the participation of young people (volunteering in organizations that deal with vulnerable categories of the population, etc.)
  • Culture, Art and Social Activities
    • Encouraging artistic and musical creativity of young people (contemporary artistic and musical expressions, promotion of music, etc.)
    • Support for projects that promote volunteerism among young people through organized entertainment and social events

Funding Information

• The value of project proposals to be awarded under this call must be between the following minimum and maximum amounts:
  • minimum amount: 10,000.00KM
  • maximum amount: 20,000.00 KM

Duration

• The duration of the projects can be from three to five months, in the period from June, 2024 to October, 2024.

Location

• Projects must be implemented exclusively in the area of the city of Gradiška and for young people living in the territory of the city of Gradiška.

Eligibility Criteria

• Participation in this public call is open, on equal grounds, to all formally registered civil society organizations (CSOs) (association/association or foundation) in accordance with the applicable legal regulations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. who have experience in implementing projects for young people and who operate in the area of the city of Gradiška.
• This public call is not open to branches of foreign and international associations, foundations and other non-profit organizations registered and operating in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• Applicants will be excluded from participation in the call or from the awarding of grants if, at the time of the call for submission of project proposals, they are:
  • subjects of conflict of interest;
  • guilty of providing false information to the authorized party for contracts, which is required as a prerequisite for participating in the call for project proposals or if they have not provided the necessary information;
  • tried to obtain confidential information, influenced the evaluation committee or the authorized party for contracts during the evaluation process of the call for submission of project proposals.
• Applicants can apply independently or in partnership with other civil society organizations/NGOs.

Additional notes for interested applicants:

• Thematic areas refer to a special user category consisting of young people  from 16 to 30 years of age.
• The place of implementation of the projects is exclusively in the area of the city of Gradiška and for young people from the area of the city of Gradiška.
• The proposed activities within the project proposal should have continuity, that is, they should be organized several times a month. It is especially important to receive project proposals that offer a greater number of content for young people, that are organized more than once or that offer content from several identified areas.
• The ways and methods of animating and massively involving young people in project activities should be explained in detail, and the number of project beneficiaries (target group) should be specified as precisely as possible.
• Project proposals within this public call should ensure the inclusion of young people in all proposed project activities and ensure the volunteer engagement of young people in the local community.
• As part of the proposed project activities, the organization is obliged to realize at least two events in which young people would get to know each other and possibly join the “Youth Dialogue” platform. Organizations, whose projects are approved, will hold a presentation of the project and an invitation to young people to get involved in the project activities through the existing Dialogue Platforms. In addition, the organizations, the project holders, propose various interactive contents for the participants of the “Dialogue for Youth” platform, which will ultimately encourage young people to gather and participate in future consultative processes. The “Dialogue for Youth” platform should be promoted through project activities as a platform for youth gatherings.

For more information, visit UNDP.