Bijelo Pole – Capacity building training for writing project proposals and project implementation was held between 21st and 23rd of June in Bijelo Polje and gathered 18 participants from all parts of Montenegro. Their profiles and areas of interest vary from visual arts and theatre to creative industries and cultural heritage.
The aim of the training was to improve the capacity of cultural workers and NGOs coming from the cultural sphere and youth for writing and implementing projects with the components of regional cooperation, intercultural learning and youth exchanges. RYCO opens a call for proposals for projects designed by individuals and NGOs within the Western Balkans Youth Culture Fund on quarterly basis.
Training was held by experienced trainers from the field of project management in culture as well as experts in RYCO strategic programmatic areas.
Participants reported that the training encouraged them to tackle social issues though creativity and art while giving them practical tools for creating and implementing successful projects. They also noted that this was a unique opportunity for synergy between creative individuals and civic society organizations from the field of culture to influence each other and come up with creative and innovative ideas for cooperation with youth and partners from the Western Balkans contracting parties.
More about the Western Balkans Youth Culture Fund:
Western Balkans Youth Culture Fund is a long term project, designed for cultural workers and NGOs that deal with the topics of culture and youth. The goal of this Fund is to support cultural youth activism and encourage creative solution for important social and political issues in the Western Balkans while promoting regional cooperation, intercultural dialogue, peacebuilding and reconciliation. The Western Balkans Youth Culture Fund is financed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the German Federal Republic and implemented by Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO).
Funded projects will contribute to the improvement of regional cooperation of cultural workers and enable innovative ways of implementing various cultural and artistic activities that have a regional component and tend to strengthen intercultural learning and dialogue, peacebuilding and reconciliation. Within LOT 1, Western Balkans Youth Culture Fund will provide grants to individual artists or cultural workers from the Western Balkans, while within LOT 2 it will support NGOs registered in any of the Western Balkan contracting parties that are active in the sphere of culture.
As in the previous open call, individuals in the Second Open Call can apply for funds in the amount of up to 3,000 euros, while civil society organizations in the field of culture can apply for funds in the amount of up to 6,000 euros.
More information about the project and the application process is available on the RYCO website at www.rycowb.org.