People's Parliament | NGO from Serbia

People's Parliament achieves its strategic objectives mostly through implementation of projects.
Here are some of ours most successful projects, out of more than fifty local, national and international projects and several dozens of other projects when we had the partner status.

Project title: "Continuation of legislative initiatives of the Coalition for free acess to information".
Location: Republic of Serbia.
Year: 2008/2009.
Theme: During 2008 and 2009, Coalition for free acess to information, and therefore the People's Parliament as the main imlementator of the project, countinued with public advocacy with the purpose of the adoption of the Law on amendments of the Law on free access to information of public importance and the Law on personal data protection, by the National Parliament of the Republic of Serbia. Due to extraordinary parlamentary election during 2008 and omissions of the National Parliament and the Ministry for internal affairs, only during the beggining of 2009, the state formally ackowledged the inistiative that was started way back in 2007. More information on this project can be found on Internet presentation of Coalition for free acces to information. In Serbian only.

Project title: "Active youth participation. International training for managers of youth-serving projects".
Location: Palic, Serbia .
Year: 2008.
Theme: Within "Youth in Action" program of the EU, during 2008, we organized an international training for managers of youth-serving projects from Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria and Macedonia. This training dealt with improvement of regional cooperation among organziations who organize projects that improve youth participation.

Project title: "Serbia in EU. What's in it for me or for my city?".
Location: Leskovac.
Year: 2008.
Theme: This project was a part of wider national campaign, organized in Serbia in order to introduce practical benefits of EU integration to citizens of Serbia.

Project title: "Youth entrepreneurship development initiative in South Serbia".
Location: Jablanica County, Serbia.
Year: 2007/2008/2009.
Theme: During the very end of 2007, People's Parliament its long-term program that supports development of youth entrerpeneurship in South Serbia. This program features activities such as different sorts of trainings and different forms of know-how and consultative support young people wishing to start their own businesses. More, on this long-term program of our organization can be found on Internet presentation of the Center for Youth Entrepreneurship.

Project title: "Resource center for development of the National youth strategy of the Republic of Serbia".
Location: Jablanica County (without Medvedja municipality), Serbia.
Year: 2007/2008.
Theme: During 2007 and begining of 2008, People's Parliament organized, on territory of 5 municipalities/cities in Jablanica County, consultative process for the National youth strategy of the Republic of Serbia development. This process that we organized directly supported development of this Strategy and secured that needs of young people from Jab;lanica Country are recognized and addressed during development of this strategic document of national importance to young people.

Project title: "Legislative initiative of the Coalition for free acess to information".
Location: Republic of Serbia.
Year: 2007.
Theme: The legislative working team consisting of Mr. Rodoljub sabic, Mr. Vladimir Vodinelic, Mr. Sasa Gajin and Mr. Dejan Milenkovic, produced Draft Law on amendments of the Law on free access to information of public importance and draft Law on personal data protection, during 2007. During that same year, People's Parliament, in cooperation with Human rights initiative NGO from Belgrade, "Sretenje" NGO from Pozega, Resource center NGO from Negotin and other domestic NGO's, gathered around 72 000 of signatures from citizens supporting this initiative and delivered these laws and collected signatures to relevant state institutions.

Project title: "Human rights and intercultural learning for youth leaders from central Balkans region".
Location: Vlasina Lake.
Year: 2006.
Theme: "Human rights and intercultural learning for youth leaders from central Balkans region" was an international seminar that we organized in Vlasina Lake during the year of 2006. The seminar gathered youth leaders dealing with human rights issues and was intended to build capacity of these young leaders, as well as those of their organizations, for more effective human rights work.

Project title: "You have the right to know".
Location: Jablanica and Pcinja Counties, Serbia.
Year: 2006.
Theme: The primary objective of this project was to motivate local governments and public administration institutions to appoint persons in-charge for responding to requests for information of public importance, as well as to acquaint citizens with the Law on free access to information of public importance.

Project title: "Youth center".
Location: Leskovac, Serbia.
Year: 2005–2006.
Theme: Foundation and management of Youth center in Leskovac is a project of the People's Parliament that aims to contribute to young people needs for alternative educational activities and generally a need for a youth-serving place in the town in which young people can spend their free time designing activities for other youth and/or participating in activities that are designed for them.
From the time when Youth center started to work several hundreds young people attended or are attending different kinds of computer courses, seminars and lectures on topics such as youth employment, sport, sexual health, etc., as well as other more informal activities.

Project title: "We need an ombudsman".
Location: South Serbia.
Year: 2005.
Theme: The primary objective of this project was to motivate local governments and public administration institutions to establish local ombudsman institutions in accordance with the Law on local self-government. Moreover, general public was informed on ombudsman institution and its purpose.

Project title: "Confidence building measures for local NGOs from multiethnic communities". The prospectus offered by the implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.
Location: Various communities in northern, western, eastern and southern parts of Serbia.
Year: 2004.
Theme: Main project purpose was to strengthen human resources of local NGOs from four multiethnic communities in Serbia in order to make these organizations more active protagonists in process of monitoring and supporting the implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities in our country. Other project objectives were embodied in overall project tendency to initiate and support majority-minority dialogue in local communities influenced by this project, as well as to inform local public on elements of the implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities.

Project title: "Balkan Multiethnic Youth Parliament".
Location: Palic, Serbia.
Year: 2003-2004.
Theme: This project is an ongoing effort by People’s Parliament, started with Multiethnic Youth Parliament seminar in 2001, to acquaint young leaders of different nationalities and religion from the Balkan region with root issues surrounding interethnic tension and regional security and stability concerns.
Balkan Multiethnic Youth Parliament is the place for strengthening of regional stability, information dissemination, cultural exchange and active cooperation among network’s member’s organizations, institutions and individuals concerned with regional security and stability.
On this occasion, Balkan Multiethnic Youth Parliament was organized in the form of 6-days seminar.

Project title: "Youth employment initiative in Serbia and Montenegro".
Location: Serbia and Montenegro.
Year: 2003.
Theme: This project was implemented within global YES campaign (YES 2002-2012) that is supported by People's Parliament from the moment it was initialized in Alexandria, Egypt, during the end of 2002.
More information about this project that was implemented by People's Parliament during the year of 2003, and our continuous efforts in areas related to youth employment issues in Serbia, as well as the global YES campaign itself, can be found at www.yesweb.org Internet presentation.

Project title: "Ombudsman-the pillar for citizen's rights".
Location: Four Counties in southeastern Serbia.
Year: 2003.
Theme: Main project purpose was to motivate municipalities from four Counties in southeastern Serbia to establish local ombudsman institutions according to the Law on local self-governance. Also, general public was introduced with the concept of ombudsman institutions functioning and its role.
The project consisted of round tables with executives of southeastern Serbia municipalities, public campaign (billboards, posters, brochures, etc.), TV shows, technical assistance schemes.
As the direct result of this project, during June, the first municipal decision on establishment of local ombudsman institution in Serbia was adopted by Leskovac Municipality.
The project is the beginning of efforts initiated by People's Parliament to technically, logistically and in any other means possible, help municipalities from Serbia (primarily those from southeastern Serbia region) to establish fully functional and effective local ombudsman institutions.

Project title: "Human rights for future decision-makers".
Location: Nis, Serbia.
Year: 2002-2003.
Theme: Objectives of this project were to make students aware, in details, of international conventions and treaties that regulate human rights, as well as to motivate them, as future decision-makers, to involve them selves in the process of incorporating these conventions into national legal system. Project consisted of 8 seminars, "best essays" competition and publication of "essays book".

Project title: "Multiethnic Youth Parliament".
Location: Leskovac, Serbia.
Year: 2001-2002.
Theme: The project tends to gather and acquaint young leaders originating from different nationalities, religion and communities with root issues surrounding tensions between different nationalities, as well as history, legal and political position, level of social and economic development and religion of the biggest nationalities in Serbia. Multiethnic Youth Parliament is the place for discussion, information dissemination and cultural exchange embodied in four and a half-days Training program, creation of informational six-language Internet presentation and creation of e-mail discussion group.

Project title: "Pre-election strategies for Belarus organizations".
Location: Minsk, Belarus.
Year: 2001.
Theme: The project's main objective was to support efforts of pro-democratic forces in Belarus just before the presidential elections in that country. It consisted of two-days forum in Minsk on issues and modalities of, in that time, prospective GOTV campaign realization, exchange of experience over the Internet among activists of NGO's and issuing of publication serving as a manual for voter animation pre-election campaign realization.

Project title: "Education of Leskovac local government officials".
Location: Leskovac, Serbia.
Year: 2001.
Theme: The project's main objective was to educate selected group of Councilors, through six trainings, in areas as politics, civil society, human and civic rights, public relations, corruption, economic development, interethnic relations.

Project title: "Changes start with us all".
Location: Jablanica County, Serbia.
Year: 2000.
Theme: The project's main objective was to break through media blockade, that existed back in those times, in Leskovac and wider area of Jablanica County. During nine months of this project duration, around 90 000 copies of "Changes start with us all" bulletin was distributed to citizens of municipalities from Jablanica County, providing them with news and information that state media didn't mention at all.
How this bulletin looked like can be seen here. In Serbian language only. 2,5 MB.

Project title: "Parliament Club".
Location: Leskovac, Serbia.
Year: 2000.
Theme: The Parliament Club was a resource center for local democratic initiatives. During nine months of functioning, the Parliament Club practically represented the only place in Leskovac that was constantly available to NGO's, trade-unions, opposition parties for organizations of seminars, tribunes, trainings, round tables, etc.
The benefits from existence of such place were enormous for all pro-democratic forces at local level. Especially, considering the fact that in the premises of the Parliament Club, during nine months of its functioning, more than 35 different events were organized. To mention some:

Tribune "Croatian wining formula - How HDZ was defeated"
Tribune "Influence of the Law on information on free media and journalists of those media"
Presentation "Program for Serbia's salvation"
Aphorisms evening "Bapsi and friends"
Exhibit of promotional material of NGO's, trade unions, "Resistance" movement
"NGO management" seminars
Many more tribunes, trainings, meetings, etc.

Project title: "Get out and vote campaign".
Location: Jablanica County, Serbia.
Year: 2000.
Theme: In relation to presidential, federal and local elections that were held on September 24, 2000, People's Parliament implemented massive "Get out and vote" campaign on the territory of five municipalities in Jablanica County.
This campaign consisted of activities designed to motivate citizens to turn out to the polls, and it was implemented through direct communication between People's Parliament activists and citizens. Our activists have motivated citizens to turn out to polls and also have informed and educated them about their rights as voters.
Campaign included following activities:

Stands placement in center of Leskovac for 24 days where promotional material of campaigns "Get out and vote", "Exit 2000" and "Its Time" was distributed.
Twenty-day telephone campaign, designed in a form of survey. Telephone campaign included more than 2 000 households located in town outskirts and villages, places that were less covered by other activities.
Five "Forums of candidates". During these happenings, citizens from Leskovac met with candidates for local government and had the opportunity to "get their questions answered".
Five-day exhibit of caricatures from Predrag Koraksic-Corax.
Rock concert in the center of Leskovac. There was about a thousand young people present. Many of them were first-time voters.
Party "Don't gamble-vote". More than 250 young people from Leskovac were present in this event. During the party, a prize-game was organized for the participants. Lucky winners received more attractive pieces of Campaign's promotional material.
Distribution of the brochure "Guide for voters" (in Serbian, 2,3MB). This brochure was intended to educate citizens concerning their electoral rights, election process and importance of the upcoming elections. It was a 12-page brochure, with illustrations done by famous domestic caricaturists. It was distributed, mostly to citizens of Leskovac, in 18 000 copies.
Twenty-days "Door to door" campaign.This activity we emphasize as especially successful since our activists visited about 4 000 households in Leskovac and in direct contact with citizens, tried to motivate them to turn out to the polls, talking with them and handing them pieces of different promotional material.
Race through the town streets named "First one to voting box". This race gathered about 20 participants and few hundred spectators. Winners received prizes in the form of T-shirts, caps, bags and pencils.
"Save Serbia and vote" tribune which gathered speakers such as Predrag Koraksic-Corax, Zarko Trebjesanin, Bozo Prelevic and Ratko Bozovic.
"Voting as a way out" tribune that was managed by our activists.
"Control of election process" trainings for education of polling board members.
"Save your vote for the 24th" workshops that enabled activists to implement pre-election campaign more efficiently.
"Unimportant Heroes" movie projection featuring guest director Goran Markovic.
"Whistle stronger than a baton" ANEM movie projection.
and many more...

During this GOTV campaign our female activists implemented a campaign directed towards women population called "Your vote, the vote of difference", during which "Door to door" activities, promotional material distribution stands in town's center and two trainings were organized.
During these GOTV campaigns, we estimate that about 400 000 peaces of different sort of promotional material was disseminated by our many activists.
This material included items such as pencils, caps, T-shirts, leaflets, badges, pole-posters, nine sorts of stickers, drawing pads, small bags, sacks, little sugar bags that said "Make your life sweeter - on September 24th vote", posters, brochures, etc.
We estimate that we have distributed about 1 500 kg of promotional material, mostly in direct contact with citizens.
Results of this hyperactive GOTV campaigns speak for themselves:

78.9 % was the voters turn-out on territory of Leskovac municipality,
83 % was the response of voters in urban areas of the town, where in fact the GOTV campaigns have been most intensive.

Of course, the most important result was the October the 5th, 2000.
The day when Serbia changed.

Projects