The NGO Mladiinfo Montenegro (m!M) participated in a three-day training “Training for capacity building in the field of youth employment and entrepreneurship development” organized by the Student Business Center.
At the University of Donja Gorica in the period from 29 to 31 October 2020, the training was realized within the project BY LEAP – Youth of the Balkans: “Linking education, skills and opportunities for partnership in regional employment practices”, funded by the European Union through the Civil Society Facility and Media Programme 2018-2019, implemented in Montenegro by the Student Business Center.
The aim of the project is to network the main actors who in Montenegro, but also in the wider region of the Western Balkans and Turkey, are working on linking the education system with employment policy and the development of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial learning. The project is implemented by SBC UDG with partners from Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Macedonia, Albania, as well as Turkey and Belgium.
The training was attended by coaches docent Dr. Mladen Perazić and MSc. Radivoje Drobnjak, as well as 18 representatives from 14 civil society organizations, who through their work actively participate in the promotion of entrepreneurship as a way of thinking, a chance to start your own business and personal prosperity. The training aimed to present the topic and goals of public advocacy to all participants.
The official work of the training was opened by the coaches docent Dr. Mladen Perazić and MSc. Radivoje Drobnjak, through the training phase, which aimed to get to know each other’s representatives, through the shield method, and to present each member individually.
After the presentation of each member individually, docent Dr. Mladen Perazić concluded the presentation with the sentence “The biggest benefit of training is networking and creating a network from which we will all benefit later. One cannot succeed alone.” After that, on the clip chart, each participant wrote their expectations from the training, which helped summarizing the expectations and create the course of this training.
After the introduction, the trainers presented the agenda, and set a goal, which is to increase the knowledge of participants about the concept of public advocacy, and the opportunity for participants to identify examples, as well as to solve them through the steps they do in the campaign. Learning about advocacy strategies, skills and communication in general was also announced. At the beginning, docent Dr. Mladen Perazić emphasized to all participants that the skill of public advocacy requires time and effort. It also takes courage to stand in front of government officials, large groups of people and television cameras.
After the introduction and giving examples, the participants divided into groups, and on flip charts for a period of 10 minutes presented their opinion and views on public advocacy, as well as definitions, followed by a coffee break.
After the break, lectures related to public advocacy continued.
The second day and the third session were opened by R. Drobnjak with the wish that the participants ask him questions about the previous day. After a few short questions, the topic of this session was opened. Civil society and public policies. The quality of the law and compliance with the law are two criteria. The fourth session was opened by M. Perazić with questions that we must ask ourselves when defining goals. Lectures continued on the topic of non-verbal, verbal and paraverbal communication, as well as the dynamics of the advocacy process. The coffee break was followed by practical work and a personality test where participants did a SWAT analysis of their own characteristics.
The third and final day was reserved for lectures on stakeholder analysis, networking and coalitions as well as the division of participants into groups with the aim of practical work. Each group aimed to create an advocacy strategy on a specific topic that they felt was important.
The presentation of ideas was followed by greetings from the trainer and the awarding of certificates to all participants.
