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- Newsletter No 2 – Insights and Recommendations from IRIS Progress Project
- Open Now – Call for Applications – Regional Social Academy 2025 Deadline April 11, 2025
- National meeting of IRIS Network in Serbia
- Perspectives of Inclusion – Civic dialogue about work integration of persons with disabilities from the perspective of different local community stakeholders
- The IRIS Network Regional Social Academy – “Human Rights and Social Inclusion of children and youth at risk”.
Call for Application – Regional Social Academy “Agile Organisational and Project Management”
/in News, Uncategorized /by AdminCall for Application – Regional Social Academy “Agile Organisational and Project Management”
After two successful Regional Social Academy of IRIS Network, held in Belgrade and Tirana we are announcing the Call for participants of the Regional Social Academy, which will be held online from 26th to 28th October 2020.
The Academy offers participants further support in organizational development – changing the paradigm: moving from a traditional organization working as a “machine” to the new organisation working as “organism”. This year Academy will focus on new knowledge and skills of CSOs management and senior staff in agile organizational and project management – impact strategy design and management, agile project management, budgeting, agile leadership, and team management, leading the agile organisation, impact measurement, and management methodologies and practices.
Participants will attend 3-day tailor-made training consisted of online lectures and workshops. The Academy program will enable further improvements and optimization to the needs, interests, and constraints of the target groups and their institutional and organizational environments.
All information and application procedure you can find here.
The deadline for the application is 14th October 2020 at 17 p.m.
The final participant list will be announced on the IRIS Network website (www.iris-see.eu) no later than on 16th October.
Successful participants will obtain certificates, and enter Academy Alumni. Upon the training, each of the participants will have the opportunity to participate in a Follow-up check-point session which will be held on the 9th of November 2020, online.
Regional Social Academy is part of the regular IRIS program activities, organized annually.
Photos and impressions from First Regional Social Academy you can see here.
Photos and impressions from Second Regional Social Academy you can see here.
For additional questions contact iris@iris-see.eu.
IRIS Network survey for CSO’s: Social services – Covid19 pandemic
/in News, Uncategorized /by Sanja VukelicIRIS Network considers important to assess the situation, challenges and difficulties its members as well as others CSO’s that are facing in the provision of social services and their everyday work as a result of the current COVID 19 pandemic.
We have responsibility towards its members as well as to other parties to have a detailed overview of their current situation and to provide this information to the EC, as the donor. This will be conducted through a questionnaire CSO’s can fill in on link below.
Therefore, the objective of the questionnaire is to assess the current situation and consequences caused by COVID 19 pandemic on the provision of social services to beneficiaries provided by IRIS Network members in their local communities. The results of the questionnaire will be used for developing a Report on Social Services in South East Europe under the COVID 19 pandemic and will include the following countries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and North Macedonia. The Report will be used to assess the actual challenges that civil society organizations providers of social services face in working with beneficiaries and to map the assistance models.
The Report will also be used as an instrument in advocating for policies and measures of national/regional/ EU Institutions which focus on service providers during and after the crises.
Please provide detailed information in the questionnaire and include all information you consider relevant. Also, please include your projections and the assessment of the consequence caused by the crises that will affect your services and the whole social protection system.
For all interested CSO’s providing social services – you can fill in the questioner on the link below .
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScYtxkZHFt2ZdZ89_F-IVVyIDYzH3bxToH4T5ybdcNrnLgQoA/viewform?usp=sf_link
Please feel free to contact us through National Coordinators and / or Network Secretariat.
Stay well and healthy.
Newsletter No 2 – Insights and Recommendations from IRIS Progress Project
/in News /by Sanja VukelicNewsletter No 2
Insights and Recommendations from IRIS Progress Project
Achievements and Results in 2024
Iris Progress – Newsletter No.2
Open Now – Call for Applications – Regional Social Academy 2025 Deadline April 11, 2025
/in News /by Sanja VukelicCall for Applications – Regional Social Academy
“Advancing Gender Equality and Women’s Human Rights in the Western Balkans”
IRIS Network is announcing a Call for Applicants for the Regional Social Academy “Advancing Gender Equality and Women’s Human Rights in the Western Balkans”, which will take place in Bečići, Montenegro, from May 12 to 15, 2025.
The Academy offers participants a unique opportunity to benefit from a diversified training package, integrating a Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) with gender equality strategies, service provision, and mechanisms for the protection and empowerment of women. Participants will attend a four-day, tailor-made training featuring diverse learning methodologies, including lectures, workshops, discussions, and field visits.
All information and application procedures can be found here: Academy Call for Participants Montenegro 12_15 May
The deadline for applications is April 11, 2025, at 17:00 CET.
All applicants will receive information on their acceptance to the Academy no later than five working days after the application deadline.
Successful participants will receive certificates and become part of the Academy Alumni Network.
The Regional Social Academy is part of the regular IRIS program activities, organized annually.
For additional questions, contact iris@iris-see.eu.
National meeting of IRIS Network in Serbia
/in News /by Sanja VukelicIRIS network in Serbia organized national meeting on 20th December 2024. in the premises of IDC.
During meeting, Regional benchmark study: Social progress and EU Accession process in the Western Balkan countries was presented with emphasis on situation in Serbia. This report provides a benchmark study of the social progress in six countries – Albania, Bosna and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, focusing on three key areas: education, economic environment and social protection, and healthcare, with additional attention to human rights, social services, employment, and social dialogue and will be published on our website.
National meeting gathered members from Serbia, as well as new members that had recently joined to the network. This was the opportunity to introduce and connect new members with others in order to involve them in activities and contribute to the future cooperation.
National meeting was part of the annual activities of the IRIS Network.
Perspectives of Inclusion – Civic dialogue about work integration of persons with disabilities from the perspective of different local community stakeholders
/in News /by Sanja VukelicIRIS Network organized on 10th December 2024 in Pančevo, on the human rights day, the social dialogue titled ” Perspectives of inclusion ” – Civic dialogue about work integration of persons with disabilities from the perspective of different local community stakeholders, with special focus on work integration of this target group, opportunities and challenges which they are facing.
The dialogue brought together representatives of organizations members of Iris Network, civic society organizations that provide social services to persons with disabilities, as well as representatives of institutions. At the event were present representatives of the National Employment Service and Erste Bank, from sector for social banking, members of the Pančevo City Council and Administration, Association Volja za zivotom from Velika Plana, Associations Evo ruka from Belgrade, Na pola puta from Pančevo and Zelena Plantaza Iva from Surduk.
Main topics for discussion covered programs of the National Employment Service for persons with disabilities, their position and needs, obstacles and challenges with which they encounter in everyday life, legal restrictions and other obstacles which makes their active engagement difficult, opportunities for overcoming them, obligations of institutions and support, as well as their integration and work engagement in social enterprises, as one of the models of working integration. In conclusion, through exchange of good practices, participants jointly developed recommendations which could help in the future to improve the position of persons with disabilities. In addition, all present participants express their interest to form an informal network and cooperate in order to improve position of persons with disabilities on the labor market.
The civic dialogue was organized within project Strengthening capacities and policy engagement of community service providers – IRIS Progress which is funded by the European Union, and implemented by Initiative for Development and Cooperation (IDC).
The IRIS Network Regional Social Academy – “Human Rights and Social Inclusion of children and youth at risk”.
/in CAPACITY BUILDING, News /by Sanja VukelicRegional Social Academy this year, was held in Skopje, North Macedonia, from 24 – 28 November 2024 within the project Strengthening capacities and policy engagement of community service providers – IRIS PROGRESS.
The main topic of Academy was “Human Rights and Social Inclusion of children and youth at risk”. This year, 30 participants attended Academy from organisations that are members of IRIS network from six Western Balkans countries.
The main focus of Academy was to strengthen capacities of its members and engage them through learning and practical activities in integrating a Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) with children and youth-focused strategies, social service delivery, and instruments and mechanisms for protecting beneficiaries’ rights.
1 Day of Regional Social Academy
The first day of the Academy was focused on exploring issues of social exclusion and educational inequalities, with particular attention to children and youth from marginalized groups, such as Roma communities. Through workshop, special emphasis was placed on the role of education as a tool for inclusion. Regarding that, participants were divided into groups to develop strategies aimed at reducing educational disparities among marginalized children and youth.
The first day of the Academy provided a deeper understanding of the challenges and initiated discussions on solutions to address the needs of children and youth at risk.
2 Day of Regional Social Academy
Second day, the workshop started with discussion about barriers to mental health services and strategies to improve accessibility for children and youth in need. Through teamwork, participants addressed the needs and challenges and in order to prevent those issues, and as a result they designed a strategy for improving mental health services for youth at risk.
In the afternoon, study visits were organized where participants were divided into two groups to visit local civil society organizations (CSOs) working in the field of child and youth protection:
Both groups were engaged in interactive discussions with practitioners, shared insights and exchanged knowledge on effective practices and challenges in the field. These discussions allowed participants to gain practical perspectives on the implementation of programs aimed at improving the well-being and rights of marginalized children and youth.
The third day of the Academy focused on understanding and addressing various forms of violence and abuse impacting children and youth, emphasizing the psychological, emotional, and societal consequences. Some of the topics that were covered by this sessions are: the prevalence and dynamics of violence, bullying (both in-person and online), and discrimination; the long-term consequences of such experiences, both at the individual and societal levels.
Moreover, day 3 emphasized the importance of a coordinated approach which involves all stakeholders – schools, law enforcement, community organizations, and policymakers—to address the challenges of violence, cybercrime, and marginalization effectively. Through case studies and interactive discussions, participants identified ways to strengthen the protective framework around children and youth, ensuring their safety and well-being in both physical and digital spaces.
4 Day of Regional Social Academy – Program Closure
The fourth day of the Academy, focused on understanding the root causes of risky behaviors among youth, with a specific emphasis on juvenile delinquency and prevention strategies. One of the topics that were discussed: root causes of risky behaviors among youth, including socio-economic and family-related factors, prevention strategies, highlighting the role of education, community engagement, and family support and case studies showcasing successful interventions and reintegration programs for youth offenders. Following the lecture, participants engaged in group discussions, exchanging ideas and proposing further actions to prevent juvenile delinquency in their communities.
Closing Ceremony:
The program is concluded with a certificate award ceremony for all participants. IRIS network thanks all participants for their dedication and efforts and emphasize the importance of applying the acquired knowledge to improve the situation of children and youth at risk.
Regional Social Academy is part of the regular IRIS program activities, organized annually.
Call for Application – Regional Social Academy “Advancing Human Rights and Social Inclusion of Children and Youth at Risk in the Western Balkans”
/in CAPACITY BUILDING, News /by Sanja VukelicIRIS Network is announcing call for applicants for Regional Social Academy “Advancing Human Rights and Social Inclusion of Children and Youth at Risk in the Western Balkans” that will be held in Skopje from 24th to 28th November 2024.
Academy offers participants a unique opportunity to benefit from a diversified training package, integrating a Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) with children and youth-focused strategies, social service delivery, and instruments and mechanisms for protecting beneficiaries’ rights. Participants will attend 4 day tailor-made training consisted of different learning methodologies including lectures, workshops, discussions and field visit.
All information and application procedure you can find here.
The deadline for application is 01st November 2024 at 17.00.
All applicants will receive information on the acceptance to the Academy no latter than 5 days upon closing of the application deadline.
Successful participants will obtain certificates and enter Academy Alumni.
Regional Social Academy is part of the regular IRIS program activities, organized annually.
For additional questions contact iris@iris-see.eu.