Summer school

“One-time regional scholarship program” will be provided for the first summer school program on social services. 35 candidates will be chosen from 7 countries in the region to participate in the education free of charge. However, they will be obliged to organise follow-up seminar/lectures in their communities on the issues and opportunities of provision of social services. The trainees will obtain summer school certificates, and the best one from each of the country will be offered traineeship at EU-based associate partners lasting for 10 days).

The Summer school program will enable further improvements and optimization to the needs, interests and constraints of the target groups and their institutional and organisational environments.

The summer school will be organised in Croatia with the support of the partner from Croatia OGI. It will include visits to local CSOs providers of social services, and meetings with the officials from ministries and local authorities. Having in mind that Croatia joined the EU just over a year ago, it will be a valuable opportunity for participants from the other countries from the Western Balkans to learn from the firsthand how the EU integration process is influencing CSOs delivering social services, and what are the benefits and challenges of the EU Social Fund.

Work Methodology of the summer school will be based on two instruments: transfer of knowledge done by experts and transfer of experience done by successful managers of CSOs providing social services. Experts will present recent trends in the EU and SEE: on social policy, EU Social Fund, EU and SEE legislation on services of general interest, Voluntary European quality framework for social services and Open method of coordination. CSOs Managers will present their personal experience in establishing and running successful CSOs which are delivering social services in one of the Western Balkan countries.