The engagement of local communities on issues of local interest is particularly important for improving the performance of local governments and improved meeting of citizens’ expectations. Citizens who are active in their communities, who detect and alert about the local issues appropriately, raise important local issues, have the opportunity to directly influence local government work, agenda and priorities.
The Foundation Open Society – Macedonia supports the citizens in their efforts to make changes for the better. Creative activism, as a form of civic activism, clearly visualizes problems, and it is a great way for local communities to detect problems and contribute to their faster and more efficient resolution. It is through this methodology of creative activism that the Foundation supports the local activist cores from Tetovo, Bitola and Štip and gives them the opportunity to participate actively in improving the living conditions in their local communities.
These local activist cores from Tetovo, Bitola and Štip, which are part of a training program on “Creative Activism” methodology led by the Macedonian Creative Activism Team in collaboration with the Center for Creative Activism in New York, met on 21 and 22 October 2019 at the Hotel Romantique in Veles and exchanged experiences that will further help them design and prepare activist actions in their cities. Direct exchanges of ideas on how local communities deal with the problems in their cities will contribute to improving policies that influence the development of local democracy. At this meeting, activists from Tetovo, Štip and Bitola, in addition to exchanging personal experiences, also cooperated with representatives of the Center for Creative Activism from New York, USA and the Macedonian Creative Activism Team, who attended the meeting.
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1 November 2019