Second year of the initiative for strengthening influence of the Open Society Foundation alumni network was launched
Regional project “Mind the Gap: Improving the Policy Impact of OSF Alumni Network in the Western Balkans” started with the meeting of educational advisors from educational advising centers in the region of Western Balkans, which took place within regional conference “Move.Link.Engage: New models of governance in Western Balkans”.
Belgrade Open School recognized great potential of alumni of the Open Society Foundation (Scholarship program, Open Society Foundation – OSF) and saw alumni network as a valuable pool of knowledge and expertise as well as important factor in providing qualitative contribution to public policy challenges in countries of Western Balkans. Project has aim to support development of region of Western Balkans founded in evidence based policy making and regional cooperation in the light of the Berlin Process.
Regional educational advisors from Serbia, Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina participated in the kick-off meeting that was held on 9th December 2016. Main subject during the meeting was regional cooperation within the OSF Alumni project as well as opportunity for strengthening cooperation among centers in above mentioned countries.
Meeting was held on the margin of the two-day conference Move.Link.Engage which was devoted to subject of new models of governance in Western Balkans region. This regional conference, which was organized for the second time, gathered representatives of civil society from the countries in region and they sent strong message and showed will for taking responsibilities and become actively involved in creating precondition for establishing new models of governing in the region.
Project “Mind the gap: Improving the Policy Impact of OSF Alumni Network in the Western Balkans“ will last from 1st November 2016 until end of the August 2017. During the project, in May 2017, there will be held Regional OSF alumni conference. This project is follow-up project within initiative for strengthening influence of OSF alumni network in creating policies in Western Balkans that started in 2015. You can read report and impressions of alumni from the conference in 2015 here.