About the Academy for Public Policy
The Academy for Public Policy (APP) is intended for youth members of the political parties in North Macedonia to increase their participation in electoral and political processes in the country by creating opportunities and developing their capacities to advance political accountability and nurture political culture that promotes principles of democratic governance.
The goal of the APP is to encourage, support and equip youth party members to contribute to a better expression of their ideas and concepts for a better society and a plural democratic public space. The Academy also aims to create a new generation of leaders capable to represent themselves and their political parties during elections. Participants will also acquire new knowledge and skills on how public policies are created, how they are influenced, and how to apply an evidence-based approach to public policy making.
The specific objectives of the APP are:
- Cultivate a new generation of leaders capable of nurturing a political culture that promotes democratic values and principles, thereby contributing to the internal democratization of their parties and society as a whole
- Encourage political youth to identify local government challenges and develop evidence-based and citizen-oriented policy solutions that could be included in the party election programs for the local elections in 2025
- Educate and train political youths on the essentials and specifics of local elections, local work with constituents and local institutions, specific aspects of communication with citizens and local media, the dynamics of local politics and identification of trans-party issues that could bring change and enable common ground beyond party/ethnic cleavages.
The Academy will take place over one-year period and consists of the following components:
- Four comprehensive-three days workshops (Friday to Sunday);
- Step-by-step guidance, mentoring and coaching on policy document development;
- Engagement with local communities and/or affected stakeholders on the issues of relevance through thematic debates, discussions and implementation of innovative initiatives, which provide opportunities for the participant to implement various outreach activities in their community. The initiative will help identify root causes of a problem in the community, explore different perspectives of stakeholders; collect potential solutions to the identified problem; and based on the data propose the best option that will be part of the 2025 local elections political party offer/program). For the purpose of implementation of the local initiative, each participant will receive small funding (1000 CHF);
- A study visit in the region or in an EU country (prerequisite for participation in the study visit abroad is completion of all activities, including workshops and an innovative initiative, of the Academy). The study visit will take place after completion of the fifth APP generation;
- Alumni events with all the alumni of the three previous generations of the Academy for Public Policy.
Lecturers from various fields of the societal spectrum will be engaged – academics, top policy and decision makers, current/former ministers, young political leaders that hold public official positions, CEOs, MPs, etc. The program will be strengthened with the inclusion of guest speakers from the civil society, environment, culture, and/or other areas, as well as prominent figures from abroad.
What will participants in the Academy for Public Policy gain?
- Thorough and structured knowledge of political processes in the country, the role of political parties in a plural context, the importance of elections and the electoral process, creation of public policies and ways of their implementation, communication techniques and skills, public speaking and debating.
- Training materials, various analyses, background documents and policy briefs complementing the knowledge and experience shared by different domestic and international experts and trainers;
- Mentorship, peer-exchange and individual assistance in the preparation of policy document addressing citizens’ needs.
- Financial support for implementation of an Innovative initiative to conduct research about the developed policy and/or possible solutions to the identified problem(s) and to test and/or promote the policy in the affected community;
- Opportunity for promoting policies through presentations to affected communities and within the political party;
- Opportunity to enhance knowledge and individual career development as a politician or future leader, but also to network, discuss and share ideas with fellow politicians from political parties in the country;
- Recognition by the Swiss Embassy by awarding a certificate of participation;
- An opportunity to be part of regional events for peer-exchange with other young leaders, but also to participate in study visit to countries that implement similar policies and community actions;
- After-care activities within the vast and relevant alumni community
Criteria for participation:
- To be member of the youth wing of a political party (up to and including 29 years old);
- To have not participated in the same or similar Academy will be consider an advantage;
- To have experience in the field of social sciences and disciplines (political sciences, economics, sociology, environment, international relations, culture, philosophy, etc.);
- To have strong analytical skills and ability for teamwork;
- Knowledge of English language will be considered as an advantage;
- Work experience will be considered an advantage.
To earn a certificate, selected candidates must be committed to all components of the program:
- Active participation in all activities of the Academy’s program;
- Engage with local communities and/or affected stakeholders on topics related to the Public Policy Document and Implement local Innovative Initiative;
- Drafting of a Public Policy Document;
- Presentation of the Public Policy Document within the party.
Timeframe
The implementation of the activities for the fourth generation of participants will take place in the period from September 2024 to September 2025.
All interested candidates should submit an application through the following link
no later than September 15, 2024 .
Candidates will be notified of their selection by September 23, 2024. Selected candidates may be asked to participate in a short interview by phone or Zoom.
NOTE: Only pre-selected candidates will be contacted for an interview.
When choosing the best candidates for participation in the Academy, the political, ethnic, gender, geographical and social representation of the participants will be taken into account.
All expenses for this program (including travel, accommodation and meals) will be covered by the organizer.
Questions?
If you have questions regarding the Academy and/or the process of application, please contact:
Cvetanka Mihajlovska at: cvetanka@frp.mk
Maida Halimi at: maida@frp.mk
