This 2I has two-fold objectives 1) to monitor the implementation of the measure “Home for every child – increase of the allowance for foster families by 30%” from the Government Program; and 2) to increase public awareness about the foster families and the importance of every child having a home. Through discussions and interactions with foster families in Skopje, Krushevo, Makedonski Brod and Prilep the 2I will assess to what extent this government measure is implemented. The challenges of foster families and the importance of implementing this measure will be portrayed through video(s), infographics and other materials that will be shared with interested stakeholders and public in general.

The objective of the 2I is to monitor the implementation of the Government project aimed to transform the “Macedonian Village” into a “Start-up Village”, which is meant to provide enabling environment for young entrepreneurs as “startup” community to launch and establish their businesses. By using different tools, the initiative will assess the level of awareness among relevant community about this government initiative. Through a variety of different forms of community engagement including panel discussions, guerrilla actions, press briefs, etc this 2I will contribute to acceleration of the implementation process and will increase public awareness.

Web page: https://macedonianstartupvillage.mk/

The purpose of this 2I is to present the activities of the Ministry of Culture and their consequences (positive outcomes or negative consequences), in relation to the measure of the Government program for rehabilitation, adaptation, reconstruction and construction of facilities used by national institutions in the field of culture.
The initiative will design, publish and promote phot strips; produce and publish a short film who will address the topic of benefits / consequences of realized / unrealized promises of this measure.

There are two objectives in this 2I. The first one is Increasing the level of awareness among the citizens on the 2021 Operational Plan. The second one is empowering the unemployed citizens, especially the youth, to proactively use the programs and measures stipulated with the Operational Plan.
Information gathered so far indicates that there is lack of information and awareness of citizens regarding the existing measures and programs. In that sense, to mobilize and raise the awareness of young people regarding this measure a series of activities will be implemented such as: info session(s) with the affected community members; video campaign / podcasts for promoting the measures for (self) employment; so called “Human Library”; and different promotion and visibility activities. It is hoped that this will lead to increased interest and engagement of citizens with regards to the given government promise.

This 2I is about the program for mandatory immunization of the population in the country for 2021
The first goal is raising awareness among the population about the importance of vaccines in the prevention of infectious diseases.
The second one is to reduce the impact of misinformation that may cause vaccination in the population.
“Get vaccinated!” is an 2I that will consist of several activities in order to achieve the above goals and draw attention to this topic. Routine immunization is essential, as is the need to gain public confidence in the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines.

This 2I aims to inform the public about the impact of digitalization of Embassies in terms of provision of effective services to the nationals living/staying abroad.
The initiative will organize a round table discussion with relevant stakeholders, as well as with representatives of state institutions and other relevant bodies that are responsible for implementation of the given governmental promise.
After the round table and the conclusion of the key points, a media campaign of the initiative will be launched. For the sake of recognition, the initiative will have its own logo, will be advertised on some of the most read web portals, as well as paid ads on social media. In the meantime, during the media campaign, several educational and informative videos will be created about the initiative, the application and the available services of the application.

This 2I aims to inform the community about the government promise/measure for restoration of the Aqueduct in Skopje. In that sense, to mobilize and raise the awareness of young people regarding this measure a series of activities will be implemented such as: creation of a comic for kids about what the aqueduct really is and what is its meaning today; creation of a logo with a message about the aqueduct which will be printed on a t-shirt that will be distributed to citizens in the main square; and final presentation with a famous architect who created a plan for restoration.
All activities within the initiative will be regularly shared on social media.

The program of the Government states that the Government will introduce communal police under the competencies of the local government which will have legal powers to ensure order in our municipalities and the city of Skopje. This initiative will inform citizens about this Government promise and about the importance of its fulfillment. That will be done through organization of roundtable discussions with citizens as well as with relevant institutions and previously identified allies (Faculty of Security – Skopje). The initiative will also tackle another Government promise, i.e. increasing the number of environmental inspectors. Beside discussions, the initiatives also include organization of an art show/gallery of photographs of illegal landfills in the Radovis area that will be placed in front of the Cultural Center in Radovis, so that more citizens will be familiar with the problem and the promise of the Government.
The results will be published in the social media, as well as visualized through short video.
The aim of this 2I is through art (exhibition of photographs of illegal landfills) to indicate the need to fulfill the promises of the Government to double the number of environmental inspectors and establish a communal police.

Goal of this 2I is to inform the community about the responsibility of municipalities to open youth centers in the first 5 years of implementation of the law for youth participation and youth policies, and to inform about the opportunities that these centers will bring for youth.
As this measure is targeting mainly young people, the initiative will conduct a social media campaign on Tik Tok and Instagram with youth aged 14 to 18, and will also organize a panel discussion with municipality representatives, parents and young people. This will provide an opportunity for young people to share what kind of program they want to see in the youth centers. Their ideas and vision will be recorder in short animation video and shared with relevant officials, as well as with the general public via social media.

The initiative aims to mobilize students about the use of the national online learning platform. Up to now, there seems to be no structured evidence about the challenges faced by the high school students, their families, teachers in using the national online learning platform. The initiative will identify key challenges and difficulties as well as possible ways to address them through meetings and consultations with students and Union of High School Students. Findings from the discussions will be compiled as recommendations for improvement and enhancement of the Platform. These proposals will be shared with relevant authorities, teachers and public in general.

The purpose of this initiative is to mobilize the community through public debates with regards to the importance of opening “One spot for services” centers in the country.
As part of the initiative, a national conference with relevant stakeholders, representatives from public institutions and experts will be organized, and through field visits in several municipalities, the government measure will be discussed with the citizens. The benefits of achieving this measure will be shown through an informative video that will be shared with the general public.

This 2I aims to inform the community about the government measure and the need for increased support for the best students to participate in international Olympiads and competitions, as well as young talents to be recognized by institutions and the community.
This will be achieved by creating a short documentary with one of the young intellectuals, a public screening of the film and a post-film discussion with the audience on how young people can be most properly valued and rewarded.

The purpose of this 2I will be the introduction of gender equality in the governing bodies (assembly, board of directors, supervisory board, etc.) of sports federations that are beneficiaries of funds from the Budget of the Republic of North Macedonia. The initiative refers to the government promise that in 2020 30%, and by 2023 50% in the governing bodies of sports federations will be women.
In that direction, through this initiative, the stakeholders will be mobilized and will be encouraged to ask the entities to introduce gender equality in the governing bodies.
With the realization of this initiative, the greatest benefit will have women athletes, and as one of the biggest ally would be the Agency for Youth and Sports which is responsible for the implementation of this measure.

This 2I aims to raise awareness about the importance of foreign direct investments (FDIs) for stimulating economic growth and prosperity in North Macedonia.
As part of the initiative, a poll will be conducted in order to find out how familiar the public is about the measure. Through animated video that will use simple infographics, this 2I will raise awareness about the importance of FDIs, show the trend of FDIs and analyze the current situation
Targeted groups within this initiative are: youth; Economic community (Economic chamber of Macedonia, Finance Think, etc.); Unemployed people (Federation of Trade Unions in Macedonia, Association of Unemployed – Macedonia, еtc.)

The 2I seeks to assess and identify key local problems that young people face in Skopje and raise the awareness about them. It will organize interviews with youth who have different backgrounds, careers, successes and challenges. Each interview will be presented in a form of short video that will be disseminated to general public and young people. The identified challenges will be shared with local administration and other stakeholders but also used for preparation of the local election program of the party.

The initiative will assess citizens’ satisfaction with the quality of life and local government work in Chair municipality. It will conduct comprehensive research that will include not only the perceptions about past work but also the expectations for the future. The findings and the recommendations for improvement from the research will be used for political party local election program.

The Initiative will prepare an analytical study entitled “Municipality of Aerodrom for young people.” The study is aimed to identify key problems of youth, their expectations and disappointments so far. Key activities are a) expert survey conducted on a relevant number of respondents in the municipality; b) analysis of data in cooperation with Party Research and Analytical Center of VMRO-DPMNE; c) preparation of promotional materials for presentation of the results obtained from the survey and their analysis; d) presentation of data to the public (event and online platforms) and e) sharing the study with the party to be reflected in the election program for the next local elections..

The initiative aims to open the topic of continuous cooperation of persons with disabilities with political parties. The 2I will help establish a website accessible for people with disabilities and it will contain targeted information about: education, access to accurate data, communication, cooperation with persons with disabilities, etc. The website will be public and accessible for all but it will be also a part of the election campaign of the party for local elections 2021. The party will maintain the site after 2I and In this way it is hoped to inspire other political parties to be more open to persons with disabilities .

This initiative aims to raise awareness among young people about the relevance and impact of their vote, to inform them why it is important to be actively involved in processes at the local level, how to make an informed decision and how to evaluate the election programs for their local community. The findings from the initiative will be shared with the political party and will be used in identifying the best approach to outreach to young people during the local election campaign.

This 2I will contribute towards creating a culture of inclusiveness in municipality of Aerodrom, by creating and implementing joint proposals for inclusive local policies. The initiative will include focus groups with parents and personal assistants/teachers of people with disabilities which will identify local problems and possible solutions for the barriers of social inclusion, tools and policies to be implemented by the local administration, consolidated at a public discussion. The gathered information from all stakeholders will be compiled in a Policy brief and simulative brochure that will be presented to all stakeholders. In this way, the people with disabilities, their families, assistive and education personnel, the municipal authorities and the general public will have a model for inclusive and sustainable dialogue and the party will have a model for inclusion to be reflected in the party program in general and for the upcoming local elections.

The initiative addresses the lack of opportunities for cultural manifestations and explores the options and prospects for creating a common space for cultural events in the municipality of Saraj. The 2I will provide an inclusive platform for relevant stakeholders to discuss and contribute to defining desired solutions and benefits for the community in this area. With the support of an experienced facilitator, key stakeholders will work together to draft an Action Plan laying key milestone of a roadmap towards establishment of a Cultural Centre. Once finalized, the Action Plan will be presented to local authorities, decision makers and broader public (on local TV stations, social media) so it prepares the ground for a political offer for the upcoming local elections 2021.

This 2I will examine the discrimination in parts of society that are aimed towards the LGBT community. This initiative will focus on straightening the equal opportunity as well as equal local access and systemic support for the target group. The implementation process of this initiative will include qualitative and desk research including focus groups with LGBT members in finding the best solution to the ongoing issues as well as analyses on already existing legal framework on this issues and interviews with public and municipality representatives. The findings in forms of proposals and Policy brief will be shared with the public and the party for building a position for the local elections program for City of Skopje.

The 2I will address the youth apathy and inertness when it comes to political participation and activism in the municipality of Centar. Its activities are designed towards improving the level of youth inclusion in the process of decision making on local level, better representation and active role of the youth in the work of the municipality. It will do this trough comprehensive research and quantitative and qualitative analysis coupled with workshop, resulting in a policy brief with recommendations which will be widely promoted through elaborate campaign and submitted to the municipal authorities and the party for consideration for its program for the local elections.

This 2I will is focused on an ongoing infrastructure issue that locals from the municipality of Sopiste are experiencing in their everyday life. In order to address this vital issue for the residents of two villages from Sopiste, this initiative will include: technical assessment, research and analysis, mapping of financial instruments and solutions stemming from focus group discussions with the residents of the two villages and individual interviews with representatives from the municipality/government agencies concerned. The initiative is expected to yield a ready-made solution and policy brief with recommendation which will be shared with the stakeholders, but also the party in order to be reflected in the election program for the local elections.

The initiative seeks to explore public opinion (through research) on how people understand open lists and what are the implications for voters, if open lists are applied. The findings, in a form of brochure, will be presented and shared with the public. A debate with stakeholders will also be organized. Conclusions from the debate and research findings will be presented to the party to be reflected in the party program in general and for the upcoming local elections.

2I seeks to raise the awareness about the gender equality, women rights and the importance of women health (gynecological and psychological aspects including violence against women). Through this entry points, the 2I aims to increase the visibility and the importance of women forum in the political party. Through the workshops and discussions, the 2I will identify priorities and main concerns in this area. These will be included in the party local election program.

The 2I aims to gather information about needs and satisfaction of the residents of Gjorce Petrov municipality from the work of existing local government administration and priorities for future. Comprehensive research will be done to explore following issues: a) daily problems of citizens from micro level (settlements); b) functioning/performance of the municipality/municipal administration; c) citizens’ priorities for their settlements; d) citizens’ satisfaction with Mayor’s work, municipal administration and the work of the councilors. The analyses will include recommendations for improvement. The findings will be used for political party local election program.

This 2I is aiming towards developing and improving the urban culture for the young people in the municipality of Chair, ин Skopje. Due to insufficient urban culture elements, a skate park is pointed out as one of the solutions for the municipality of Chair. For the purpose of this initiative a survey will be implemented as well as an Interview with: a young skater about the benefits of having a skate park; a representative of a municipality that has already invested in a skate park (eg Karpos, Center), about the satisfaction of citizens, especially young people with the existence of a skate park, as well as an assessment of the required financial investment and technical specification. The findings and recommendations will be shared with the public in forms of visualization and promotion and will be submitted to the party for the program for local elections.

The initiative aims to increase the awareness of citizens about the existing environmental pollution in the city of Skopje caused by the (over)usage of plastic, the current management of the waste and the existing mechanisms in place. The 2I envisages preparation and implementation of a video campaign about the problem, its extent and consequences as well as proposed solution. This 2I proposes increasing public awareness about the need and benefits of increasing the number of Reverse Vending Machines (RVMs) (solution promised by the city of Skopje) and further promoting the introduction of RVMs in other municipalities. These actions are expected to contribute to better living conditions of the citizens in the city of Skopje, but it will also indirectly respond to bigger environmental problems such as global warming and climate change.

This 2I will explore the feasibility for establishing a Youth IT Center. The objective of the center is to create a favorable ecosystem for young people economic independence. The purpose of Youth IT Centers would be to promote IT studies and help youth build IT skills, while helping them come up and develop innovative ideas. The 2I will conduct a research with young people about their opinions on what is needed to be provided by the Center. Also, the initiative will support development of a comparative analysis for IT Centers existing in the region and based on the findings will propose a model for an IT Center and its institutional set up. All these inputs will be consolidated in a Strategy document for establishing the IT Center which will be discussed with stakeholders and relevant authorities.

The initiative addresses the country obligation deriving from the International Convention for the Protection of Animals and European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals (Strasbourg ETS no.125). More specifically, the initiative will entail the conduct of a detailed analysis of the opinions of the residents from Kisela Voda municipality about creating a pet/dog recreational park. The findings of the research and recommended proposals for establishing and operating such park will be presented in a conference involving relevant stakeholders, including local authorities and decision makers. It is expected that the results from this initiative will be included in the agenda of the local elections campaign in 2021.

This 2I aims to address the problem of high air pollution in the city of Skopje. The initiative will conduct a research aimed to identify key issues related to air pollution caused by the urban transport and its effects on health of the population. The findings from the research and the recommendations for reduction of air pollution will be prepared in a document that will be presented (hence gather further inputs) to representatives of civil society, businesses, local and regional governmental bodies, individuals etc. Once the recommendations for reduction of air pollution are finalized, they will be presented and broadly disseminated through informative materials and videos to inform and mobilize citizens to implement them.