Announcements

   

Enhancing Regional Activism for Lasting Change

GFSIS with the support of the Embassy of the Netherlands is launching a pilot project targeting young regional alumni of GFSIS and the Netherlands Embassy projects.

Through the grant making initiative, we strive to promote civic participation and democratic governance by strengthening the capacities of young civil society actors for cultural and socio-economic development with a view to increasing the engagement of youth at the local level.

Within the scope of the project, five to twelve small grants will be issued. Alumni of GFSIS and Embassy of the Netherlands projects, who are actively engaged in their respective regions and communities can apply. Received applications will be reviewed and selected by a commission.

Ideally, the competition calls for proposals from the GFSIS and the Embassy alumni both, individually and through their respective organizations, that employ a range of tools to expand civic participation and community development covering, but not limited to petition writing, creating online platforms to raise awareness about participatory practices and strengthening collaboration between the civil sector and local self-government, etc. The project also looks for applications by local youth initiative groups that promote volunteering and social media platforms to address social issues as well as civil society projects focusing on creating discussion spaces for local authorities and other stakeholders and assisting citizens in taking a more active part in local policy planning, among others. Local organizations can also propose projects supporting vulnerable groups in local communities such as internally displaced persons, people with disabilities, the elderly and children.    

Overall, the project seeks to reduce barriers to youth participation and contribute to more inclusive and responsive practices in the regions in order to change the culture of inertia and engage regional actors in proactive actions.

Please follow our social media page as the call for applications as well as the online orientation meeting will be announced soon.