The Center for environmental research and information Eko-svest, in cooperation with CNVP Macedonia and Ecologists movement of Macedonia, is seeking individual trainers for the preparation and performing of 8 trainings for environmental Civil Society Organisations (in the further text referred to as: CSOs).

The trainings are implemented as part of the project Communities Communicating Climate Change, implemented by Eko-svest, CNVP Macedonia and Ecologists movement of Macedonia and funded by the European Union. The contents of this call are the sole responsibility of Eko-svest and partners and can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the European Union.

This call is open until August 30^th, 2018. Trainers are required to submit their expression of interest, indicating the area of their intervention (one or more trainings listed in the Terms of Reference (ToR), please see below), CVs (curriculum vitae) and fee for the task to be undertaken. The foreseen number of expert days for preparation and execution of each training is 4 (four) expert days, including the days of the training. The trainings are to take place in the period between September and December 2018. Curricula and materials for the trainings should be complete by 15 September 2018 at the latest to ensure smooth implementation of the training programme.

Each of the trainings is planned to last 1.5 days and all organisational activities related to the trainings will be the task of Eko-svest and partners, including arranging travel for international trainers.

The successful applicants must meet all of the selection criteria below:

• At least 5 (five) years of relevant working experience in the field of the training they are applying for;
• A university degree in a field relevant to the training they are applying for;
• Relevant trainer certificates in the field they are applying for (should be sent as supporting documents with the expression of interest);
• Proven experience in designing and conducting trainings in the field they are applying for with at least 3 (three) trainings conducted;
• Excellent communication and presentation skills;
• Ability to work independently as well as in cooperation with project team.

The preselected trainers will be invited to a short interview in person or via skype in the period between 31^st August and 05^th September 2018, while the decision on selected candidates will be reached on 06^th September 2018 by the team working on the project.

The selected trainer for each of the trainings will present the draft curriculum for the training(s) s/he is responsible for to Eko-svest at the latest by 15^th September in order to agree on an agenda for the training and finalise the training curriculum by 20^th September 2018.

Expressions of interest must be submitted in electronic format to nevena@ekosvest.com.mk no later than 16:00 CEST on August 30^th, 2018.

Questions about this call can be addressed by e-mail to nevena@ekosvest.com.mk or elena@ekosvest.com.mk no later than COB on July 31, 2018.

 

Terms of reference

Trainings for CSOs (8 trainings)

The general aim of the trainings for CSOs is to improve the capacity of CSOs, their accountability and sustainability so they are able to fulfill their mission and influence policy-making on local and national level.

To assess the areas where intervention with trainings is necessary, project team and a consultant performed a needs assessment, which is available upon request and, together with the consultation with project team, should be the basis for preparation of the curricula for the training sessions.

Additionally, a broader aim is to encourage training participants and their organisations to take follow up action and to actively participate in decision making process and contribute in shaping climate policy on national level.

The topics of the trainings should be as follows:

• Accountability for CSOs
• Transparency of CSOs
• Climate change
• Advocacy and lobbying practices
• Communication strategies and practices
• Crowdfunding
• Partnership principle implementation
• Youth work and volunteering

Below are details regarding the topics that are to be covered with each of the trainings.

Training on Accountability of CSOs

Location: Skopje, participants will be from all 8 regions in Macedonia

The aim of this training is to address the lack of accountability and concrete focus of environmental CSOs in Macedonia, particularly in the eastern and Vardarski regions. According the needs assessment, organisations do not have concrete organisational goals that are based on values and that determine their activities, but instead work on whatever projects they can get. Furthermore, some organisations get money from Municipalities where their members, presidents or Board Members are employed, bringing the integrity and accountability of the entire CSO sector into question.

The topics to be covered during this training are:

• Technical capacities of CSOs for management, including managing the work process, organizational development, operational procedures, basics of accounting and financial operations for CSOs;
• Governance for CSOs, including statutes, values of CSOs, strategic plans and the difference between Annual Work Programme/Action Plan and a Strategic Plan;
• Explaining the role and possible ways of functioning of CSOs, including positive and negative examples of the relationship between CSOs and their constituents.

Training on Transparency of CSOs

Location: Northeast region, participants will be primarily (but not solely) from Eastern, North-eastern and Vardarski region

The aim of this training is to introduce and strengthen the concept of transparency and accountability of CSOs, as well as helping CSOs to increase the trust citizens have in them.

The topics to be covered during this training are:

• The role of civil society in the society as a whole, including, but not limited to working on a particular topic or goal vs. addressing burning issues (such as air pollution, a certain project etc.);
• “How to increase the trust of citizens in CSOs power for change?” – transparency of funding sources, transparency of financial and narrative reports of CSOs, transparency of activities;
• Aarhus convention and consultative processes, including gathering and forming opinions, communicating opinions to institutions, feedback to constituents and following up on communication with institutions;
• Increasing the visibility of CSO activities as part of their transparency;
• Increasing the integrity of CSOs.

Training on Climate change for CSOs

Location: Skopje, participants will be from all 8 regions in Macedonia

 

The aim of this training is to increase the knowledge of CSOs on the topic of climate change and to empower them for action on the topic on the local and national level.

The topics to be covered during this training are:

• Basics of climate change – dispelling the conspiracy theories, including the role of HAARP in climate change, extreme climate events, differences between greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and air pollution, localization of the responsibility for climate change;
• Impacts of climate change on various sectors (agriculture, food production, apiculture, tourism, other sectors impacted by climate change);
• Impacts of various sectors on climate change (energy and transport sectors, farming, forestry);
• Alternatives for dealing with climate change – adaptation vs. mitigation (including good and bad examples, as well as adapting and properly maintaining infrastructure to reduce the effects of extreme climate events);
• The role of CSOs in dealing with climate change on the local and national level, including possibilities for awareness raising activities, participation in policy making and communication with institutions and media;
• Introduction to Climate justice.

Training on Advocacy and lobbying practices for CSOs

Location: Vardarski region, participants will be primarily (but not solely) from Vardarski, Southeast and Poloski regions

The aim of this training is to increase the capacity of CSOs for successful advocacy and lobbying practices, including explaining the goals of such activities and what those activities could entail.

The topics to be covered during this training are:

• What is advocacy and lobbying and why an organization should engage in it;
• Types of possible cooperation with stakeholders, including how to make sure an organization gets the necessary support for a cause (possibly financial support, but also other types of support);
• How to identify partners in a cause and do you have to have the same mission to work together on a cause;
• Tools and mechanisms for advocacy, mechanisms for requesting transparency and accountability from institutions, including Aarhus convention;
• Examples of good advocacy;
• Watchdogging;
• How to prepare an advocacy plan and what needs to be in it – “think about the goal, not where the money will come from”.

Training on Communication strategies and practices

Location: Pelagoniski region, participants will be primarily (but not solely) from Northeast, Pelagoniski and Vardarski regions

The aim of this training is to improve the visibility and reach of CSOs by increasing their capacity for communication, as well as instructing them in communication strategies and practices.

The topics to be covered during this training are:

• What is a communication plan and why does an organization need one?
• Effective media communication for CSOs, including basics of effective communication, differences of communication based on general knowledge vs. fact-based communication, effectively calling public to action on certain topics;
• Basics of using social media;
• Legal aspects of communication, including liability for the communications of the organization;
• Increasing the visibility of CSOs.

Training on Crowdfunding

Location: Southwest region, participants will be primarily (but not solely) from Southwest, Northeast, Pelagoniski and Vardarski regions

The aim of this training is to help organisations become more independent by increasing their ability to effectively and independently acquire funding.

The topics to be covered during this training are:

• Reasons for low capacities of CSOs for project writing;
• What is co-financing and how and organization can secure it;
• Project-based approach vs. value based approach and how to combine them effectively;
• The link between strategic planning and obtaining funds;
• Mobilizing non-financial resources;
• Donor-driven working vs. attracting donors for certain causes;
• Where NOT to look for funds and why NOT?

 

Training on Partnership principle implementation

Location: Skopje, participants will be from all 8 regions

The aim of this training is to explain the concept of partnership principle and how to put it into practise in decision-making.

The topics to be covered during this training are:

• Role of CSOs in society, including the difference between “politics”, “political” and “political parties”;
• Partnership principle in decision making and European Code of Conduct on Partnership;
• Minimum standards for ensuring transparency and public involvement in decision making;
• Applying partnership principle to climate mainstreaming in strategic documents.

 

Training on Volunteering and attracting youth to the CSO cause

Location: Skopje or Eastern region, participants will be primarily from Pelagoniski, Eastern, Northeast and Southwest regions

The aim of this training is to increase the ability of CSOs for mobilisation of citizens as volunteers, particularly of young people.

The topics to be covered during this training are:

• Mobilising the public to action;
• Mobilising young people to action;
• Joint action with other stakeholders for achieving a certain goal;
• What are volunteers and what they are not;
• Attracting volunteers and keeping them in your organisation;
• Exchanging experience on successful citizen mobilisation (for example in Southeast region) towards a cause.