PROJECT PROPOSAL - 2005 HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY

UNCLAS ZAGREB 000916 SIPDIS DEPT FOR DRL/PHD - CUMBERLAND EUR/SCE - KABUMOTO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM KDEM HR SUBJECT: PROJECT PROPOSAL - 2005 HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY FUND REF: STATE 67040 ¶1. SUMMARY: Post proposes to fund a project aimed at encouraging first-time voters by educating secondary-school students throughout Croatia about the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. This project, called "I'm Voting for the First Time," would be carried out by local non-partisan NGO GONG. As a young democracy, Croatia suffers from low voter turnout (around 40 percent at May 15 local elections) and a lack of understanding of active citizenship, particularly in areas outside Zagreb and other urban centers. This first-time voter education project addresses these issues by filling a critical gap in Croatia's high school curriculum. There are no other projects meeting this need. This proposal also supports Post's MPP Performance Goal that Croatia possess "democratic institutions needed for integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions" through the tactic of "assisting NGOs which organize citizen observers and public education." In addition, the project complements USAID technical assistance in the areas of fundraising, self-financing and policy research to sustain GONG as a legacy mechanism in the area of democracy and electoral reform. END SUMMARY. "I'M VOTING FOR THE FIRST TIME" PROJECT NARRATIVE -------------- -------------- ¶2. Post seeks DRL funds for the project "I'm Voting for the First Time," a series of 800 educational workshops for 24,000 Croatian high school seniors, 17 to 18 years old, beginning in the fall of 2005. This program will serve as a basic element within Croatia's high school curriculum on the right to vote, the electoral process, and the role of citizens in a modern democracy. Training materials include brochures and posters on voting, elections, and public advocacy. ¶3. Each workshop will consist of three parts: - Trainers first ask students what it means to turn 18 and whether they know their new civic and political rights and duties. Trainers guide students in discussion of their voting rights, recording key points on flip charts. ) After the students become aware of all the rights and duties they acquire when turning 18, trainers focus the discussion on the process of voting, types of elections and electoral procedures. Trainers address all questions or misunderstandings students might have concerning technical aspects of elections. ) Lastly, trainers apply the rights and duties discussed in the workshop to an example from their everyday life, illustrating that responsible citizens must also be active after election day. Students discuss public advocacy issues that could arise in their community, such as town authorities closing a popular youth club. Participants explore how they could react to the closure, whom they could contact or meet, and how they could organize a public initiative or petition to get media attention. THE GONG ORGANIZATION -------------- ¶4. Founded in 1997, GONG is non-partisan and dedicated to promoting free and fair elections, educating citizens about their rights and duties, and promoting dialogue between government and constituents. The organization,s work in promoting active public participation in the democratic process is highly regarded and GONG has shared its experience with similar organizations throughout SE Europe and among the Newly Independent States. GONG is also well known for its election monitoring capacity, which has included training Iraqi election monitors and participating in a European election monitoring mission in Ukraine. ¶5. It is important to note that "I'm Voting for the First Time" is the result of several years of advocacy by GONG to convince the government to allow their trainers, primarily young lawyers, political scientists and sociologists trained by GONG, into classrooms. This project represents an opportunity to make instruction on active citizenship and the fundamentals of democracy a permanent part of Croatian high school education, something that can serve as a model throughout the region. BUDGET -------------- ¶6. To carry out this project, we seek USD 49,985 in DRL funding. This will be matched by funds already secured by GONG from other donors. Budget breakdown is as follows: DRL funds Matching Total funds Program Costs 17,695 34,050* 75,670 (Trainers' fees, travel, materials, trainer orientation and evaluation) Administrative Costs 32,290 15,360* 52,485 (Partial funding of project coordinator, regional coordinators, financial director; employer taxes, telephone/fax/internet, postage, office supplies and rent) Total Costs 49,985 49,410* 128,155 *Matching funds indicate funds already approved by other donors. GONG is awaiting response on an additional USD 28,000 grant, which is not yet included in the matching funds. A complete budget spreadsheet and narrative will be provided to DRL/PHD Kara Cumberland by e-mail. SHORT AND LONG TERM GOALS -------------- ¶7. The overall goal of "I'm Voting for the First Time" is to educate and encourage young citizens to participate in their democracy, to introduce civic education into the Croatian educational system, and to contribute to the development of a democratic society by informing youth about the importance of active citizenship and citizens' initiatives. The immediate goal is to train 42 trainers then deliver 800 workshops reaching 24,000 high school seniors across Croatia during the 2005-2006 academic year. In addition, this program will assist GONG in encouraging student participation in its other projects, such as "Open Parliament" (visiting the Parliament and meeting MPs) and "Citizens' Hours" (meeting their elected representatives from the local and national level). ¶8. In the long term, we expect this program to help develop a positive attitude among young people toward the political process and toward a civil society that seeks democracy and the protection of human rights. EXPECTED IMPACT -------------- ¶9. Students will emerge from the workshops with a greater understanding of their role as active citizens in a modern democracy. As participants share their impressions with friends and relatives, the program will naturally multiply its effect, reaching diverse societal groups and encouraging civic engagement throughout Croatia, particularly in regions outside of urban centers where there is an acute lack of NGOs and civic activities. The ultimate impact will be a raised awareness among citizens in this transitional society that participation in political processes, from elections to policy-making, is crucial to further stabilization of democracy. LENGTH OF PROJECT AND TIMELINE -------------- ¶10. September-October 2005: GONG will inform all Croatian high schools about the project and print educational materials. GONG will prepare a group of instructors, assigned by county, to deliver the workshops, ensuring all have passed the organization's "training for trainers." ¶11. October 2005-January 2006: GONG instructors will travel in two-person teams throughout their counties visiting all contacted high schools under the coordination of GONG's regional offices. All workshops will take place by the end of January 2006. ¶12. February 2006: GONG will evaluate the project, conducting an evaluation seminar with all trainers and regional offices, and complete a project report. EVALUATION PLANS -------------- ¶13. There will be ongoing evaluation during the project and an evaluation seminar at the end. The project coordinator will visit at least one session conducted by each training team to evaluate and improve their performance. At each workshop, trainers will collect written evaluations and comments from each student and teacher. These are then incorporated with post-training questionnaires submitted by participating high schools. The project coordinator will then review these evaluations and update on a daily basis a data base of all schools, status of workshop delivery, associated costs, and representative "impressions" from the evaluations. This allows adjustments to be made throughout the project and maintains fiscal accountability. Following implementation, GONG will gather all trainers and coordinators for an evaluation weekend and discuss project organization, communication/coordination and results in order to provide feedback for improvement of the project. These findings will be published in the project report. SUSTAINABILITY PLAN -------------- ¶14. We expect that this project will continue on an annual basis with other (particularly Government of Croatia and EU) funding. We are seeking DRL funding for the 2005-2006 delivery of the project, while USAID-funded technical assistance in fundraising and self-financing will assist the organization in finding new resources to continue the program in 2006 and beyond. ¶15. Embassy Action officer will be Political Officer Tom Selinger, backed up by Political Counselor Vonda Delawie. Both officers expect to be at post throughout the life of the project. FRANK NNNN