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Balkan Rock Council - Network strategy 2008-2009 |
Network Strategy, Balkan Rock Council/Wired Network 2008 - 2009
BRC’s operating context and strategic focus
Empowering the cultural environment of youth in today’s SEE makes sense in many ways: it is a strong promoter of democratic processes, tolerance, voluntarism, activism and the value of self-realization and informal education. It creates meaningful activities, social gatherings, competence, hope and even jobs or improved possibility for employment in a region where all this is badly needed.
This project aims at 4 levels:
- boosting a number of local organisations. In this way there will be a number of local music NGO’s to set an example for other organisations, for authorities and other stakeholders in the region. The method, shortly described, will be a negotiation with the local municipality to get them to provide space if the organisation the gets the necessary hardware and know-how to be the gathering facility for the local music environment.
- Education, training and workshops, addressing both the local and the umbrella level. Example: by educating sound engineers, the local organisations can become non-dependent from the private sound companies and hereby lower costs and possible create future professionals.
- Events of a certain size and quality, to promote values and modern youth culture itself, and build capacity among involved organisations and activists.
- Last but not least, to build up the capacity, credibility and sustainability of Balkan Rock Council, taking for granted that an umbrella organisation is a valid way to gather and empower the local youth/music NGO’s. At the moment the Balkan Rock Council is in an establishing phase, transforming from an informal network into a formal structure. This process is not all easy, and the funding from Danish MFA’s neighbourhood Program ends by April 2008. Funding of a certain size from another source is crucial for BRC’s success in fulfilling it’s potential.
This project finds justification in these assumptions:
- there is a need for an improved quantity and quality of cultural events and structures
- there is a lack of knowledge and understanding on the importance of a dynamic cultural environment among politicians and authorities
- youth poverty is a threat to stability and progress in SEE region
- there is a need for an umbrella organisation, gathering and empowering the cultural NGO’s in SEE
The project context & synthesis: The importance of culture, the modern, urban, international, uncensored expressions, and the young generations access to experience this, as the audience and thus part of a social event, or performer as well as organizer, with direct influence and participation, is not to be underestimated: Socialising as well as self realisation are recognised as important needs for a human beings, living a decent life. Additionally, the informal education, democratic experience and sense of influence are valuable outcomes of the cultural NGO's.
Most organised cultural and social activities diminished as a consequence of wars and conflicts in the former Yugoslavia. In particular, inter-regional activity almost stopped, and there were hardly any cultural exchange between countries and entities in SEE, and between SEE and the rest of Europe. The civil structures on youth culture had to start from scratch, in societies with minimal resources and often hostile authorities, seeing urban youth culture as a threat to their values. All this underlines the atmosphere of hopelessness amongst youth. There has been some improvement and growth in the cultural NGO environment, but frequent political violence and setbacks, growing nationalism and increasing youth poverty are dominant factors. Many young artists and participants in the cultural life are left disillusioned, with a reduced faith in the power of creating and organising, and thereby being actively engaged in the cultural environment – an important voice in a democratic civil society and a cornerstone in a decent life for the young generation. Unemployment is often mentioned as an overall problem, but the missing possibility for self-realisation is to be considered an equal problem for youth.
On the other hand, the experience gained in Balkan Rock Council/Wired Network shows that strengthening of, and co-operation between, youth NGO’s can lead to visible reduction in youth poverty and measurable political influence and results. Between likeminded cultural organizations, cross-boarder co-operation has been proven possible and sustainable.
"BRC’s 2008 -2009 strategy in short form: |
Aims of BRC |
1. More and stronger cultural NGO’s in SEE, where a strengthened cultural environment leads to reduced youth poverty and involvement of youth in positive activities. |
2. Multiethnic, interregional and international music/culture events and multicultural environments are happening regularly, visualizing an alternative to nationalism and prejudice. |
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3. To provide and strengthen a regional platform for sharing experience, enhancing competence and capacity and increase the quantity and quality of cultural events and organisations |
Problems identified by BRC |
1. Youth poverty is a threat to stability and progress in SEE region. |
2. There is a need for an improved quantity and quality of cultural events and structures, and there is a lack of knowledge and understanding on the importance of a dynamic cultural environment among politicians and authorities. |
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3. There is a need for an umbrella organisation, gathering and empowering the cultural NGO’s in SEE. |
Measures/Means, most important |
1. The activities, facilities and options for involvement in the local cultural NGO’s and the umbrella structure will create hope, self-realization, informal education and even jobs/income |
2. Strategic, well-planned and visible events of music and related culture as a strong carrier and communicator of values, hope and a reason to involve and take your future in your own hand. |
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3. The umbrella organization will be the platform for sharing of knowledge, resources and skills, joint fundraising, joint campaigns (connected organizations stand stronger when trying to influence authorities etc.) and joint events, and can even be a stepping stone to influence national laws on culture. |
Expected results |
1. Increased number of self sustainable, democratic and visible cultural NGO’s in the targeted countries, offering rehearsal facilities, options to perform, office facilities, a social + educational environment and regional/international connections. |
2. Concerts/festivals/events with a visible multiethnic and interregional/international character as a direct result of BRC being a platform for MO’s to cooperate. |
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3. A widely recognized, competent and self sustainable regional umbrella organization for the Youth/music NGO’s |
Structure
We will focus on strategic development of BRC in the forthcoming period, to gain optimal sustainability and relevance. Our strategy is to develop the umbrella organisation, to share experience and resources and be able to gain more direct political influence, but still maintain our level of activity on “street level” and bring culture to the people.
The inspiration for the structural changes is partly taken from the European national umbrella organisations in the music sector, but based on the input and experience gained from networking in the SEE region.
Membership: NGO’s and individuals can become members of BRC, after signing and recognizing the Membership Terms. The membership is free of charge. Any organization or individual member is free to leave BRC if all issues between BRC and the member are solved, like financial and narrative reporting, borrowed equipment etc. Members can be excluded by the board in case of activities colliding with BRC’s goals or misuse of BRC funds or name. Exclusions have to be confirmed on the following General Assembly.
Structure and decision making process in the network: The network started to work according to the new structure from October 2005, to match the formalization and transition of Wired into BRC.
This is the BRC structure: The annual General Assembly Meeting is the supreme authority - highest decision making body. For the Assembly Meeting all member organizations (hereafter also called MO’s) can send one (or for specific reasons, more) representative(s), every organization has one vote. Individual members can participate in the Assembly, but with no vote. The Assembly decides upon the Network Strategy, and can suggest and initiate content and changes.
The Assembly elects a chairman and the executive board, consisting of 4 members and 1 substitute member. The executive board constitutes itself with a vice president and special responsibilities and tasks for the board members. The assembly can either decide upon or give the mandate for employing coordinators to the executive board.
The executive board is obligated to manage the network according to the Network Strategy with the stated objectives and activities, but within this frame, they have full competence in decision making between the GAs. Coordinators and webmaster work closely with the executive board, and have the tasks of maintaining the network with financial work and internal/external communication.
Development of projects, input for Network Strategy and broad sharing of knowledge can happen on the Reflex Meeting, held app. half a year after the General Assembly if funding allows this meeting to take place.
Fundraising – the no. 1 focus is funding for activities and structure. All fundraising in accordance with BRC’s network strategy (this document) can be made in BRC’s name/with BRC as formal platform, but has to be approved by the board before submittance to donors.
Involvement of volunteers – since promotion of voluntary activism is one of the networks objectives, and since the network is not working in direction of a widely professionalisation, the involvement of volunteers will still have a high priority. The executive board will be volunteers, unless extensive tasks are undertaken. The GA can constitute teams like a team for external information, a taskforce group and teams connected to extrovert activities. Volunteers will be recruited within the member organizations. The international meeting and the network activities are important events for the recruitment of volunteers.
Communication
Internal:
The internal communication relies on the board, supported by the coordinators. Crucial information for key activists and MO’s are by e-mail, and is the coordinators responsibility, except when there is a temporary workgroup connected to a specific activity. The web-site will also inform members on network.
The board is obligated to write reports with decisions from board meetings.
External:
Media: Most BRC activities in the past had good media coverage, with local and national TV, radio and newspapers broadcasting from and about our events to listeners and viewers to be counted in thousands.
Public in general: Our website is developed to provide general information on culture, in order to make it relevant for external users. The extrovert activities of the network are also efficient in external communication. Posters for events contain the networks name and logotype, in order to be visible in the public.
Administration
1 Financial responsibility: At the time of writing, the overall financial responsibility is located within URUK, Banja Luka. The GA 2008 will decide the procedure for funds obtained after administration of the last Danish MFA grant is finished.
2 Accounts: The overall responsibility is on the Executive Board is finished. For each activity there is one person/organization responsible for handing in the receipts and the draft for the financial report latest 2 month after the end of the activity. This person/organization is clearly pointed out in the activity plan. Money for implementing an activity can be handed out upon the signing of a receiving document, and the receipts/report draft quoting for the received amount is handed in later. This process is always conducted by a board member or a coordinator pointed out by the board. Otherwise, receipts on recognized expenses will be reimbursed by a coordinator or financial responsible for the actual project.
3 Employees can be employed by the board if the board is given this mandate by the GA.
4 Responsibility for website coordinator: Keeping the website updated according to the standards and objectives in the network strategy, obtaining information and material for website, paying expenses for website.
