Balkans, let's get up!

About us

Balkans, let's get up! started back in 2009 as an initiative of young people aged between 23 and 30, who come from or live on the Balkans. Their idea was to create a living democracy, civic self-determination and involvement among young adults in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia. Since then, the initiative has been living from regular and intense engagement of these and other young adults, who want to empower peers to take responsibility in their political, civic or economic surrounding.
Since March 2013, Balkans, let's get up! is an officially registered association in Serbia. Its main activity remains to carry out the yearly programme which has been successful in the past four years, with the aim of creating a living democracy in the Balkan region.
The Balkans, let's get up! Organisation is a voluntary, non-governmental, non-partisan and non-profit association incorporated for an indefinite period of time in order to achieve objectives in the field of constructing and developing civil society through democracy building and civic education.

Balkans, let’s get up! aims at strengthening the civil society on the Balkans through civic education. We are active in Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania and Serbia. Despite the different developments that each of the countries has undergone in the last decades, we focus on the similarities in the historical, current political and economic development, the social environment and the cultural background of the people living there and most important: the development of the civil sphere. Thus we address common challenges and seek for common solutions, enabling young adults to encounter, learn from each other and to work together later on.

What is a living democracy for us?
Make use of the freedom of thinking. Critical and visionary people are the cornerstone of any democracy. Thus we encourage young people to reflect on the current situations and problems of their societies, their everyday life, their immediate environment and to constructively take influence on them.

Participation.
A lively democracy is based on the co-determination by its citizens. Our participants experience success when they interfere in the social affairs. This experience boosts their self-confidence as a citizen and their willingness for co-determination. Thus we point out to our target group the opportunity of making such an experience. Our work as well is process oriented together with the participants: We strive for a balance between conceived content and methods, and the needs of our participants. By learning how to formulate their wishes and needs, they advocate already at their first seminar for their own ideas and their image of a joint project. This way we give our participants a vivid experience of democratic group processes.

Voluntary Action to the Benefit of the Community.
Acting to the benefit of the public and the social relevance of an action of an individual is the basic requirement of our projects. The young adults do not only learn how to implement a project, but also to constantly consider what are the benefits for the people in their surrounding.

Therefore, we aim:
-to strengthen active citizenship in the Balkans region through providing civic education to young adults and motivating them to take responsibility and get civically involved
-to establish a culture of responsible leadership among active youth in the Balkan region through qualification
-to foster a spirit of cooperation, solidarity and mutual support among active citizens, civic organizations and initiatives on the Balkans region in order to make their common efforts more effective.

Our main partners who supported us in our development are:
- Theodor-Heuss-Kolleg of the MitOst Association and Robert Bosch Stiftung
- MitOst e.V.
- Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung
- Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung