VIEWS

Let’s be proactive
 

There it is, the second NGO Fair happened, this time in a bit modified form: one additional day and emphasized forum part which covered a great number of topics. Even the name changed into NGO Fair – Civic Society Forum, pointing at the importance of the discussion part.
When the decision was made the Fair to be prolonged for a day, I, as part of the organization team, had doubts if it would succeed to maintain the interest in the whole duration of the event. But the figure of around 6000 visitors implies great interest for both the NGO activists and the citizens.

The bitter topics which provoke problems in the sector, attracted 915 interested in the forum part, a figure enough to provide vivid discussions and debates, to express various attitudes and views on the current conditions and a lot of ideas and proposals how to continue further. A great number of topics were discussed, starting from the general trends and challenges which the civic society is facing, the relations with the other sectors: governmental, business-sector, media; ethic behavior and accountability in the civic society, the NGO image, legal and fiscal frame, trends and challenges in the relations with the donators, mutual cooperation and networking. In the discussions we were enough self-critical, so we admitted our own omissions and mistakes and we were constructive enough to give various options for the future. Apart from the various views and a great number of various proposals, the documented conclusions from the sessions point that for many issues we have reached some mutual attitudes and the possible directions for further action can already be seen. Now it is very important not to stop here. We must not wait for the next fair to come so that we return again to these issues. The mutual communication, debate, discussions, dilemmas and problems solving will have to be carried out continuously, both on general level (level of the whole civic sector) and on bi, three or multilateral level. At the next fair we will have to present the concrete results, which we will have reached by then. If nothing happens between the two fairs, then the forum part of the NGO Fair will lose its sense. Many of the issues, which were discussed, the organizations will touch independently of anything or any other organizations. So they will be also treated individually of the organizations through their work and behavior. Therefore we should try to be proactive in that relation. The first step we can take is to test our work in relation to the brought decisions from the forum discussions.

One of the issues, which were discussed a lot in the forum part, to which a special session was dedicated and which was also mentioned at the other debates, was the transparency and the reporting working and the NGO image. The exhibition part of the NGO Fair was exactly an advantage to improving them. The exhibition of the 199 organizations was a place where the civic organizations told the public what they do, presenting their programs, projects, plans, annual reports. How can NGOs build their image if not exposing their working in front of the public? They have to say who they are, what they do, why they do it. We have to understand that what we are going to do also needs to be documented and properly presented to the public. The public should be familiar with the values and visions which are behind our enthusiastic working, the values as: to help the others, to strive for maintaining peace and peaceful life in our country, to find an appropriate place for the citizen in the society, to strive for overcoming the vices and leading healthy life, values as love, understanding, friendship etc. We most often present these values exclusively through our work, through what we have done. We should try to change the habits and to make an attempt in presenting our work to give the other dimension, which is how we get to the wanted objective and which are the values we respect.

As far as the identity and the image of the civic society is considered, this NGO Fair showed, or at least tried to show that the projects and the foreign donations are not the only thing to stand behind the civic society. 

A great number of organizations registered according to the Law for civic associations have rarely managed to get assets from a donator on the basis of a project and they have a massive membership and function only from memberships or they are a group of enthusiasts and everything they do is only on a volunteering basis. We will have to expand our views on the civic society and the understanding that it only consists of ecological associations, women organizations, fighters for human rights, multi-cultural associations, children and youth’s embassies and parliaments, on the contrary, the professional associations are here, together with the syndicates, hobby and sports associations.