Social Initiatives – Urban Research Institute

Balkan for Optimising Opportunities, Sustainability and Transformation of Civil Society

URI_Admin — Wed, 15 May 2024 10:07:00 +0000

BOOST aims to enhance democratic, economic, and social development within the Western Balkan region. The project is a comprehensive, long-term program designed to bolster the capacities of civil society across various thematic areas such as youth empowerment and entrepreneurship, rural development and environmental conservation, as well as the preservation of cultural heritage and community advancement. A core focus is on fostering active citizenship through participatory methodologies and ensuring a gender-inclusive perspective across all program endeavours.

Furthermore, the program seeks to support civil society organizations by:

a) providing capacity-building initiatives,
b) offering financial support for activities aligned with the three primary thematic pillars,
c) facilitating networking opportunities among civil society entities and other stakeholders, including local authorities.

Additionally, the project places an emphasis on the empowerment of young individuals, especially women, and the increase of their involvement across the aforementioned pillars. Moreover, it aims to boost citizen engagement and effective collaboration while facilitating direct dialogues with decision-makers at both local and national levels. These concerted efforts contribute to the establishment of transparent and responsive governance structures at the local level, thereby fostering positive regional impacts.

Objectives

Enhance democratic, economic, and social progress within the Western Balkans region in the context of EU enlargement, by empowering civil society in key domains such as youth and entrepreneurship, environmental conservation, rural advancement, as well as the safeguarding of cultural heritage and community progress.

Specific objectives:

Empower civil society organizations in the Western Balkans by enhancing their roles and capacities.
Establish a network of relevant stakeholders (civil society groups, local authorities, universities, and others) dedicated to fostering stable and democratic, economic, cultural, and social advancement across the region.
Foster and promote a common narrative among civil society actors and policymakers, emphasizing European values of peace, democracy, and the integration of all individuals at a regional level.

Factsheet

Leaflet

4PLUS – Public awareness, Preparedness, Participation and Coordination for Civil Protection for All

URI_Admin — Fri, 08 Apr 2022 08:03:25 +0000

Fires and floods have transboundary impacts, which makes a common approach essential. The objectives of this project are to enhance the knowledge and skills of the local authorities and communities in being prepared for and managing consequences caused by natural and man-made hazards, especially for the protection of people with disabilities and older persons.

Factsheet

Bicycle Tirana Project

URI_Admin — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 15:52:13 +0000

Over the years, Tirana’s air and environmental quality has worsened. This project aimed to address the rising levels of pollution in the capital by promoting environmental and healthy urban mobility. In line with the Municipality’s plans to expand the city’s bike lane network. The project focused on expanding the city’s bike lane network and integrating it well with the city’s other forms of urban mobility, increasing citizens’ awareness on the environmental and health benefits of biking, and promoting biking as a healthy, safe and eco-friendly alternative to engine-run vehicles.

Building bike lanes also contributed to the revitalization and valorization of the street and the neighbourhood around it. The lanes were completed with visual elements and signage, according to international standards, in order to ensure optimal safety for bikers, pedestrians and other citizens.

Post COVID-19 Recovery in Informal Settlements in the UNECE Region

URI_Admin — Sun, 10 Jan 2021 08:45:17 +0000

This project strengthened the capacity of national and local governments in UNECE countries to address the needs of the most vulnerable population groups living in the informal settlements. This would enhance the socio-economic recovery following the pandemic and contribute to urban resilience in participating cities and countries.

The project resulted in the development of a Post COVID-19 Recovery Action Plan for Informal Settlements for countries in the ECE region, provided recommendations for upgrading informal settlements to four pilot cities: Tirana (Albania), Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan), Podgorica (Montenegro), Skopje (North Macedonia), and supported the cities in their recovery from the pandemic.

Factsheet

Daily Center for the Third Age

URI_Admin — Sun, 12 Nov 2017 13:03:15 +0000

This Center helps the people who are in the third age and need to be helped, males and females. The members are chosen by giving priority those who should have more needs for the services that we offer, such as alone or poor people.

HAMLET- Highlighting Artisanal Manufacturing, cuLture and Eco Tourism

URI_Admin — Sat, 11 Mar 2017 13:27:00 +0000

Highlighting Artisanal Manufacturing, Culture and Eco Tourism (HAMLET) is an initiative aiming to boost the attractiveness of natural and cultural assets to encourage smart and sustainable economic development. HAMLET addresses the valorization of historical centers, villages and small towns and introduces selected areas into the tourist circuits and aims to boost the cooperation and networking between three Mediterranean countries, while working towards identification of Adriatic area peculiarities.

Factsheet

Social Housing Feasibility Study, Tirana Municipality

URI_Admin — Sat, 11 Mar 2017 13:23:00 +0000

In Albania, there is a perception that traditional social economic aid systems are unable to cope with diverse socio-economic challenges that are creating new kinds of vulnerability characterized by the emergence of mass unemployment and precarious working conditions for those in the labor market. Homelessness in Albania has many faces: young couples unable to afford the rising housing costs in the capital city, victims of domestic violence lacking a safe place, returned immigrants lacking alternative housing options, multi families living a single dwelling unit, members of the Roma and Egyptian communities, etc. As a result, there is a need to re-evaluate the traditional social housing schemes, going beyond the provision and management of a dwelling, and include much broader and complex tasks such as neighborhood management, and social services to tenants with special needs, and generally a stronger involvement in local communities.

Factsheet

Social Inclusion Action Plan 2016-2020, Municipality of Durrës

URI_Admin — Sat, 11 Mar 2017 13:16:35 +0000

The overall objective of the SIPD is to achieve a balanced and sustainable framework for ensuring that social inclusion is measured, monitored and reported in Albania through a robust set of indicators thereby improving ways in which social inclusion is linked to improving Government policies and Albania’s progress towards EU accession. The monitoring and measurement of social inclusion will cover six policy domains, including: poverty and social protection; employment and skills; health; education and training; basic needs; and participation and human rights.

Factsheet

Revitalization of social and cultural life of young people and citizens in Skrapar and the establishment of a Daily Centre for Health Services and Food in Bulqiza

URI_Admin — Sat, 11 Mar 2017 13:14:02 +0000

The project is addressed to young people and the wider community of the cities of Bulqizë and Çorovoda. Located respectively in the northeast and southeast of Albania, those realities have a similar environmental, social and economic background: low economic level of the population, high unemployment and low levels of public investments. Recent economic crisis in destination countries, like Greece and Italy, and the progressive reduction in remittances, has deprived many local families of their only source of livelihood. Unemployment rate, only in Bulqizë reach 46% of the total population. Among youngest, unemployment reaches a dramatic 80%. Professionals and young people have progressively left the municipality area, emigrating abroad or choosing an internal destination, Tirana surroundings at first.

ArtVision – Increasing Inter-Cultural Communication between Adriatic Countries

URI_Admin — Sat, 11 Mar 2017 13:09:22 +0000

The project’s objective is to increase inter-cultural communication between populations in the Adriatic area. Both the quality and quantity of artistic exchanges between Italy, Croatia, Montenegro and Albania must improve in the context of European integration. arTVision connects artistic forces in the region and promotes innovative creations by capturing contemporary art “as it happens”. A group of 100 young artists will be engaged in producing TV & video narratives describing creative processes in visual arts, cinema, architecture, design and theater. An additional 3,000 art students are expected to be involved in exchanges and dialogues with artists and audiences across the Adriatic borders.