Zeljko Mitkovski

 

Zeljko Mitkovski has been a member of the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation team since 2011. He has extensive experience in grant-making and grant monitoring gained from more than 90 youth projects that they have supported.

Prior to joining the Foundation, he worked in the telecommunication sector. He likes new IT solutions and he has attended several different training courses aimed to enhance transparency through use of modern technologies and increase the digital capacity of CSOs, of which the latest were TechCamp Sarajevo and Hakaton Belgrade.

He is also responsible for introducing new ways to process online donations and improve work efficiency within Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation using modern IT tools.

He has trained many young people and CSOs in fundraising and project management. He is also interested in marketing, telecommunications, retail banking, mobile services and astronomy. He was a member of AIESEC and an active member of OGAE.
He is dedicated to the idea that young people bring power for positive changes in the world.

Organization: ‘Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation’, Serbia

Young women and men constitute 20% of the population in Serbia and represent one of the largest vulnerable groups. A number of problems affecting this population emerged out of the lasting and progressive economic crisis in Serbia – poverty and high unemployment (up to 50%), violence, brain drain, low activism and exclusion from decision-making processes.

Nonetheless, youth participation in decision-making processes in Serbia as well as youth activism are at a very low level. Therefore, the aim of the project is to motivate young people from high schools in Vrsac, Serbia to take action, develop projects to renovate their high school or surroundings so that they feel that they have the power to decide what to do and how to improve their environment, living conditions and local community in general.

Two groups of high school students will be selected by a selection committee consisting of 10 young people from Vrsac. They will be given the opportunity to implement their projects and improve their schools. One of the selection criteria will be the number of other young people that will participate in the projects. The groups whose projects are selected will be encouraged to raise additional funds for their projects from the municipality, individuals and local businesses in order to include as many stakeholders as possible in local community development and learn how to approach potential donors.

Through these projects, young people in Vrsac will promote activism and volunteerism as tools for problem-solving in the local community, strengthen their decision-making and problem-solving skills and become closer to stakeholders who may help them shape their school and local community.
In terms of changes in perception of young people’s capacity to take action, it will be definitely seen as a huge step forward by all stakeholders (the local municipality, schools, local businesses and other citizens).