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Project: GRAK Campaign - Raising Visibility of NGO Sector in the Public Sphere

The campaign for raising visibility of NGO sector in public sphere entitled GRAK is finished. CESI and B.a.B.e initiated and organized the campaign, but through it's implementation various NGO's all over Croatia were actively involved in the campaign. NGO Sector Action Plan financially supported by AED lasted from November 2002 till September 2004. In the first phase of the project a group of NGO's were educated on advocacy and public relation skills in order to improve their activities. In the second phase of the project the activities of the campaign were implemented.

The core team of the campaign consisted of: CESI, B.a.B.e., Fade-In, ZaMir and DIM. During the implementation of activities some NGO's joined in and carried out a number of activities: Merlin from Pula, Association MI from Split, Womens' group Domine from Split, Osijek Green, Youth Peace Group Dunav from Vukovar, and RI- Center from Rijeka.

Results of the evaluation show that in some cities activities were implemented successfully and there exists an interest for continuous promotion of civil society and it's values. Web site, data - base, logo and promotion materials created for the campaign are universal and adjustable for different occasions and can be used for future activities that promote the same values as GRAK campaign. A possibility for future GRAK campaign is still open. At the end of campaign a research was conducted by the research agency PULS. Results of this research can be compared with research results of B.a.B.e. and AED (2003). Results show a small progress in raising visibility of NGO sector, which supports the fact that the GRAK campaign was just a beginning of systematic efforts for improvement, and raising visibility of NGO sector.

Developed civil society is the assumption for democratic state and NGO's offer a possibility of directing demands and needs of the citizens. The goals of the campaign were set in that direction: raising visibility of NGO sector, promoting values of civil society, informing the citizens about recognizing and pleading for their interests and rights. Within the campaign, which had the national character and took place in Vukovar, Osijek, Pula, Rijeka and Split, various NGO's united and promoted the goals of the campaign. Around 40 NGO's participated in the campaign.

The campaign produced promotional materials with the campaign's logo – white crow with the megaphone, which included: printing leaflets and posters, producing coffee mugs, T-shirts, mouse pads, paper megaphones, radio-jingle and TV spot. TV spot was running for ten days on national television.

Organized activities during the campaign were:

  • 13th of May – round table on "Visibility of NGO's" in Split, organized by association "MI"
  • 14th of May – press conference in Zagreb announcing the beginning of the campaign
  • 15th of May – info stand in Split with promotional materials of the campaign
  • 16th of May – showing of activist documentaries in Mama, Zagreb
  • 18th of May - showing of activist documentaries in Mama, Zagreb
  • 20th of May – round table on "NGO's and Political Elites" in Novinarski dom, Zagreb
  • 20th – 21st of May – info stand of the campaign on the "Youth NGO's Fair" in Zagreb, organised by DIM (Democratic Initiative of Youth)
  • 22nd of May – info stand on Jelačić Square in Zagreb and Forum theatre in ZKM, Zagreb
  • 25th of May – info stand in Osijek, organized by Osijek Greens, street performance "Cunning Fox", exibition of photographs, caricatures and pictures; street concert of "Acustic duo"
  • 25th of May - info stand in Vukovar, press-conference, and concert of ALT F4 band>
  • 26th of May – press conference in Pula
  • 28th of May – round table on "NGO's and the Media", Novinarski dom, Zagreb
  • 29th of May – info stands in the premises of Rojc and in the town market in Pula; round table on visibility of NGO's
  • 29th of May – street action in Split where promotional materials of the campaign were distributed

Within this campaign the web site GRAK and the data base of NGO's that participated in the campaign's activities were created.