Program
Synopsis
The lack of social engagement and problem-solving approaches is the reason why our society is poorly engaged in decision making processes. Currently, the biggest challenges facing Kosovo’s society are : crime and corruption; the judicial system; freedom of movement and visa liberalization; EU integration; security and border management; education and health; and human rights.
As such, the above mentioned issues harm basic human wellbeing in our country and possess a constant threat to citizen rights defined under international human rights conventions. Therefore, Integra has voiced out the immediate need for intervention in regard to these concerns.
In order to facilitate human empowerment in Kosovo, we aim to use the ‘Loesje’ internationally acclaimed methodology for critical thinking and writing.
The methodology’s focus is an intellectually developed program of actively and skilfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing and evaluating information – gathered from and generated through observation, experience, reflection, reasoning and communication, as a guide to value based action. The primary purposes is to stimulate a sense of critical thinking and practical writing, as well as to motivate proper respond towards social problems and civil liberty hazards. The final state of the program is the production of critical slogans related to social and political issues.
Overall Project Outcome
While promoting critical thinking and writing, the project intents to contribute to the development of greater understanding of the work and advocacy of: human rights, political pluralism, democratic values, political participation and fair represen
The project seeks to address issues related to social cohesion and reconciliation; discrimination in all its forms, as well as the fair representation of all citizens in all sectors of Kosovar society, such as governance, civil society, media and the private sector. The project seeks to stress the importance of these issues as prerequisites for encouraging and supporting positive change enabled through the engagement of diverse groups and individuals.
Operationalization
Through this project, we seek to:
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Mobilize diverse groups and individuals that act as leaders of active citizenship and as critical voices for social and political progress
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obilize diverse groups and individuals that act as leaders of active citizenship and as critical voices for social and politic
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Provide the participants with a set of unique and innovative skills that will help them to react and address the above mentioned issues.
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Facilitate citizens empowered and encourage through elaboration and evaluation of societal threats by producing creative, critical and witty slogans.
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Address citizen engagement at the grass root level through street actions in different municipalities of Kosovo.
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Broader the scope of residents and stakeholders reached by critical slogans and engaged in public debates regarding specific issues tackled in the project.
Main Activities
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Identification of target groups and topics, and selection of participants
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Identification of target groups and topics, and selection of participants
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Production of critical and witty slogans
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Production of flyers, leaflets, and posters with these slogans
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Production and broadcast of TV Ads and Radio Jingles with the slogans
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Raising awareness through Media appearances
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Street Actions in different locations of Kosovo and the distribution of slogans
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Web page for PC, tablet and mobile, and Facebook application
About Leosje
Loesje is the name of a Dutch girl who inspired the name of a poster organization, which through producing and spreading posters, aims to make people think about what is going on in the world. She motivated others to form their own opinion, remain critical (to themselves as well) and search for the news behind the news.
Raising awareness and transformation does not take place merely through long lectures and big books, but also by making materials with critical slogans. Everything she wants to say, she captures in one sentence. Key words include positive, ideals, progress, humor, guts, initiative and action.
Loesje has started in Holland and after many years the organization’s ideas have spread throughout the world. The materials with the slogans are translated and spread by members, who are mainly operating in Europe at the moment. In Finland, Slovenia, Sweden and Netherlands, large groups of members are active. The materials are spread in throughout the countries, while people get surprised, stand still for a while and smile or get affected and seek action. A specific characteristic of Loesje slogans is that everything is printed only black and white. This way it is much cheaper and simple.
About Leosje
In practice, the most proven and used method to get new ideas is through the brainstorming process. Brainstorm in its most primitive form simply means that everyone expresses their ideas, associations and thoughts on a certain subject. Within Loesje we aim to use mostly ‘brainwriting’ – brainstorming on paper. Advantages are that it is less chaotic, while you can discuss more subjects or different aspects of one subject at the same time.
The main idea is to try to collect as many slogans as possible through proposing a subject topic in a paper and passing it around. Everyone writes down a slogan or a phrase about the topic and then at the end of the circle, everyone circles a number of preferred slogans. The slogans that are most circled are the ones to be chosen for print on flyers, posters or leaflets.