• Is it becoming more and more difficult for you as an NGO to operate in a shrinking civil society space?
  If so, and you're looking for comprehensive, organisational solutions, meet us at Zoom on 27 November 2020, 13:30-15:00.
• The Partners Hungary Foundation is now undertaking a special programme to support NGOs through resilience-based organisational development. If you want to be one of them, join the conversation!

Why is it not enough to talk about sustainability in a shrinking civil society space?

Because every day we face new challenges, we have to perform in increasingly uncertain circumstances. This is why, in addition to the issue of sustainability, the issue of resilience - the "mental resilience" of an organisation - is becoming increasingly important. The CIVICUS State of Civil Society Report 2017 identified a number of pressing trends that continue to emerge and threaten the space for civic participation. Perhaps the most critical point of the report is that only three percent of the world's population lives in countries where civic space is fully open. This sad reality has spurred PartnersGlobal to action and, through a strategic partnership with CIVICUS, has launched the development of the REZILIENCIA+ framework. 

What is resilience-based organisational development?
The framework for building the resilience of civil society organisations draws on insights from recent academic and practical research on resilience, complex operating environments and the threats of civil space, as well as on civil society organisational models and capacities. The REZILIENCIA+ organisational development methodology was developed by the international civil society coalition CIVICUS and our parent organisation Partners Global, based on research findings from 45 countries. The process delves into different levels of resilience (individual-organisational-sectoral-civil society space) and strengthens organisations in seven factors of resilience:

1. systems theory
2. creating space in uncertainty
3. building coping strategies that benefit the organisation
4. to connect and experience community and turn it into a resource
5. developing a business approach
6. strengthening transparency and the engagement of our depositories
7. well-structured organisational communication
   

The NGOs involved in the process, in addition to the process monitoring,

will also receive a scholarship of USD 1600 each.

Who can participate in the programme?

• During the programme, which will run from November 2020 to July 2021, we will accompany three NGOs in the RESILIENCY+ organisational development framework, details of which will be available at the online meeting on 27 November 2020.

• It is an advantage if you are active in the field of education or Roma inclusion, but we are also open to other organisations active in other important social issues.

• IMPORTANT: participants who can speak English are welcome to attend the discussion, as the project is taking place in several countries and there will be joint international organisational development sessions. It is not a problem if not everyone in the organisation speaks English.

How are the three organisations selected to receive the organisational development?

1. The first step in the selection process is a round table discussion on 27 November, where we will present the methodology and have a facilitated discussion with interested NGOs, i.e. you, using creative tools to address your needs.

2. This will be followed by another online discussion for those committed to the process on 11 December, also from 13:30-15:00.

3. By mid-January, the three organisations with which we will work in the REZILIENCIA+ process will be finalised, based on the above-mentioned criteria and on the basis of jointly agreed professional criteria.

The programme is sponsored by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), an independent, non-profit foundation that supports the development and strengthening of democratic institutions around the world. The NED provides more than 1,600 grants each year to support projects by foreign NGOs working for democracy in more than 90 countries.

The programme is facilitated by Flóra Bacsó, János Wagner, trainers of Partners Hungary Foundation.

On 27 November, Filip Vagac, a trainer and organisational developer from Partners Slovakia, will be with us.