On the 29th of January,   Ugne Lipeikaite, EIFL-PLIP Impact Manager, and Kristine Paberza-Ramiresa, IFLA Member Engagement Officer  gave us a general overview of  data about services or programs libraries should collect and how to use the data in telling compelling stories. The rules, tools, and tips of evidence-based storytelling showcased in this workshop will help us all be more efficient in making the case for our libraries value.

On the 11th of January,  Kyriakos Kyriakidis from Eduact (Greece) gave us a general overview of the tools and technologies we use in working with our communities, and invited us to explore ways to improve your organization’s productivity.

On the 18th of December,  Camelia Crișan introduced us to the basics of Strategic Planning, and invited us to explore these tools and engage with our teams and steakholders.

Progress Foundation is inviting all CSO professionals from Central and Eastern Europe, Caucasus, Black Sea, and Caspian Sea regions to join the Occupy Library Innovators Hub’s events! The series of free, online, share & learn events for CSOs and public libraries continues with Strategic Planning, a webinar facilitated by Camelia Crisan, international consultant and facilitator. 

Strategic Planning sounds quite pompous. But in fact it is quite straightforward. It is about getting the smartest objectives for development in the quickest way, with a very efficient use of resources. 

Now, in the case of CSOs or poor communities, it is quite easy to say, if there is no money, then development is not possible. But people tend to either forget or ignore other types of resources that can contribute to reaching development goals. 

What will we learn during our webinar? That if there’s a will, there’s a way. That you are not alone, but you need to understand who’s with you. And that strategic planning looks at both present and future.

Why is it important for you and your organization? Simply put: because if you don’t have a plan, you will always be part of someone else’s plan.

We invite you to join us in exercising to become an active citizen and keeping the minds and hearts alert for the wellbeing of us all. 

Join us on 18th of December, 13:30 EET. Register here: ➡️https://forms.gle/PkdvdW9JULzxmHbYA 

For details: Anca Râpeanu, Project Manager occupylibrary@progressfoundation.ro

About Occupy Library Innovators Hub

The Occupy Library Innovators Hub project is implemented by Progress Foundation Romania, in partnership with Сentre for Cultural Management (Ukraine), Library Association of Ukraine (Ukraine), EduAct (Greece), Library Association of Moldova (Moldova), National Library of Moldova (Moldova), Ashoka România (Romania) and National Library of Romania (Romania) in the framework of the "Black Sea NGO Forum Sub-granting Scheme For Activities That Support The Development Of CSO Regional Networks", within the project „Building CSO Capacity for Regional Cooperation within the Black Sea Region”, implemented by the Romanian NGDO Platform – FOND with the financial support of the European Union. The network establishment will organize online webinars and sharing events (October 2020 - March 2021). During the project, case studies and best practices will be documented and compiled in a comprehensive collection to be made available online to all interested stakeholders.  The goal of this endeavor is to provide support for public libraries to contribute to active citizenship and life-long learning in their communities. Moreover, by implementing the project in 5 countries and creating a community of practice among library and CSO professionals, this project aims at learning about the best ways to bring libraries from the region into a professional network through which they can implement shared projects.

About Progress Foundation

Established in 1996, Progress Foundation is an experienced Romanian NGO that pilots local initiatives in the field of education/training, (e-)inclusion and community development, and then scales it up, at national level - as innovative and impactful best practices. Progress Foundation’s projects are developed using county and local libraries as lifelong learning hubs and social innovation centers, to reach out to any social group and/or citizen, especially the most marginalized ones. Starting with March 2016, Progress Foundation is privileged to be a member of FOND – the Federation of Romanian Non Governmental Organizations for Development.

On the 26th of November,  Camelia Crișan introduced us to the hard questions we need to answer as active citizens, and inspired us to take a step further, foresee the future and help building it in our communities.

Progress Foundation is inviting all CSO professionals from Central and Eastern Europe, Caucasus, Black Sea, and Caspian Sea regions to join the Occupy Library Innovators Hub’s events! The series of free, online, share & learn events for CSOs and public libraries continues with Active citizenship, a webinar facilitated by Camelia Crisan, international consultant and facilitator.  If someone told you: “Flying can be taught, and so can democracy”, would you believe that person? We would not, at the beginning. Because who would think that democracy is something you can learn. You can experience it, the lucky ones are born in it and live it throughout their lives.  However, the last years’ global situation showed us that there is no such thing as taking democracy for granted. Democracy is a process, defending freedom is a process. And for that you need an active, sharp mind.  The webinar on active citizenship is definitely not going to be the usual discussion about what’s best for you. It is going to be about debating and challenging norms and learning to speak painful truths with a loud voice.  We invite you to join us in exercising to become an active citizen and keeping the minds and hearts alert for the wellbeing of us all.  Join us on 26th of November, 10:30 EET. Register here: ➡️https://forms.gle/pEAQFw5jDpq9tYVJ8  For details: Anca Râpeanu, Project Manager occupylibrary@progressfoundation.ro

About Occupy Library Innovators Hub

The Occupy Library Innovators Hub project is implemented by Progress Foundation Romania, in partnership with Сentre for Cultural Management (Ukraine), Library Association of Ukraine (Ukraine), EduAct (Greece), Library Association of Moldova (Moldova), National Library of Moldova (Moldova), Ashoka România (Romania) and National Library of Romania (Romania) in the framework of the "Black Sea NGO Forum Sub-granting Scheme For Activities That Support The Development Of CSO Regional Networks", within the project „Building CSO Capacity for Regional Cooperation within the Black Sea Region”, implemented by the Romanian NGDO Platform – FOND with the financial support of the European Union. The network establishment will organize online webinars and sharing events (October 2020 - March 2021). During the project, case studies and best practices will be documented and compiled in a comprehensive collection to be made available online to all interested stakeholders.  The goal of this endeavor is to provide support for public libraries to contribute to active citizenship and life-long learning in their communities. Moreover, by implementing the project in 5 countries and creating a community of practice among library and CSO professionals, this project aims at learning about the best ways to bring libraries from the region into a professional network through which they can implement shared projects.

About Progress Foundation

Established in 1996, Progress Foundation is an experienced Romanian NGO that pilots local initiatives in the field of education/training, (e-)inclusion and community development, and then scales it up, at national level - as innovative and impactful best practices. Progress Foundation’s projects are developed using county and local libraries as lifelong learning hubs and social innovation centers, to reach out to any social group and/or citizen, especially the most marginalized ones. Starting with March 2016, Progress Foundation is privileged to be a member of FOND – the Federation of Romanian Non Governmental Organizations for Development.

Wednesday, 4th of November, at 10:30 EEST time Ovidiu Hristu Condurache, Venture Representative at Ashoka Romania, gave us a fabulous overview of the 5R model (developed by USAID) and helped us understand how to apply it for innovation.

Progress Foundation is inviting all CSO professionals from Central and Eastern Europe, Caucasus, Black Sea, and Caspian Sea regions to join the Occupy Library Innovators Hub’s events! The series of free, online, share & learn events for CSOs and public libraries continues with An ecosystem of innovation, a webinar facilitated by Ovidiu Condurache, Venture Representative at Ashoka Romania. Innovation doesn’t happen in a lab, it is dependent on the system around our work. That is why, we invite you to join a session where we explore what are different dimensions of innovation. Using the 5R model developed by USAID, we will discover how we can bring something new in the way we use resources, we build relationships, create roles and develop rules within our system. This will be a practical session, each of the participants will be guided to apply this analysis model on your project / organization / idea.   Join us on 4th of November, 10:30 EET to learn about successful innovators around the world, and share your experiences as a change-maker: ➡️ For details: Anca Râpeanu, Project Manager occupylibrary@progressfoundation.ro

About Occupy Library Innovators Hub

The Occupy Library Innovators Hub project is implemented by Progress Foundation Romania, in partnership with Сentre for Cultural Management (Ukraine), Library Association of Ukraine (Ukraine), EduAct (Greece), Library Association of Moldova (Moldova), National Library of Moldova (Moldova), Ashoka România (Romania) and National Library of Romania (Romania) in the framework of the "Black Sea NGO Forum Sub-granting Scheme For Activities That Support The Development Of CSO Regional Networks", within the project „Building CSO Capacity for Regional Cooperation within the Black Sea Region”, implemented by the Romanian NGDO Platform – FOND with the financial support of the European Union. The network establishment will organize online webinars and sharing events (October 2020 - March 2021). During the project, case studies and best practices will be documented and compiled in a comprehensive collection to be made available online to all interested stakeholders.  The goal of this endeavor is to provide support for public libraries to contribute to active citizenship and life-long learning in their communities. Moreover, by implementing the project in 5 countries and creating a community of practice among library and CSO professionals, this project aims at learning about the best ways to bring libraries from the region into a professional network through which they can implement shared projects.

About Progress Foundation

Established in 1996, Progress Foundation is an experienced Romanian NGO that pilots local initiatives in the field of education/training, (e-)inclusion and community development, and then scales it up, at national level - as innovative and impactful best practices. Progress Foundation’s projects are developed using county and local libraries as lifelong learning hubs and social innovation centers, to reach out to any social group and/or citizen, especially the most marginalized ones. Starting with March 2016, Progress Foundation is privileged to be a member of FOND – the Federation of Romanian Non Governmental Organizations for Development.

Tuesday, 13th October, at 10:30 EEST time Ovidiu Hristu Condurache, Venture Representative at Ashoka Romania, facilitated a fantastic webinar on how to start building lasting connections with organizations and people from our community. We got to meet Cynthia Ong Gaik Suan, Ashoka Fellow, and learn about the amazing job she does at Forever Sabah, and we decided that we want to do more, to be together, and to do more together.

Here’s the recordings and support materials of the webinar.