Overordnede mål
Promote democracy, citizenship, and democratic understanding among youth of Bhutan through strengthening youth involvement in civil society.
Umiddelbare mål
The project builds on the experience, achievements and learnings from the first project phase implemented throughout 2014 (see section B1 and annex G). Following that project, the overall goal of this second phase is still to contribute to the promotion of democracy, citizenship and democratic understanding among youth of Bhutan through strengthening youth involvement in civil society. The second phase of the project will however take the initiatives a step further in terms of providing more advanced skills of democratic citizenship in two new and requested areas (multimedia and strategic engagement with the media sector – and advanced youth leadership in terms of strategic advocacy and government-citizens engagements). In addition, the second phase will scale-up support to the media lab and the media clubs with more focus at the sustainable management of the spaces through setting up youth-led committees, practicing democratic governance and decision-making mechanisms and ensuring ongoing activities that amplify youth voice. The main input in the second phase is strategic support from DBFA resource persons in the advanced areas of building democratic citizenship and civic life, which are still new to the NGO sector in Bhutan (especially youth). The aim is to boost the capacity of BCMD, one of the first movers and first civil society actors involved in building democracy from below and give BCMD staff the skills and added competences to strengthen civil society and youth’s role and organisation in civil society. With barely 5 years since civil society organisations were legally “registered” in Bhutan, CSOs still need support to grow and build their capacity to handle increasing responsibilities. This project will support BCMD’s efforts to continue strengthening a culture of democratic citizenship amongst the new generation of Bhutan’s democracy.
Målgrupper
The primary target group of the project is the staff and core volunteers of the BCMD, especially the coordinators involved in the media lab and the media clubs around the country. The secondary target group is the main target groups of the BCMD: Youth engaged at the media lab and the media clubs and in the areas around the clubs. This includes college students, media club coordinators and volunteers and youth engaged in other CSOs for example marginalized groups like Kidney Foundation, former drug addicts, and disabled – and are the young and next generation of democratic citizens of Bhutan. In terms of numbers, the project expects to reach: 1) BCMD staff and core volunteers (coordinators of media lab and club) – 20 persons 2) Youth volunteers and members at the media lab in Thimphu – 150 persons 3) Youth actively engaged in 3 media clubs in Thimphu, Trongsa, Paro: 50 per club – 150 persons 4) Bhutan public who will be reached through exhibition and media work – 2000 persons
Resume
Dette projekt søger at støtte og styrke det spirende civilsamfund i et af verdens yngste demokratier, Bhutan. Projektet er et samarbejde mellem Venskabsforeningen Danmark-Bhutan og Bhutan Centre for Media and Democracy, en af Bhutans første registrerede civilsamfundsorganisationer. Projektets overordnede formål er at styrke demokratiet i Bhutan ved at fremme et demokratisk sindelag, egenskaber og forståelse for rettigheder blandt unge i Bhutan – en ofte marginaliseret gruppe, der dog udgør 59 % af befolkningen. Projektets strategi består i at kapacitetsopbygge Bhutan Centre for Media and Democracy til at fortsætte arbejdet med opbygningen af et kritisk tænkende, aktivt handlende og rettighedsbaseret civilsamfund ledt af Bhutans unge. Venskabsforeningen Danmark-Bhutan vil give strategiske inputs i form af kapacitetsopbygning (Training of Trainers) især inden for to nye områder af demokratisk medborgerskab i Bhutan: strategisk medieengagement/offentlig debat samt aktivt medborgerskab og advocacy. Derudover gives organisatorisk støtte til at styrke såkaldte media labs og media clubs, hvor unge mødes om demokratiarbejdet og afholder initiativer med fokus på fortalervirksomhed ledt af unge.