News from CSOs

Acritical by Antonija Popovska

The office of the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation in Skopje (kvinnatillkvinna.org), with the Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities – Skopje, has recently been implementing a training programme “Gender Equality Education for Practitioners – From Theory to Policy Implementation”, which is intended for policymakers, representatives of the civil society sector, as well as public servants from the Western Balkan countries. For more than 25 years, Kvinna till Kvinna is actively working in the Western Balkans, defending women’s rights and strengthening the influence and power of all women striving to achieve gender equality and justice. The Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities-Skopje, is both a civil society and academic institution, fully integrating advanced knowledge and policy practice, keeping gender as one of its central areas of expertise since its foundation 14 years ago.

In this article, Dijana Stojanovic Djordjevic, Programme Manager at the Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, and Katerina Kolozova, Director of the Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities, discuss the importance of being part of such programmes and the necessity for policymakers to be educated about gender equality.

Structured Learning for Future Feminists

Speaking about the programme, Stojanovic Djordjevic highlights that the lack of formal gender studies programmes leaves young feminists without access to structured resources and theoretical knowledge on feminism, intersectionality, women’s rights, and gender equality.

“Knowing that there are young people in the region who seek comprehensive, systematised information, we recognised the need for a programme that combines both theoretical foundations and practical insights,” says Stojanovic Djordjevic.

To address this need, Kvinna till Kvinna joined forces with the Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities to develop a programme that, through carefully designed modules, offers essential knowledge aimed at empowering young people to critically engage with gender issues and effectively counter rising misogyny and concerning anti-democratic trends.

The Power of an Inclusive Approach

A unique aspect of this programme is its inclusive approach, which brings together participants from both civil society organisations and public institutions. This setting provides a valuable opportunity to build meaningful connections, engage in networking, share experiences, and offer mutual support. This synergy not only enhances participants’ daily work, but also strengthens their collective impact in driving positive societal change.

“Тhe exchange of knowledge and perspectives helps bridge gaps between sectors and countries. By working together, participants were able to identify common challenges, explore innovative solutions, and develop more effective strategies for policy implementation and advocacy. Our goal is to ensure that policymakers and practitioners develop policies or advocacy actions that reflect the diverse realities women face, leading to more inclusive and effective governance“, she added.

Applying theoretical knowledge in practice

A key aspect of this programme is that participants are not merely passive listeners in lectures; instead, they are given the opportunity to work on practical assignments. This was facilitated through a mentorship process, during which each participant developed an individual position paper on a topic aligned with their interests and field of work.

“It was evident that some participants were engaging in this type of process for the first time. This experience enabled them to strengthen their knowledge in articulating and presenting identified issues, along with proposed solutions, in a structured and well- argued manner. The mentorship process also included personalised feedback aimed at strengthening the arguments and positions presented in the document, which was highly appreciated by all participants. Many found this experience invaluable in developing their research skills and deepening their understanding of gender-related issues. One particularly inspiring example was a participant who, encouraged by the mentorship process, decided to continue her education and successfully completed her postgraduate studies. This is a genuine example of how the program has a long-term impact on both personal and professional growth“, said Stojanovic Djordjevic.

Integration of meaningful content and an engaging approach to teaching

Katerina Kolozova, Director of the Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities, explained that the Institute offers a curriculum that blends up-to-date academic knowledge in the fields of gender and women’s studies with practical, skills-oriented training in policy analysis and advocacy for practitioners across the Western Balkans. At the core of the programme is both the content and the method of knowledge transmission, which together serve as a bridge between academic depth and the practical application of that knowledge in policymaking.

“The program is structured in such a way because novel ideas that turn into novel policy trends are normally developed in academic circles of gender theory and education and we believe that keeping the young professionals active in the field of gender equality up to date with the latest academic trends and theories in the area offers depth of analysis and broadens their imagination of transformative thinking which will allow them to devise new and actionable models of policy change“, Kolozova said.  

Theory isn’t just academic, it’s a tool for action

One of the key goals of the programme is to ensure that gender equality is not treated as an abstract concept, but as a concrete framework that can shape effective policymaking. Educating policymakers and practitioners on gender issues is essential for creating informed, inclusive, and impactful policies that benefit everyone — women, men, and society as a whole. Kolozova illustrates this through a concrete example.

“I will try to respond through an example (the most obvious perhaps): the concept of gender itself (as opposed to sex and understood as a social construct) has emerged in academia first in the 1990′, gaining traction in the 2000′, and becoming a convincing idea adopted by an ever grater number of future professionals that learned about this idea as students. This reality whose “birthplace” is the academia, has paved the way for gender equality policy discourse to emerge and has even influenced legal theory to adopt the notion of gender as distinct from sex. This is a mere illustration as to why theory is relevant for activism and practice: ideas upon which one acts as a policy advocate and activist are formed in academia, and their complexity needs to be grasped in order to competently transmit them into policy practice“, she added.

According to Kolozova, young professionals in the field of gender, if not enrolled in academic gender studies, need to be kept up to date with novel ideas, concepts and terminology through programs such as the one the Institute offers: a blend of theory and practice.

“In this way, they could be introduced to the contemporary debates about the challenges to third way feminism, the emergence of xenofeminism and how it reshapes the gender debates landscapes, the feminist notion of “planetareity” (linking climate change and gender in important ways, not so well known in the Balkans, but necessary to adjust to the contemporary moment and its needs), and other ideas already shaping new policy trends“, еxplains Кolozova.

Empowering new voices in the gender equality conversation

By adding depth and challenging the status quo of dominant knowledge and discourse in the region, the programme exposes young professionals to debates that are gaining significant traction in more developed academic and activist circles.

“In this way, they are empowered to engage in debates with more confidence and to be equipped with in depth competence when advancing new policy models gearing gender equality suited for the era we live in. New ideological battles are raging around the concept of gender, and anti-gender movements are emerging that are equipped with a certain level of theoretical knowledge that allows them to challenge the gender equity discourse as an ideology“, Kolozova еxplains.

Through the programme’s in-depth curriculum, gender advocates and young professionals are not only gaining essential theoretical foundations, but also developing the critical tools needed to respond effectively to the ideological pushback. By strengthening their understanding and sharpening their arguments, they are better prepared to defend the values of gender equality and to navigate the increasingly complex terrain shaped by anti-gender narratives.

This article is developed within the programme “Gender Equality Education for Practitioners Training Program – from Theory to Policy Implementation” implemented by The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, together with the Institute of Social Sciences and Humanities, Skopje. The training program is financially supported by the Swedish Institute, within the “Swedish Institute Academy for Young Professionals (SAYP) Western Balkans” program.

North Macedonia is undergoing reforms to its media legislation, aiming to align with European Union (EU) standards. The Metamorphosis Foundation welcomes the initiative of the Government of Republic of North Macedonia to align national media legislation with European standards, particularly in the context of Chapter 23 of the EU acquis and the European Media Freedom Act (EMFA). While the proposed amendments to the Media Law can represent a step in the right direction by extending the regulatory framework to online media, they raise concerns that they only partially address the systemic issues in the media environment and do not sufficiently comply with EMFA provisions. We therefore call for a comprehensive, inclusive reform process aimed at the adoption of a new Media Law that fully reflects European norms and ensures the protection of media freedom, editorial independence, and journalists’ rights.
Moreover, while a whole new Media Law had already been already drafted with the help of experts from the EU during the previous years, for unknown reasons and without providing public explanation, the Government choose to only amend the existing old law addressing only part of the burning issues, instead of proposing the comprehensive new law.
This position paper evaluates the proposed changes, highlighting both advancements and persistent challenges, and offers recommendations to ensure comprehensive media freedom and alignment with EU directives.

Are you working in a youth organisation and interested in the ethical use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools? Do you want to explore how AI impacts youth participation, human rights, and democracy?
Join the “Open your AIs” study session and become part of a community of young changemakers ready to tackle the future of AI with a critical and rights-based approach.
The study session is a space for participants to explore key challenges related to AI, exchange ideas, and co-create practical tools, strategies, or recommendations that can directly support their work in youth organisations. Study session organised within the Youth for Democracy programme in cooperation with Connect International in with partner Curiosite Centre de Formation and expertise of Metamorphosis Foundation.
And we are looking for 20 participants from across Council of Europe member states.
By participating, you will:

Boost your organization’s digital capacity – Learn how to critically assess and responsibly integrate AI tools into your daily work and projects.
Explore the ethical side of AI – Reflect on the benefits, risks, and ethical dilemmas posed by AI and how they affect young people and our societies.
Spark meaningful conversations – Get practical tools and strategies to help bring AI ethics into your programmes and engage young people in shaping their digital future.
Understand the digital policies that matter – Build your knowledge of the EU AI Act, the Council of Europe’s AI Convention, and how youth organisations like yours can be part of shaping inclusive and fair AI governance.

When?
Arrival day 22nd June 2025
Departure day 28th June 2025
Where?
In the facility of the Council of Europe called the European Youth Center Strasbourg in France.
Who?

Are you between 18 and 30 years old?
Member of youth organisation or youth worker?
Are you a resident in one of the Council of Europe member states?
Are you looking forward to learning more about digital and youth policies of the Youth Sector of the Council of Europe?
Do you want to better understand how Artificial Intelligence is shaping the lives of young people?
Are you interested in ethical, human rights-based approaches to technology?

Then, apply for the study session by the 9th of May 2025 through this form.
Cost
Accommodations, meals, visa costs and travel and subsistence costs are covered by the Youth Department of the Council of Europe.
The participants’ contribution will be 50 euros a fee, which they will be asked to transfer via bank transfer to Connect International at least 3 weeks before the beginning of the study session.
Timeline of the application process:
Deadline for application: 9th May 2025
Information about your application status: 15th May 2025
Link to the original call: Call for participants to join our study session “Open your AIs” in Strasbourg | Connect INTERNATIONAL

Третиот модул од Академијата за пратеници, одржан во април 2025 година во Охрид, беше посветен на ефикасната комуникација на пратениците со граѓаните, особено во политички поделеното општество. Целта на овој модул беше да се помогне на пратениците да ги претстават своите ставови на јасен и ефективен начин.

Модулот започна со Ана Павловска-Данева, судијка на Уставниот суд и поранешна пратеничка, која ги сподели своите искуства од правниот аспект на политичката комуникација, нагласувајќи ја важноста на правната етика и односите помеѓу Уставниот суд и парламентот.

Сесијата „Моето најтешко интервју…“, модерирана од новинарот Назим Рашиди, понуди простор за отворени и искрени сведочења од поранешните пратеници Илија Димовски и Јани Макрадули, кои ги споделија своите искуства со најтешките медиумски интервјуа.

Во продолжение, Светлана Сиљјаноска и Марија Липтова ги подготвуваа пратениците за зборување пред јавноста, создавање политички пораки, промоција преку социјалните мрежи и разјаснување на важноста на алгоритмите во политичкото комуницирање.

Дел од програмата беше и Ургентната сесија: „Што после Кочани?“, со Владимир Туфегџиќ, адвокат и поранешен судија.

Кон крајот на вториот ден, пратениците имаа можност да слушаат музика и да разговораат за тоа каде политиката и уметноста „се среќаават“ со Емилија Ристановска, музиколог и Ненад Марковиќ, универзитетски професор, Универзитет „Св. Кирил и Методиј“ – Правен факултет.

Последната сесија беше посветена на соработката помеѓу граѓанските организации и парламентот, со Герман Филков од Центарот за граѓански комуникации и Гонце Јаковлевска од МЦМС.

Академијата за пратеници, дел од проектот „Доба на подобри политичари“, продолжува со менторската програма за пратениците, која нуди индивидуална поддршка.

Dear students,We are announcing a call for awarding grants for student-led activities within the framework of the project “Promotion of a Safe School Environment,” which we are implementing in cooperation with the following faculties of education:

Faculty of Educational Sciences (FES) – Štip, “Goce Delchev” University – Štip

University of Tetova – Faculty of Pedagogy

Faculty of Pedagogy – Bitola, “St. Kliment Ohridski” University – Bitola

Application deadline: April 24, 2025

The required application and participation documents in Macedonian and Albanian can be downloaded from here:

Forms in AlbanianForms in Macedonian

Previous articleOur work

Within the framework of the project “Ensuring the Integration of the Western Balkans into the Digital Single Market,” which aims to advance digital rights standards in the Western Balkans region and support its integration into the single digital market, the Metamorphosis Foundation is organizing a training for civil society organizations and media outlets on the topic “Implications of the EU Digital Services Act for Civil Society Organizations and Investigative Journalists in North Macedonia”.
Date: April 24, 2025 (Thursday)
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Location: Metamorphosis (19 Franklin Roosevelt St., 2nd floor – in the Setec building)
Map: https://maps.app.goo.gl/o43Q5Uqpjg1WU1P37
The training will focus on the basics of the EU Digital Services Act and the main principles of transparency, accountability, and user protection, as well as its impact on freedom of expression and digital rights. The training will also present key findings and recommendations from the research on the implications of the EU Digital Services Act on civil society organizations and investigative journalists in Macedonia and the challenges and risks related to digital platforms, trusted flaggers, and algorithmic moderation.
The training is intended for representatives of civil society organizations, media outlets, fact-checkers, investigative journalists, and activists who work on topics related to digital rights, freedom of expression, and media regulation.
The training agenda is available here.
The registration form is available at the following link.
Registration for the training is open until April 16, 2025.
The project “Ensuring the Integration of the Western Balkans into the Digital Single Market” is funded by the Open Society Foundations Western Balkans, and implemented by Partners Serbia (Serbia), Metamorphosis Foundation (North Macedonia), Why Not? (Bosnia and Herzegovina), NGO 35 mm (Montenegro), Women in Tech Kosovo (Kosovo), and the Institute for Democracy and Mediation (Albania).

On April 9, 2025, the Metamorphosis Foundation conducted a one-day training on improved cybersecurity for civil society organizations. A dozen representatives of civil society organizations active in working with vulnerable groups of citizens were introduced to the term digital fingerprint, why antivirus protection is important, what a good password is, how to use a password manager, and numerous practical tips for increasing cybersecurity and practicing cyber hygiene.
The training is part of the project “CyberShield: Empowered Citizens for Cyber ​​Resilience”. Three trainings are planned within the project, as well as podcasts and videos to increase public awareness and understanding of the importance of cybersecurity. The goal of the project is to highlight the issues of proper and regular cyber hygiene and effective handling of cyber threats (phishing, social engineering, malware, online disinformation, personal data theft, etc.) as well as to ensure that these topics receive the necessary attention, resources and joint efforts needed for effective solutions.

The project “CyberShield: Empowered Citizens for Cyber Resilience” is supported by the National Interventions grant for the regional project “SMART Balkans—Civil Society for Shared Society in the Western Balkans” implemented by Centar za promociju civilnog društva (CPCD) (Center for Civil Society Promotion), Center for Research and Policy Making (CRPM) and the Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM), and financially supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Norway.

On 07.04.2025, as part of the World Good Deeds Day 2025, a Volunteer Environmental Action was held in the area of ​​Prilep Lake in Prilep.

The activity was implemented with the support of 20 volunteer students from the Primary School “Dobre Jovanoski” and high school students from the youth clubs of the Association LET Station, who jointly cleaned the area around Prilep Lake and collected solid waste, showing that the spirit of volunteerism is still among us, but it needs to be nurtured and emphasized, so that we would live in a better and more harmonious community.

Good Deeds Day is an international day of volunteering. Starting in 2007, its mission is to unite people from all over the world in doing good deeds for others and for the planet. The goal of the event is for young people to learn about volunteering and to be involved in volunteer activities for the good of the entire community.

Our Association, last year for the first time joined the global movement “Day of Good Deeds”, which is the International Day of Volunteering. This year, the Day of Good Deeds is April 6th, and various events and workshops will be organized at the state level, organized by the Youth Cultural Center Bitola.

#gooddeedsday

#деннадобридела

#mkcbitola

@MkcBitola

@Gooddeddsday

Fact-checking is essential, but insufficient on its own. A multi-layered approach is needed, one that combines fact-checking and media literacy with cooperation between the media, non-governmental organizations, and government institutions. In other words, a comprehensive, whole-of-society approach to combating disinformation. This was one of the main ideas that emerged during the second part of the conference titled “Together for Truth: Whole-of-Society Approach to Safeguard Democracy,” organized by the Metamorphosis Foundation on the occasion of International Fact-Checking Day.
The session titled “Democracy at Risk: Fact-Checking and Content Moderation on Social Media—Facing Challenges by Creating Enabling Environment” discussed the state of fact-checking in the Western Balkans. Jona Plumbi, from the fact-checking organization Faktoje, noted that Albania is particularly vulnerable to disinformation.
“We are not prepared to combat disinformation. We are trying to prepare for the parliamentary elections in May, but it is not enough. A multifaceted approach to the problem is needed,” Plumbi said.
That is why, as Plumbi noted, Faktoje has started a collaboration with the University of Tirana to integrate media literacy into education, as the level of media literacy is very low. Plumbi also addressed another problem, how to reach an audience that is not interested in accurate information, that is, those who consume short content such as that found on TikTok. “When we wrote long analyses about disinformation regarding migrants in Albania, was anyone interested? No. We reached the most activity on 40-second videos,” Plumbi said.
Maida Ćulahović, from “Why Not” in Bosnia and Herzegovina, followed up with their own experience. Through the fact-checking services “Istinomer” and “Raskrinkavanje”, they tried to address the problem together with the platforms by following the code of practice, but without success:
“Without clear legislation, the platforms will do nothing, i.e. they will not voluntarily implement measures to address disinformation. During the last elections, we tried to work with the platforms for posts and content that violate the code of conduct [of Meta’s platforms], illegal content or one that contradicts the electoral code, and there was very little responsiveness. Out of 119 reported content, we received a response for only 25 of them. And only 3 were removed, but only after we appealed the initial decision,” shared Ćulahović.
Nacho Strigulev, from Blue Link, Bulgaria, followed up on the same topic, saying that we cannot rely on platforms to defend the information space, because they are, at the end of the day, profit-oriented companies:
“Platforms have no problem transforming themselves into weapons against democracy and the democratic order because such content brings clicks and interaction with the content. On the other hand, they make a profit through it.”
Strigulev further mentioned that such algorithms are everywhere and quoted Alexandra Giese, saying that such algorithms [e.g. “For You” pages] should be regulated, and turned off during election periods. Strigulev also drew attention to various chatbots that use artificial intelligence (AI) technology, and said that between 6 and 50 percent share disinformation that we know is linked to the Kremlin, including sharing sources from the “Pravda” network of pages. The network published an astronomical 3.6 million articles in 2024 alone.
The last speaker was Despina Kovachevska, from the Metamorphosis Foundation, and she concluded this discussion with a critical examination of hate speech and its relationship to disinformation:
“Hate speech justifies disinformation, increases stigma and bias. Especially when we have unprofessional media outlets that chase clicks and profit instead of thoroughly checking the facts, then I have a big problem,” Kovachevska shared.
In the end, there was a consensus that the Digital Services Act is the best path to harmonizing the domestic laws in the process of accession to the European Union. This process should not be done pro forma, but should be an inclusive and transparent process, especially if we want the big platforms to take this region more seriously–the speakers agreed.

The last session of the first day of the Metamorphosis International Conference, photo: Vancho Dzambaski
Business, sometimes, knows how to show integrity
The final discussion of the conference focused on “The Business Case for Information Integrity.” Opening remarks were given by the moderator of the discussion, Dragan Kremer, a media expert, who highlighted several examples from both Serbia and the United Kingdom, especially from the Sun newspaper and the Breitbart website in the United States, which have started to lose advertisers (i.e. companies that advertise in their media outlets) due to the content they publish. The companies have publicly renounced advertising, which they have also used as a kind of PR tool to present the values ​​they stand behind. That is, the values ​​they do not want to support or be associated with at all, such as those presented by Breitbart and the Sun, which have been spreading disinformation, racist, and xenophobic content.
Rasha Nedeljkov, the program director of Serbia’s Crta, followed up with the example of Happy TV, where almost the same thing happened. Several brands have canceled their advertisements from media outlets that very clearly share fake news and manipulated content–​​especially content related to the war in Ukraine.
However, the impact is not limited to domestic companies and brands only, it extends to international ones. Marko Milosavljević, a professor at the University of Ljubljana, explains that ads from international advertisers can be a double-edged sword.
“Just as this works for companies that fight against problematic content, there are also those that promote hate speech. What will happen in the EU and the Western Balkans, will major platforms start shutting down ads from media outlets that advocate for fact-checking, transparency and accuracy? There will be huge consequences for the media ecosystem,” Milosavljević pointed out.
He shared the example of companies that disagree with the policies of the Donald Trump administration and may be intimidated into reducing their advertising, and the money may be redirected to media outlets that spread disinformation and “stir up panic.”
Maja Sever, President of the European Journalist Federation, referred to other advertising from states and governments themselves, which can be the largest source of income for media outlets. According to Sever, there are no transparent criteria for government advertising, as shown in the research, where public funds are concentrated in just a few established media outlets, while independent media outlets receive not “a single denar.”
“This is due not so much to the content they publish, but to the editorial independence that the media outlets have. We need to find a way to establish responsible advertising as the norm, not the exception,” Sever said.
Vladimir Petreski, Editor-in-Chief of Truthmeter.mk, had the closing remarks. He emphasized that these things can be interpreted through the saying “vote with your wallet,” that is, to make choices according to what is most financially profitable. Petreski pointed to the example of X (formerly Twitter), saying:
“The company (X) has not recovered [financially] since Elon Musk took over. Companies began to collectively boycott content moderation decisions, after which Musk tried to sue advertisers.”
However, he emphasizes that the situation in Macedonia is different, because such a boycott can be (mis)used as a reason for a lawsuit, that is, it can be interpreted as an insult, damage to reputation, through so-called SLAPP lawsuits. On the other hand, another problem is the avalanche of digital and internet scams that have appeared across Macedonian social networks: “We see false advertisements and we see that they are in different languages ​​throughout the region, most often for medical drugs,” says Petreski. But the problem with scams is that immediately after they are reviewed, they disappear and new ones appear. This is an indicator that they have good channels where they can sell information to data brokers or simply steal money from users.