Civic Impulse #8: Monthly Review of Grantee Activities
August 2025
August also passed in the spirit of youth engagement. With creative green actions and specific steps on the field, the Civica Mobilitas grantees showed the challenges on daily basis, but also the solutions for a better community for all of us.
The waste has become art! The youth eco-action has united nine municipalities and nine CSOs in an urban mission for cleaner environment in the streets of Bitola. More than 30 young people were collecting bottles and waste, created eco poetry and recorded videos, while later, at the Youth Centre, the old objects were transformed into practical pieces of art: lights made of jars, decorative flower pots and piggy banks made of bottles. The day ended with editing of videos and a strong message: “You Too Can Give a New Life to What You Think Is Waste!” The action was part of the project “Youth Policies Fit for the Young” implemented by Pro Local and its partners, with the support of the Swiss Government via Civica Mobilitas programme. As one of the measures of the Regional Youth Platform, the action has united the CSOs and municipalities in the mission for cleaner, more beautiful and more sustainable Pelagonija.
In the meantime, people were learning how to prevent forest fires at the Shar Mountain. The Centre for Climate Changes and Eco Action – Tetovo, in cooperation with the Shar Mountain National Park organised a training for prevention from forest fires. The training has united representatives of the institutions, civil sector and local activists. The participants were acquainted with the history and most usual reasons for forest fires, strategies for their prevention, practical work with tools, security procedures and evacuation protocols, and in the end there was a fire extinguishing simulation conducted. The event was implemented within the project “Regional Partnership for Better Implementation of the Green Agenda at Local Level”, supported by the Swiss Government via Civica Mobilitas.
From the aspect of waste management, especially bio-waste, the organizations Center for Environmental Resources (REC), Eco Logic and Florozon published the article “What Is Bio-Waste and Why It Is Important to Select It“. There, they stress: “In North Macedonia, bio-waste makes 40-50% of the total waste that ends at landfills, which indicates its visible presence.” The organic waste is not “garbage”, but rather a resource that can be used for production of compost, biogas and creation of new green jobs. The article is part of the project “Civic Activism for Circular Economy in Organic Waste Management”, supported by Civica Mobilitas via the Swiss Government.
On the other hand, the people from the Centre for Youth Activism (CMA) KRIK ask: “How Do Pollution and Climate Changes Influence the Young People in North Macedonia?“ The response, based on the analysis conducted together with the Center for Social Initiatives (CSI) “Hope” and the Association of Social Workers of Macedonia (ZSRM) indicates that there is a serious impact on the health, habits and quality of life of the young people, starting from the air quality up to lack of green areas. The analysis is part of the project “ZZZ – Together for Green Advocacy in Environment Protection”, supported by the Swiss Government via Civica Mobilitas.
On another issue, but still related to the young people and their future, in Kichevo, the Women’s Civic Initiative (ZGI) Antiko, together with CSOs “Always Cohabitation” and “Adrion” held a celebration to award the certificates to the women who had successfully completed their training in manicure, pedicure and make-up. The training was part of the project “The Voice and Participation of Women and Young People in Creation of Public Policies and Enabling Environment for Civic Participation”, supported by Civica Mobilitas via the Swiss Government. The goal is to enable women to have professional fulfilment and easier access to labour market.
August was the month in which the young people, CSOs and institutions together showed that the engagement, creativity and determination can make our community better and more sustainable for everybody.
