Citizens for Change #22

JULY - SEPTEMBER 2025 | DOWNLOAD PDF

Let’s Solve It Together!

These protests have shown that courage and perseverance can change a lot. From fight to air – to an example for humanity and togetherness. Let this also be an inspiration for the other initiatives throughout Macedonia”, this was said to the citizens who gathered by one of the members of the independent initiative “Stop to Vardarishte”, which had protested against the pollution of Vardarishte landfill for 40 days.

The initiative was started by the citizens who asked for clean air, healthy environment and responsible institutions. They clearly stated their demands and submitted them to the institutions in charge.

The protest was paused only after part of their demands had started to be implemented, in order to give the institutions space to finish their work. However, they warned: “if the process stops, if the promises are not fulfilled, we will return again, stronger and more numerous than ever!”

These initiatives are wind in the back of the civic engagement. Although we often hear that the citizens are not interested, indifferent, passive, still, in every part of the country one can find activists who tirelessly work on their goals.

Maybe the information on their activities is not very visible, but they are there, dedicated to the people with whom they work and they are persistent in what they want to achieve.

Many of us are part of this civic engagement. Sometimes we are not aware that by participating in some activities we build this activist network. Sometimes these are protests, but more often it is trainings, workshops, children’s and youth camps, field actions, mini campaigns, debates, analyses…

All of these activities enable us to build our knowledge and skills so that we use them demanding and contributing to the changes in our communities and in the society as a whole. None of the people involved in these activities has been excluded from interactions with the environment via which he/she influences the others.

In this way, consciously or unconsciously we all contribute to civil activism that helps us strengthen democracy from below. Civil engagement informs, includes and keeps the institutions accountable. It is the quickest way that local problems become public priorities – from clean air and safe streets to fair budgets and better services.

Activism builds confidence and solidarity among different groups, creates practical skills with the young people, increases the visibility of women and marginalized groups, and mobilizes the private and public support for common good. Most importantly, activism turns indifference into participation: from “let somebody else decide” into “let’s solve it together!”.

The new issue of “Citizens for Change” is an invitation to get involved: ask, propose, volunteer, donate, vote and create. Because civic engagement is not a one-off event – it is a habit that improves the everyday lives and makes out community stronger, more just and more resilient.

The activists from #стопзавардариште said to everybody who doubts – “remember, change doesn’t come on itself. We are the ones that carry it!”

Have a pleasant reading!