This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS  ZAGREB 000916 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPT FOR DRL/PHD - CUMBERLAND 
EUR/SCE - KABUMOTO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM KDEM HR
SUBJECT: PROJECT PROPOSAL - 2005 HUMAN RIGHTS AND DEMOCRACY 
FUND 
 
REF: STATE 67040 
 
¶1. SUMMARY: Post proposes to fund a project aimed at 
encouraging first-time voters by educating secondary-school 
students throughout Croatia about the rights and 
responsibilities of citizenship.  This project, called "I'm 
Voting for the First Time," would be carried out by local 
non-partisan NGO GONG.  As a young democracy, Croatia suffers 
from low voter turnout (around 40 percent at May 15 local 
elections) and a lack of understanding of active citizenship, 
particularly in areas outside Zagreb and other urban centers. 
 This first-time voter education project addresses these 
issues by filling a critical gap in Croatia's high school 
curriculum.  There are no other projects meeting this need. 
This proposal also supports Post's MPP Performance Goal that 
Croatia possess "democratic institutions needed for 
integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions" through the 
tactic of "assisting NGOs which organize citizen observers 
and public education."  In addition, the project complements 
USAID technical assistance in the areas of fundraising, 
self-financing and policy research to sustain GONG as a 
legacy mechanism in the area of democracy and electoral 
reform.  END SUMMARY. 
 
"I'M VOTING FOR THE FIRST TIME" PROJECT NARRATIVE 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶2. Post seeks DRL funds for the project "I'm Voting for the 
First Time," a series of 800 educational workshops for 24,000 
Croatian high school seniors, 17 to 18 years old, beginning 
in the fall of 2005.  This program will serve as a basic 
element within Croatia's high school curriculum on the right 
to vote, the electoral process, and the role of citizens in a 
modern democracy.  Training materials include brochures and 
posters on voting, elections, and public advocacy. 
 
¶3. Each workshop will consist of three parts: 
- Trainers first ask students what it means to turn 18 and 
whether they know their new civic and political rights and 
duties.  Trainers guide students in discussion of their 
voting rights, recording key points on flip charts. 
) After the students become aware of all the rights and 
duties they acquire when turning 18, trainers focus the 
discussion on the process of voting, types of elections and 
electoral procedures.  Trainers address all questions or 
misunderstandings students might have concerning technical 
aspects of elections. 
) Lastly, trainers apply the rights and duties discussed in 
the workshop to an example from their everyday life, 
illustrating that responsible citizens must also be active 
after election day.  Students discuss public advocacy issues 
that could arise in their community, such as town authorities 
closing a popular youth club.  Participants explore how they 
could react to the closure, whom they could contact or meet, 
and how they could organize a public initiative or petition 
to get media attention. 
 
THE GONG ORGANIZATION 
--------------------- 
 
¶4. Founded in 1997, GONG is non-partisan and dedicated to 
promoting free and fair elections, educating citizens about 
their rights and duties, and promoting dialogue between 
government and constituents.  The organization,s work in 
promoting active public participation in the democratic 
process is highly regarded and GONG has shared its experience 
with similar organizations throughout SE Europe and among the 
Newly Independent States.  GONG is also well known for its 
election monitoring capacity, which has included training 
Iraqi election monitors and participating in a European 
election monitoring mission in Ukraine. 
 
¶5. It is important to note that "I'm Voting for the First 
Time" is the result of several years of advocacy by GONG to 
convince the government to allow their trainers, primarily 
young lawyers, political scientists and sociologists trained 
by GONG, into classrooms.  This project represents an 
opportunity to make instruction on active citizenship and the 
fundamentals of democracy a permanent part of Croatian high 
school education, something that can serve as a model 
throughout the region. 
 
BUDGET 
------ 
¶6. To carry out this project, we seek USD 49,985 in DRL 
funding.  This will be matched by funds already secured by 
GONG from other donors. 
 
Budget breakdown is as follows: 
 
                           DRL funds   Matching    Total 
                                          funds 
 
 
Program Costs              17,695      34,050*    75,670 
(Trainers' fees, 
travel, materials, 
trainer orientation 
and evaluation) 
 
Administrative Costs   32,290      15,360*        52,485 
(Partial funding of 
project coordinator, 
regional coordinators, 
financial director; 
employer taxes, 
telephone/fax/internet, 
postage, office supplies 
and rent) 
 
Total Costs          49,985      49,410*    128,155 
 
*Matching funds indicate funds already approved by other 
donors.  GONG is awaiting response on an additional USD 
28,000 grant, which is not yet included in the matching 
funds.  A complete budget spreadsheet and narrative will be 
provided to DRL/PHD Kara Cumberland by e-mail. 
 
SHORT AND LONG TERM GOALS 
------------------------- 
¶7. The overall goal of "I'm Voting for the First Time" is to 
educate and encourage young citizens to participate in their 
democracy, to introduce civic education into the Croatian 
educational system, and to contribute to the development of a 
democratic society by informing youth about the importance of 
active citizenship and citizens' initiatives.  The immediate 
goal is to train 42 trainers then deliver 800 workshops 
reaching 24,000 high school seniors across Croatia during the 
2005-2006 academic year.  In addition, this program will 
assist GONG in encouraging student participation in its other 
projects, such as "Open Parliament" (visiting the Parliament 
and meeting MPs) and "Citizens' Hours" (meeting their elected 
representatives from the local and national level). 
 
¶8. In the long term, we expect this program to help develop a 
positive attitude among young people toward the political 
process and toward a civil society that seeks democracy and 
the protection of human rights. 
 
EXPECTED IMPACT 
--------------- 
¶9. Students will emerge from the workshops with a greater 
understanding of their role as active citizens in a modern 
democracy.  As participants share their impressions with 
friends and relatives, the program will naturally multiply 
its effect, reaching diverse societal groups and encouraging 
civic engagement throughout Croatia, particularly in regions 
outside of urban centers where there is an acute lack of NGOs 
and civic activities.  The ultimate impact will be a raised 
awareness among citizens in this transitional society that 
participation in political processes, from elections to 
policy-making, is crucial to further stabilization of 
democracy. 
 
LENGTH OF PROJECT AND TIMELINE 
------------------------------ 
¶10. September-October 2005: GONG will inform all Croatian 
high schools about the project and print educational 
materials.  GONG will prepare a group of instructors, 
assigned by county, to deliver the workshops, ensuring all 
have passed the organization's "training for trainers." 
 
¶11. October 2005-January 2006: GONG instructors will travel 
in two-person teams throughout their counties visiting all 
contacted high schools under the coordination of GONG's 
regional offices. All workshops will take place by the end of 
January 2006. 
 
¶12. February 2006: GONG will evaluate the project, conducting 
an evaluation seminar with all trainers and regional offices, 
and complete a project report. 
 
EVALUATION PLANS 
---------------- 
¶13. There will be ongoing evaluation during the project and 
an evaluation seminar at the end.  The project coordinator 
will visit at least one session conducted by each training 
team to evaluate and improve their performance.  At each 
workshop, trainers will collect written evaluations and 
comments from each student and teacher.  These are then 
incorporated with post-training questionnaires submitted by 
participating high schools.  The project coordinator will 
then review these evaluations and update on a daily basis a 
data base of all schools, status of workshop delivery, 
associated costs, and representative "impressions" from the 
evaluations.  This allows adjustments to be made throughout 
 
 
the project and maintains fiscal accountability.  Following 
implementation, GONG will gather all trainers and 
coordinators for an evaluation weekend and discuss project 
organization, communication/coordination and results in order 
to provide feedback for improvement of the project.  These 
findings will be published in the project report. 
 
SUSTAINABILITY PLAN 
------------------- 
¶14. We expect that this project will continue on an annual 
basis with other (particularly Government of Croatia and EU) 
funding.  We are seeking DRL funding for the 2005-2006 
delivery of the project, while USAID-funded technical 
assistance in fundraising and self-financing will assist the 
organization in finding new resources to continue the program 
in 2006 and beyond. 
 
¶15. Embassy Action officer will be Political Officer Tom 
Selinger, backed up by Political Counselor Vonda Delawie. 
Both officers expect to be at post throughout the life of the 
project. 
FRANK 
 
 
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