January 7, 2008

CALL FOR PROPOSALS: Call for proposals for youth projects in South-East Europe

Call for proposals for youth projects in South-East Europe

*Social Day 2008 - **SHL is looking for non profit organizations, which
are going to use part of the donations for projects in South-East
Europe. Considering the nature of the projects it is important for us,
that potential partners focus on direct support of children and/or young
people as well as on the following expressed criteria.*

*1. Introduction of the initiators *

/Schüler Helfen Leben e.V./ Foundation Schüler Helfen Leben/

Schüler Helfen Leben (SHL) is a charitable organization from Germany,
which supports youth projects in South-East Europe for peace,
reconciliation and freedom in the whole region. Our current balance:
more than 15 million Euros donated and more than a hundred projects in
Croatia, Bosnia-Hercegovina, Serbia, Macedonia, Kosovo and Romania. SHL
is an independent initiative, which provides quick and non-bureaucratic
help by young people to young people. SHL wants to promote the values of
tolerance, integration, democracy, participation and peace and to
empower young people to a bigger social and economic autonomy.

/Action: Social Day/

Since 1998 SHL calls on pupils throughout Germany to participate in the
Social Day. The idea of this day is simple: For one day pupils will not
go to school but work in a bakery, in their neighborhood, for relatives
or friends and they will donate their earnings to SHL. In order not to
limit the participation of these young people to the one day-action the
selection of projects will be partly put in their hands.

*2. Aims of the call*

SHL is looking for non profit organizations, which are going to use part
of the donations for project implementation in South-East Europe.
Considering the nature of the project it is important to us, that the
partner focuses on direct support of children and/ or young people and
is according to the following expressed criteria.

SHL sees the ongoing need and necessity to get involved with young
people in South-East Europe. Complexes like Nationalism (unexplained
nation-building, annexation and separation, propaganda), migration
(brain-drain, refugees and their returning) and religion
(inter-confessional coexistence) still play a key role in connection
with the inner and external European integration process. Nonetheless
new conflict potential in the region will be created by new borders of
the EU and may contribute to a enduring relative fragility of South-East
Europe.

SHL`s special contact to young people demonstrates clearly, that there
still is a big demand for support: Young people are discriminated and
suffer the most from the current and continuing structures. About three
quarters of children and youths are considered as poor by the UNDP - not
only financially but also concerning their educational and employment
possibilities. More than half of the young population have never been
abroad and as a result do not even know their neighbouring countries
that way. Therefore we want to intensify our work in the region as a
whole and complement it with new projects.

We are looking for projects, which pursue an inter-ethnic approach and
strengthen local organisations (capacity building). SHL considers a
special need for more intensive youth work in particular in rural areas
of the region. The character as a role model of a selected project will
at least be assured by clearly visible results.


*3. Target group*

The project should address children, youth and/or students.

*4. Region*

Following countries in South-East Europe are involved: Albania,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia and
UNMIK Kosovo.

*5. General requirements*

The project aims to provide youth access to learning, education or care
for all young people, regardless of gender, faith, nationality, economic
situation and social group membership. The projects should:

* 1. impart skills and knowledge to young people, so they can become
politically mature, critical-thinking citizens of a democratic
state; or

* 2. show youths ways to become economic independent; or

* 3. encourage and enable youths to show initiative; or

* 4. to open up new perspectives for volunteering; or

* 5. to promote reconciliation between the ethnic groups in the
region that are estranged since the war with the aim to develop a
lasting peace; or

* 6. contain political-relevant campaigns or cultural activities to
strengthen civil society.

The basis for a successful implementation of projects is in the view of
SHL a *professional organization* with a *responsible management*, which
is able to set goals and to achieve their aims. The *proper and
transparent use* of the employed means is a *basic precondition*.

Projects shall be adapted to the specific regional needs. *Young people*
should play an *active* role in the project. Therefore they shall take
active part in the planning and implementation of the project. We
promote higher and lower educated strata of the population.

SHL does not only want to promote the development of the region of
*South-East Europe* through its work, but also impart knowledge of their
societies and cultures to *Germany*. This will be done through regular
information about the SHL funded projects to the German public.

*6. Selection process*

There will be a three-level selection procedure for projects in
South-East Europe:

6.1. Pre-selection

All short applications that arrive at SHL before the deadline (see 9.)
will be checked by an expert board. Transmittal of proposals is done
exclusively online or via e-mail. Selected projects will receive a
message with the offer to submit long applications.

6.2. Qualifying process

All completed long applications will be checked. Additionally to the
information provided in the short applications, we will put more
importance to the capacities of the applying organisation in the long
application. We ask the applicant to name a contact person for answering
questions concerning the project. SHL will make a second pre-selection
of all the received applications before the School Pupil Jury will take
the final choice.

6.3. Pupils choice

The projects which were short-listed will be introduced to the pupils
taking part in the Social Day. They will make the final decision about
the projects. The partner organization is responsible for making sure
that the participants of the Social Day are informed about the progress
of the project during the entire promotion-phase. The number of the
projects which are going to be supported by SHL and their amount depends
from the results of the Social Day. Therefore a definite funding
contract can only be made after the final result.

*7. Financial and legal conditions*

7.1 General requirements

The funds applied for should range between 25,000 € and 200,000 €. The
activities, as well as materials and personal costs, are supported, as
long as they are necessary for transfer to the project country. SHL
especially welcomes projects which are co-financed by other sponsors.
The financial plan should be drawn up in Euros. The cost projection must
be balanced and detailed enough, that the project itself is
recognizable, comprehensible and testable.

7.2 Duration of support

The maximum duration for a project is 3 years. The project shall
commence between September and December 2008.

7.3 Legitimacy of the applicant

All non-profit organizations, whose work corresponds to the aims of SHL
have the right to apply.

7.4 Contract and financing

If the decision about financing is positive, the applicant will get a
co-operation contract explicitly stating all the rights and obligations
in collaboration with SHL. The subsequent payment agreement will usually
provide a quarterly based payment structure.

7.5 Reports

The applicant has to submit regularly interim reports on the project
implementation. The final report has to be submitted at the end of the
funding period. More detailed matters are regulated in the cooperation
contract.

*8. German volunteers*

In order to strengthen the link between projects abroad and pupils
active in Germany, SHL sends young German volunteers to several of its
international projects. We encourage the projects to generate positions
for these volunteers if useful and possible.

*9. Documents for the short application*

Applications have to be drawn up on the basis of the proposal documents
in German or English.

The *deadline* for the short applications is *Monday, 14^th January
2008*. If applicable you will receive an answer with the offer to submit
a long application until beginning of February 2008. You will have
another month for the long application. We will inform you about the
exact terms for the long application in the further course of the process.

*Please apply using our online application form
<http://78.46.39.5/db_verwaltung/?lang=en>.
*

*SOURCE:

http://www.schueler-helfen-leben.de/newsite/news/call-for-proposals/call-for-proposals-2008.html
*

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