EU TACSO 3 in cooperation with the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) is organising an on-line meet-up event that will take place on 24 September 2020. The event targets civil society organisations (CSOs) from the Western Balkans and Turkey (WBT). It will raise the issue of anti-Black racism, intolerance, discrimination and police brutality and will provide a space for the discussion on the importance of civil society’s role in addressing these issues within our societies.

The event will enable participants from the WBT to learn about the Black Lives Matter (BLM) as a grassroot, decentralized, bottom-up citizen-led movement and will draw lessons learned from the opportunities and challenges faced in addressing anti-black racism, police brutality and shrinking civic space. Charles Long,  Resource Coordinator for the Movement for Black Lives will provide an introduction into the topic and will share his experience, insights and lessons learned as someone connected to the movement in the United States. The event will also provide the opportunity for participants to learn and reflect about anti-Black racism and other forms of racism and discrimination in the WBT. Oluwakemi Oyewole Kimi ,  Advocate in the Group of Young Women of Atina organization will share her experience as a migrant from Nigeria and an activist in Serbia. Both speakers will be open for questions and a discussion on key issues of interest to civil society in the WBT.

This regional meet-up event is implemented within the EU TACSO 3 People to People Programme, with an objective to contribute the CSOs representatives to gain knowledge on fundamental human and civil rights, to raise their awareness in addressing anti-Black racism and other forms of racisms and intolerances, and learn more about grassroot organizing.

Interested participants should fill-in the application form no later than 21 September 17:00hrs CET.

Technical Assistance to Civil Society Organizations in Western Balkans and Turkey (EU TACSO 3) is an EU-funded project in the Western Balkans and Turkey. EU TACSO 3 aim is to strengthen the capacity of civil society organisations (CSOs) to actively take part in the democratic processes and to stimulate an enabling environment for civil society and pluralistic media development.

The Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF) is a private, family foundation helping to advance social change that contributes to a more just, sustainable and peaceful world.