Udruga za promicanje informatike, kulture i suživota

ASSOCIATION FOR PROMOTION OF IT, CULTURE AND COEXISTENCE (IKS) was founded by a group of young enthusiasts who wanted to create positive changes in a post-war community. The association was registered in 2003 in Petrinja, a small town in the Sisak-Moslavina County in Central Croatia. We are located only an hour away from Croatia's Capital City - Zagreb and less than an hour from the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The founders of IKS identified serious problems and needs in our local and regional front-line, post war community. The infrastructure and demography had drastically changed with very evident consequences of segregation, nationalism, marginalization and discrimination on various levels, poverty in drastic living conditions with a lack of general infrastructure for meeting basic human needs of many community members. Promotion of solidarity as a value and crucial factor in reviving community, preventing social isolation and exclusion, promoting peace, coexistence, human rights and cohesion seemed like a very ambitions cause but absolutely worthy of pursuing. Association IKS aims: - Develop a democratic political culture which impacts on community development; - Impact on Civil society development; - Promote and develop volunteering and social services in the community; - Promote and support lifelong learning, non-formal and informal education; - Encourage social partnerships and the development of intersectoral and sectoral cooperation at the local, regional, national and international level; - Reduce poverty and social exclusion. Our target groups are: Children and Youth People working with children and youth in all sectors Unemployed including long-term unemployed Marginalised and vulnerable individuals and communities Civil society organisations Educational institutions Institutions providing social welfare Regular activities of association IKS fall into four specific areas of work: o Social inclusion and empowerment of citizens in order to reduce poverty o Civic Education o Strengthening capacities of CSO's through sectoral and cross-sectoral cooperation o Lifelong learning Periodical activities our organisation engages in are centred around advocacy for the purpose of changing practices and policies of people in power, primarily those impacting on disadvantaged people in society: human rights, coexistence and sustainable peace, economic inequality and environmental sustainability. Through our membership in various networks, we work on raising awareness and mobilizing citizens, creating coordinated efforts to change policies, practices, ideas, and values that perpetuate inequality, intolerance, and exclusion. Primarily, Association IKS activities are focused on providing opportunities for learning, personal and skills development, improving current practices, particularly through education, to empower and enable individuals. Given our region has the lowest development indexes, highest unemployment and emigration, our holistic approach ensures that all aspects impacting on advancement are taken into consideration, a Maslow's hierarchy of needs theory, incorporated into our daily practice. Since the association was formed in 2003, we have been focusing all our efforts on projects and programmes assisting our target groups' capacity development so that they may become leaders in creating change, be they individuals or organisations. Our short-term development strategy revolves around the four above mentioned areas of work, prioritising strong partnerships at every level, continuing to promote the values and strategic direction of the European Union and being part of a rich in diversity European community, exchanging best practices, sharing new and innovative tools, higher-impact practical and experiential learning tools for today's generations.