Two-day Evaluation meeting of newly established local volunteer centres was held 15-16 November 2013 in Sisak, organised by Local Democracy Agency Sisak and Youth Communication Centre Banja Luka. The meeting is part of a project “Cross-border Volunteers’ Networking for Local Development” and it gathered 20 participants from Croatia (Sisak, Ozalj, Vrginmost) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (Banja Luka, Laktaši, Gradiška).

“In the 7 months of local volunteer centres existing, they made great impact on beneficiaries of developed voluntary programs, especially in socialisation of vulnerable and marginalised groups. Many of these beneficiaries engaged themselves as volunteers as well.” – said Paula Raužan from the LDA Sisak. She evaluate meeting as very successful, highlighting that some of the project partners are working with their counterparts cross the border for the first time and already planning possible future cooperation.

The project is ending and its results will be presented at the Press conference on the 26 November 2013.

The project is funded by the IPA Cross-border program Croatia-Bosnia and Herzegovina 2007-2013 and partly co-funded by the Office for NGO of the Government of the Republic of Croatia. Project leaders are LDA Sisak and YCC Banja Luka in partnership with associations Most (Gradiška), Centre for children, youth and family (Laktaši), Local action group Vallis Colapis (Ozalj) and Suncokret (Vrginmost). The aim of the project is improvement of accessibility of community-based services in border area through establishment of 4 local voluntary centres; 2 in Croatia and 2 in Bosnia and Herzegovina.