21 – 26 April, 2024
Pirot, Serbia

EPEKA Slovenia is a partner in the DigitalVsCorrupt project, which will take place under the auspices of EPEKA Serbia.

Project description:

DigitalVScorrupt is an Erasmus+ CBY and WB project with the main objective to fight corruption in the EU and the Western Balkans (WB) through digital tools and empowerment of young people and people in the EU and the Western Balkans (WB).

Corruption is a complex social, political and economic phenomenon that affects all countries. Corruption undermines democratic institutions, slows down economic development and contributes to government instability.
Corruption attacks the foundations of democratic institutions by distorting electoral processes, distorting the rule of law and creating a bureaucratic quagmire that is only created to extract bribes. The World Bank has been fighting corruption for decades, and it is up to civil society and youth organisations to tackle one of the most difficult enemies of our time, to defend the EU’s core values of democracy, the rule of law, shared values, to promote active citizenship and to bring the World Bank closer to the EU.

Activities: meetings, training, national activities, youth exchanges, conferences and campaigns.

The project is implementing the first educational activity in Serbia on corruption in the public sector.

Training for youth workers is an innovative and relatively new topic in the field of youth work, but crucial for building transparency, integrity and accountability. The aim of such trainings is to equip participants or youth workers with the knowledge and tools to identify, prevent and respond to corrupt acts.

Lectures will include:

1. Understanding Corruption

  • Definition of corruption: explains what corruption is, its forms and how it manifests itself in the public sector.
  • Practical examples: analysis of real corruption cases to better understand the concepts.

2. Legislative framework

  • National legislation: overview of laws and regulations related to corruption and the public sector.
  • International standards: Inclusion of relevant international conventions and agreements such as the UN Convention against Corruption.

3. Identification and Prevention of Corruption

  • Risk factors: learning about the risk factors that can lead to corruption.
  • Preventive strategies: Techniques and procedures to minimise corruption risks.

4. Tools and Techniques to Fight Corruption

  • Control mechanisms: putting in place effective control and transparency systems.
  • Ethics and integrity: Emphasis on ethical decision-making and personal integrity of employees.

5. Reporting and response protocols

  • Reporting mechanisms: setting up secure and anonymous channels for reporting suspicions of corruption.
  • Response strategies: Protocols and procedures for dealing with reported cases of corruption.

6. Interactive training methods

  • Workshops and case studies: active learning through group exercises and discussions.
  • Simulations and role-plays: Scenarios where participants put into practice what they have learned.

7. Evaluation and Further Training

  • Testing and feedback: to test participants’ knowledge and skills and to gather their feedback for programme improvements.
  • Continuing training: Providing ongoing educational opportunities to update knowledge and skills.

Corruption training needs to be continuously updated to remain relevant and effective in a changing legal and social environment. Well planned and delivered training can make a significant contribution to reducing acts of corruption and improving confidence in the public sector.

Activities: meetings, training, national activities, youth exchanges, conferences and campaigns.

Objectives:

  • Implement non-formal learning activities to empower youth workers and others in the field of anti-corruption in the WB and the EU through cross-sectoral cooperation.
  • Increase the capacity of the organisations involved in the WB and thereby increase ICT skills in terms of how digital tools can detect corruption.
  • Implementing the EU Youth Strategy in the CB and raising awareness of EU values and their relevance, the importance of the rule of law and shared values in the CB
  • Promoting dialogue at local, national and international level with political decision-makers on the damage that corruption can cause to the security and stability of the EU and the WB against external forces.

Infopack

The project is coordinated by EPEKA Montenegro.
The host is EPEKA Serbia.

The partners are:

– Phiren Amenca International Network (Belgium) 
– Private Scientific Institution Institute for Applied Research for Bussines Skopje (North Macedonia)
– Transparency International Iceland (Iceland)
– Qendra Open Doors (Albania)
– EPEKA Berlin (Germany)
– Eycb Breclav (Czech Republic)
– Udruzenje Akustikum (BiH)-Lykia Izcilik Ve Doga Sporlari Kulubu Dernegi (Turkey)
– Arcigay (Italia)-CET Prizren (Kosovo)
– EPEKA Serbia (Serbia)
– Feio (Polska)

More information at www.epeka.si and epeka@epeka.si.

The project is funded by the EU’s Erasmus+ programme.