In 2019 in the framework of USAID funded Civic Engagement in Local Governance (CELoG) program Communities Finance Officers Association in cooperation with Eurasia Partnership Foundation and the Information Systems Development and Training Center established School of Local Democracy. This component of the program promotes youth engagement in local and national politics. It targets young, forward-thinking and Western-oriented activists through three sets of activities: Civic and Political Engagement on the Local Level: SLDs cultivate a pool of young professionals willing and capable to run for local office either through direct suffrage during local elections, or compete for appointed positions in LG staff of consolidated communities. Participating youth receive a range of trainings, mentorship guidance and facilitated stakeholder outreach to develop community- and constituency-driven campaign platforms. Oversight of Policy Implementation and Elections on the Local Level: To strengthen public oversight of electoral processes on the local level, SLDs mobilize youth to competently engage in observation missions during local elections. The Activity uses online tools and platforms to mobilize active youth to hold local officials accountable vis-à-vis their campaign promises. Raise Local Issues on the National Level: The Activity facilitates the trained youth’s strategic outreach to national stakeholders. Mobilized youth learn advocacy tools to share their experiences with local government reform with the relevant committees of the National Assembly (NA), reach out to political parties to lobby for local issues, work with CSOs and media to elevate public debate on local issues.
School of Local Democracy Alumni Network
The School of Local Democracy Alumni Network has been created in 2020 for effective engagement of the SLD Alumni. The SLD Alumni platform has been developed as a section of the celog.am web portal and is aimed to promote communication and networking among the alumni, as well as support their further development in educational and career paths.
All SLD graduates regardless of the online or offline program they have participated in, are automatically registered in the platform. The platform gives them an opportunity to communicate not only with each other but also with the trainers and experts of the sphere, be updated with the Network news and events, educational and career opportunities, success stories about alumni projects as well as information about new activities of SLD. Moreover, as SLD Alumni, they have access to the SLD fund which supports their further initiatives in municipalities. Through the Alumni Network, the alumni receive consultations and trainings and even initiate trainings by themselves using already available video lectures, multimedia materials, reading materials as well as PowerPoint presentations.