Innovation in the Public Sector

Capacity Building Based on Agenda 2030

Successful alumni meetings and valuable mentor visits to North Macedonia and Turkey

Johanna Alkan Olsson together with participants in the Ohrid team in North Macedonia.
Johanna Alkan Olsson together with participants in the Ohrid team in North Macedonia.

Our programme Co-design for Sustainable, Resilient and Inclusive Public Spaces and Services is in full swing!

Recently, Johanna Alkan Olsson, the programme coordinator from the Centre for Environmental and Climate Science (CEC) at Lund University and Ilhami Alkan Olsson, mentor coordinator from the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (RWI) visited the participating countries North Macedonia and Turkey.

Ilhami Alkan Olsson.

“We wanted to visit the teams of participants in the programme and their municipalities to gain more political and administrative support along the way. We met the participants’ supervisors and local politicians, often the mayors, and presented the goals of the programme to them directly, to answer their questions, as well as build up trust and networking. Meeting the participants in person was also very valuable. That way, the programme becomes more real. We also tried to meet some other potential stakeholders, partners and ‘programme friends’ during the visits. Universities and UNDP country organisations were particularly important in that respect”, says Ilhami Alkan Olsson.

Johanna Alkan Olsson with nature in the background.

“On the whole, the visits were useful and fruitful. Not only did they increase the motivation of the participants and teachers/mentors, they also created opportunities to meet different organisations and people that may contribute to our programme in different ways. The visits are also a promising basis for the future cooperation with the participants and stakeholders. The alumni meetings, that took place in Turkey, showed the importance of continued networking. Through such meetings and encounters the programme does not become ‘passé’ for the former participants, but alive and meaningful”, says Johanna Alkan Olsson.

Some of the meetings were covered by local and national media, including CNN Turkey, as well as several social media networks.

Below is a selection of events during the trip:

The Mayor of Ohrid hands over a gift to programme coordinator Johanna Alkan Olsson.
On the 2nd of November, the mentors visited Ohrid, a participant municipality from North Macedonia. The team members and the Mayor of the city were very welcoming. Here the Mayor hands over a gift to Johanna Alkan Olsson.
Johanna Alkan Olsson around a table together with participants from North Macedonia as well as members of the City Council in Tetovo.
In Tetovo, in North Macedonia, the mentors met our participants as well as members of the City Council. In Tetovo, the mentors also had the chance to visit the place where the team will implement their change project and got to talk to some of their stakeholders. The last stop in the city was the university, as the mentors want to strengthen the linkage between the change project and a local university.
Group photo of 29 former and current participants from Turkey, as well as academics that contributed to the programme.
On the 4th of November the mentors were in Antalya, Turkey, to attain their first ‘Country alumni meeting’. 29 former and current participants, as well as those academics that contributed to our programme, participated in the meeting. The Mayor and municipal experts also actively participated in the discussions.
The current team in Turkey in meeting with the Mayor of Buca.
On the 7th of November, our mentors visited Buca, our new participant district municipality (500.000 inhabitants) from Izmir Metropolitan Municipality in Turkey and met the current team and the Mayor.
A few of the participants at an alumni meeting in Buca sitting around a table.
Buca also hosted our Alumni meeting in the afternoon. Around 20 former and current participants from Izmir participated.
Group photo of the mentors together with participants from Turkey and the Mayor and Vice-Mayor of Karşıyaka.
On the 8th of November, the mentors visited Karşıyaka, another district municipality (350.000 inhabitants) in Izmir in Turkey, and had a very productive working day with the team members as well as the Mayor and Vice-Mayor.
Group photo of the mentors and Team Originn in Turkey.
The following day, the mentors visited Team Originn, the third team from Izmir, a civil initiative on sustainability. Alongside with the team members, they met some other civil initiatives and groups that were present in their shared building. In the Izmir visits, two of the programme’s local teachers and mentors; Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özgür Arun and Prof. Dr. Canan Madran were also present.  
November 25, 2022

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Co-design for Sustainable, Resilient and Inclusive Public Spaces and Services_22/23

One comment

  1. ilhami alkan olsson

    Thanks for your support.

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