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Peace Office Outpost
Year Report 1998

November 1997 - October 1998

Peace office Outpost is founded as independent office for the stimulation of information exchange and cultural exchange. It is founded with support of the Dutch Peace Office and if foundation was financially supported by the SOS second hand market from Den Bosch, NL. The first year was seen as a year to adept on the local Bosnian situation in which all projects and activities happened inside an experimental frame. This year report will give a picture about these activities.
With this year report POO tries to show it is a useful and meaningful completion among many, inside the rebuilding process of Bosnia Hercegovina, but also to the peaceprocess in Europe in general and to information supply to the Dutch society in particular. Also it shows that POO has the potention to grow into an important independent office for social and cultural management.

contents:

  1. A)/1 Aims
  2. A)/2 Motivation
  3. A)/3 Tasks
  4. B)/1 Registration
  5. B)/2 Accommodatie
  6. C) Cooperators
  7. D) Activity index
  8. E) Finances
  9. F) Year plan 1999 





Martin S. Past
31-10-1998
Sarajevo, BiH

A)

Aims, tasks and motivation of the P.O.O.


(italic printed text is taken from the set up documents of POO in September 1997)

A)/1 Aims

  1. to organize inter-regional and international cultural activities which are pointed to the youth.
    These activities often have a social, cultural or educational background above economical reasons.
  2. The foundation of an office that supplies cultural facilities.
    The aim of this is both to supply the facilities and teach and employ local people to work with these facilities.
  3. To supply and support information exchange between Bosnia and other places in the world, like the Netherlands, former Yugoslavia, and eventually other countries.
  4. Stimulation of foreign involvement towards the (social) reconstruction of Bosnia Hercegovina.
    This includes; to lower the threshold for visiting BiH; to initiate and actively stimulate foreign ideas; to prepare and guide foreign visitors; to supply information for seminars, meetings and to promote Bosnian products abroad.

P.O.O. works with several smaller, in itself independent, projects.
P.O.O. works according a two year plan with an option for a third year.
The aim is to establish an independent cultural management office that finally will be run by a small, capable and experienced staff.

These aims are all still valid although it could be said that aim 1. and aim 2. are melted together.
The funding of POO had a slow start. The reason for this it that the initiator first had to establish himself in the new country before project could take place. This adapting time went as expected and in July 1998 POO took residence in an apartment that fits well for it’s activities. These activities are fully going on at the moment.
Activities mentioned in the aims (specially 1, 2 and 3) are mentioned in the activity index in Chapter D0 on page 5).
Aim 4 among other things lead to cooperation and support to: CoMuSa (London - Sarajevo, People work for People (a donor organization in Tilburg,), Several students from France, Germany, Holland, Croatia and BiH, VPRO radio and TV, The Basic Movement Zeeland, Popcluster (Tilburg), Several free-lance journalists, cooperator of refugee camps in Holland and former Yugoslavia, CRASH (Amersfoort - Bugojno), Forbidden Fruits (Utrecht), 6th Column (Eindhoven), Socia Media (Den Haag).

A)/2

Motivation


Personal motivation of the initiator in 1997 was as follows;

Within the proposed idea there are splendid possibilities to get experience on professional level with the following subjects:
Journalism, Organization management, inter - organization activity, music and artists management, music education, Slavic languages, history and culture.

All these topics will be continuos at present inside the many different and in itself independent POO projects.

To review these subjects:

  1. journalism: Several columns are written and many interviews were given (a.o. Ravage magazine (Amsterdam), 0-25 magazine (Nijmegen), VPRO, IKON & FERN national radio stations). In that sense the experience is positive. Obviously the POO initiator is not a media monster and there are no priorities to specialize on this subject. Still there are many reasons to give attention to the media and it’s new appearing forms like internet.
  2. Organization management: The POO initiator had many advantage with the experiences he previous had with the management of an organization. These skills are now further developed, became more consistent plus the initiator gained a lot of knowledge in changing circumstances and timing between different cultures.
  3. Inter organization activity: This means: organize activities in cooperation with other organizations where all involved work within own borders and limits. For this many background information and trust in needed. This is the reason why POO only in November 1998 will start with the first inter organization activity, considering an internet education workshop.
  4. Music and artists management: The initiator succeeded to maintain existing contacts and even expand it’s network. Besides that many local artists have used opportunities POO offered. This is the subject with the biggest success and will get the most of the attention in the upcoming year.
  5. Music education: This subject has never really appeared in the POO program. The reason for this are written in chapter A)3 point 2 about CoMuSa.
  6. The Slavic language: Govorim dobro, razumijem malo, je tesko ali ucim polako i siguran, umoram ali zavodjan. (I speak well, I understand a little, it is hard to learn but it goes slowly and surely. I’m tired but satisfied).
    Another year in BiH will probable make a good step forward on this subject.

Conclusions of the initiator are positive. If it happens that the year plan of 1999 will be worked out, the initiator expects also to make good steps forward on the above mentioned subject. The feelings about the complete project are very good. An extra motivation could be: Recognition and appreciation for the work of POO for example expressed through donations, support, publicity or an interesting offer.

A)/3

Tasks

The tasks described in 1997 are as follows:

  • set up of a branch office
    this means: decorate a small office with telephone connection, bank account, registration papers, guest room etc., intensive contacts, experiment with artists and presentation, supply monthly newsletters and project reports, fundraising and take the financial responsibilities.
  • Cooperation with The CoMuSa project.
  • Organize projects inside the frame of Eindhoven Minsk City Connection
  • 2 times a year supply information in Holland about BiH in form of cultural projects, through brochures or media, through seminars, informative meetings or inter organization activity.
  • Launch ideas for upcoming periods of POO in general and for POO Sarajevo in particular.

Point 1, 3 and 4 are completely fulfilled. Point 1. is described in chapter B)2. point 3. is described in chapter D)CE04 and point 4 is described in chapter D)CE03 D)CE05 en D)IP03.

Point 2 did not happen. At the moment of arrival of POO in Sarajevo the organization of CoMuSa turned out to be more dead than alive. Ex-employees kept and sealed the control over the sequel of the organization. Space, materials and name became part of discussions that actually only served the protection of ego. Not to waste time to such a useless discussions POO decided soon after arrival to follow it’s own destination. Although: two small subjects with a tail:
1) a donated vehicle was used by CoMuSa on pretty bad way. Several parts were broken en it had a huge dent. The vehicle was never registered. At first POO tried to explain the responsibilities to CoMuSa. After that POO tried to make repair the vehicle so it could drive and than sell it for a cheap prize to someone that needs a car like that. Interested buyers we sought. After 3000 DM was spend, a potential buyer (IRC, Sarajevo) didn’t show up for three times and after it seemed another 3 to 4.000 DM was needed to repair it properly, POO decided to sell the car and stop the long seemingly endless martyrdom of that car. The vehicle is sold for the price of it’s spare parts. On this way one part of the wheelchair transport project ended sadly.
2) The only project that took place under the CoMuSa umbrella was the Sarajevo Drum Orchestra. Several times there was cooperation with a tour in Holland in refugee center and on cultural festivals as highlight. This year report and the working plan 1999 will be worked out in point 5.

B)

1. Registration
2. Accommodation


B/1 POO completed it’s registration in December 1997.
POO is registered as humanitarian organization under number R-III-127/97 at the high court in Canton Sarajevo. The official name is Mirovni Projecti Eindhoven - POO.
POO has bank conto nr. 503025 - 1000279 at the Central Profit Bank Sarajevo.
Registration means also to stay informed about the registration laws in BiH.

B/2 Since July 1998 POO has residence in an apartment in the center of Sarajevo. Here is has an office space for 3 - 4 people, a guestroom, a kitchen/livingroom and a toilet with bath and washingmachine.
Computer, telephone with internet connection, presentation on a server, fotocopymachine and TV with video can be used.
POO asks a small amount of 10 DM per person a night for using the guestroom. This money will be used to supply the guests all they need.

C)

Cooperators

The last year POO worked with eight cooperators-operators. During the starting period there were several youngsters interested in the work of POO. After a while some changes in personnel took place. This was mainly caused by the logical change when you from an early idea into a more clear definition.
POO used two cooperators for it’s newsletter, of which the second one make a very good and independent impression. The future of this cooperator is seen positively by all involved. The first cooperator was fired after three month but is still helpful and concerned with the work of POO. Payment is approximately 250 DM a month.

POO used several translators for the translation of official documents, incoming messages, introduction meetings and newsletter articles. Finally POO works with two students of the Sarajevo Highschool studying English. They receive a payment of 10 DM a page. This cooperation is going very satisfying. Quite some correction work and delegating remains necessary.

POO worked for a period with an internet cooperator but the energy that it needed was bigger than the creation of internet sites by itself. Therefor POO decided to organize an internet workshop in which quite some work will be done for POO as material to practice with. Also POO might find or educate one or more webmasters that will maintain the POO internet magazine.

POO havepassed quite some jobs to the Bosnian society. For example a transport to a Dutch donation organization, work as translator / guide for Dutch filmers and transport of people to Holland.

It is the aim of POO to keep it’s own organization small and register one vacancy official. Besides that POO hopes to pass through several jobs to individuals, a phenomenon that people call ‘the social side of corruption'.
It is remarkable that 6 of 8 cooperators were acquaintances, met for the first time at the first visit of the POO initiator in Sarajevo in 1996.

D)

Peace Office Outpost activity index 1998

Cultural Exchange Program (CE)
  • 01 Stock taking of the Bosnian Cultural Infrastructure
    continuos program that should get it’s result in the summer of 2000.
  • 02 Dayton Import Export
    Film by two Dutch cineasts about the happiness left in Bosnia. POO was guide for this film.
  • 03 1st May
    International statement, Bosnian participants included in this Dutch program.
  • 04 Troitsa
    Inside the framework of setting up a cultural management’s office in Sarajevo, POO organized a European tour for the White Russian folk group Troitsa, mainly aimed at Holland and Balkan.
    Over 30 concerts organized in Europe gave POO good possibilities to speak about the situation in the Balkan. It gave many good reactions from audience and organizers and it gave great opportunities to show the work of POO to the people.
    The tour was also used to give cooperators of POO the possibility to work independent, to explore the working situation in BiH and to spread other information from the Balkan through out Europe.
    This project is also connected with the Eindhoven - Minsk City link.
    The project was very successful and more information can be obtained in the final report Troitsa, which you can find on the POO homepage; activities
  • 05 Forbidden Fruits Festival
    Massive cultural exchange festival started up firstly by a group of cultural investigators. FFF is a traveling festival this time held for the tenth time, in it’s hometown Utrecht, Holland. Together with a local organization Ambrosia, POO coordinated a 40 piece group from BiH, arranges an extensive outreach program (24 concerts in 10 days and intensive information section support) and initiates media initiatives.
    Referring to reaction of festival participants the festival was tiring, surprising and very positive. Reactions of all organizations involved in the outreach program were very positive.Nevertheless, it was remarkable that the two organizations POO had to deal with the most, FFOCSF and Ambrosia Art Association,afterwards wished to stop the future cooperation .
    Extensive information about the festival can be obtained in the POO - FFF report on the internet magazine of POO.
  • 06 Bart Lodewijks / Gerard Hulsenbeck
    Cineast / cycler who will make a film about modern tourism in BiH and about the massive illegal wood cutting in some parts of BiH. POO guided, drove and made preparations.

Information Programm (IP)

  • 01 Monthly Newsletters
    Newsletters with cultural, political and social information distributed in three languages through email. IP01 has two employees and over 300 subscriptions in June 1998.
  • 02 Internet Magazine
    Magazine with layout, additional information and links. In constant progress.
  • 03 Radio program Holland, Bosnia Hercegovina and other countries.
  • Three nationwide programs made in Holland, countless interviews and music groups programmed as well, weekly show in Sarajevo coming up soon.
  • 04 Columns
    Monthly columns are written for daily newspapers and two weekly magazine.

Donation Projects (DP)

  • 00 Wheelchair Transport
    Accompanying the progress of donated vehicles in the preamble of the establishment of POO.
  • 01 Tinja
    Donation project in cooperation with the mother organization of POO. Donated materials are for a school in Tinja, near Tuzla and for the Blind school in Sarajevo.
  • 02 Pop Construction
    Extended program for support of BiH pop music infrastructure. In progress.
Education (ED)

  • 01 Guestroom
    Education and information to guests who wants to see Sarajevo ‘with their own eyes’. In the three month POO has the disposal of a guestroom over 30 people have used that facility for variation periods from one day to three weeks.
    With the task as guide POO had many guests and journalists traveling through Sarajevo, locale people who for the first time come back to the original place of living, Croatian and Serbian youth, international students and so on.
  • 02 Internet education
    School program on small scale with the aim to introduce interested youth in the world of Internet. Project ED02 will work with two part-time employees for 15 interested people.
  • 03 Introduction in Cultural Management
    Educational program with the aim to introduce youngsters in the world of cultural management. Absolute aim of POO is to leave this management office after POO left BiH. Long term project with loads of cooperation’s. In constant progress. ED03 has one employee.
  • 04 Ecological Village Zelenkovac
    Support and cooperation in an ecological project in Republika Srpska. The E-Village will have a congress center, a gallery and camping facilities. The Village will be mainly self-supporting soon after official establishment. POO also provides access to this E-Village so the E-Village will also be supported with visiting guests and POO seeks donors and supported the creation of a publicity film for Zelenkovac.

E)

financial report

POO publishes only a selective part of it's full financial report.

income.

Peace Office Holland Guaranty 5.000
SOS Rommelmarkt 10.000
Earned and given 8.535

Expenditure.
accommodation
organisation
registration
Traven expanses
projectcosts
cooperators

totaal

total
3719,-
3213,03
855.50
2166,01
5867,-
3489,60

19310,14

budget
3620
2165
1500
2750
7500
6000

23535

+ / -
- 99,-
- 1048,03
+ 644.50
+ 583,99
+ 1633,-
+ 2510,40

+ 4224,86

Conclusions for 1999

  • Accommodation costs are higher because of the new accommodation that is rented.
  • Organization costs will be expected to be the same as the expenditure of last year.
  • Registration costs will be less but not zero because of changing laws and change of address.
  • Travel costs will raise a little. The reason for this is that more visits to Holland will be made without having the possibility others will drive with the same car.
  • Projectcosts will raise because the upcoming year will be full of projects, unlikewise the last year which was only partly filled with projects. New projects are mentioned in the year plan 1999 of POO
  • The budget for cooperators will nor raise. Although there are people on daily job, more translations are needed, a webmaster is needed and eventually a small raise should be paid to cooperators that showed positive partnership for longer time it will not raise because the last year 2500 on the budget was unused.

POO obtained about 8500 through labor and project donations. It is estimated in 1999 this amount will be the same.
For a certain continuation of POO an amount of 20.000 NLG is needed.

F)

Year plan 1999

The year plan 1999 for POO has several items that should be brought up to the attention of the people. Besides that POO stands for an open approach of the reality. In case there are subjects POO thinks it is useful, sensible and necessary to cooperate, than POO will do so.

1. Financial future policy

In it’s second year of existence POO has to develop to a financial future policy and work that out for a longer period. This also with the remainder that POO might continue with Bosnian members only.
- Donations: POO hope the get a guaranty of it’s mother organization in Holland. This guarantee should be minimum 5000,- and maximum 20.000. In case the maximum amount is obtained POO has fulfilled it’s task. In case it is not the maximum amount POO has to seek for alternatives. POO can receive donations from other organizations.
- labor compensation: the last year POO has done many tasks where it received money for. It is possible to use this money to fill up holes in the budget but it would be better when this money is used as replenishment to the budget. These income only can be paid by international individuals and organizations.
Exploitation of space and facilities: POO has the disposal of a guestroom,, a car and office facilities that can be rented. Also this option is only possible to use to foreign people. Besides that it costs a lot of time and it brings in a little money. Besides legal problems for an organization as POO which is registered as humanitarian organization and not as company. Also this money better be used as replenishment.

The aim of the financial future policy is that at the end of the year there is a plan that could work for many years. In the mean time POO has to find a bridging fund for the upcoming year.

2. Organization: future policy and continuation.

POO started in Sarajevo with a load of ideas. Some of them have been executed, others are putted aside. In the next year a similar situation will take place although the upcoming year will be much more clear and more specifically aimed. The goal is to draw a complete future policy, connected with a financial policy, in which the general aims and tasks are defined even more clear. But, the possibility to react on changing situations forces us to build in a certain freedom.
This common package will be completed with the possibilities to let POO function in cooperation with foreign students or employees. Also a study will be done if and how a POO could function in other parts of Europe.
In 1999 POO will maintain to work with one employee and three part-timers.
POO will maintain to work as an independent office of information and culture.

3. Activities

- Newsletters, monthly in three languages.
- Internet magazine and education, fouryearly update plus education workshop between November 1998 and February 1999.
- Donation activities, guiding several Dutch donation organizations who donate materials to BiH.
- Accompaniment of artists. Organization of small cultural activities, local, national and international.
Some bigger subjects in this program are:
1. Cultural Minsk Festival in February.
2. 6th Column. A column of artists that will appear in Sarajevo around March with an extended program called ‘Vorschit, Bissiger Hund’.
3. Troitsa International. Long-term cooperation with a White Russian folk group that helps POO to maintain contacts in Europe and to introduce youngsters into the world of cultural management.
- Production. POO has decided it must make products to show the people. POO aspires to produce a book with CD-rom to be prepared for publication before the end of 1999. This project also includes literature, a studio music project for teaching young professional musicians, an extended political and psychological analyze and the cooperation with publisher and distributors.
POO also has facility to support young musicians with copying demo tapes and covers for releases.