Timetable

Activities in 2011

The new BSYR year 2011 starts with following activities:

The second group of Young Reformers will be nominated based on recommendations made by our respected partners at the C·A·P and IRIS in the Black Sea region and Western Europe. In a second step, the nominated fellows need to apply for the BSYR Fellowship. The reasoning behind this process is simple: Our Fellows will be people living or working in the Black Sea region who therefore understand the challenges facing this part of the world. We rely on our partners’ judgment to select the young heads of tomorrow who will best be able to make a difference. Further, we want real commitment to the BSYR Fellowship. The application for the BSYR Fellowship should show us the dedication to the idea of being a Black Sea Reformer.

Once selected, in March/April 2011, the future Fellows will take part in a conference, to be held in Batumi, on Georgia’s Black Sea Coast, where they will identify current problems and discuss possible solutions within the general thematic area of “Multilateral cooperation and creation of a European commonwealth of nations”.

After the conference, we expect the Black Sea Young Reformers to prepare short papers and engage in monthly discussions regarding progress made towards addressing the identified problems. New media, User-Generated Content, and Social Networking will be a key asset necessary to maintaining the connections between our Fellows. The newly established Alumni group will strengthen this process of interaction.

In September 2011, the Fellows will gather for a second conference in Brussels, where they will have the opportunity to meet European Union officials and to present them with their ideas about how the EU can better contribute to reform and democratisation in the Black Sea region. Thus, a direct link will be established between the Black Sea Young Reformers and their EU counterparts.

The Fellows will then be awarded a certificate, and they will officially become a member of the Black Sea Young Reformers Fellowship.