Call for submitting applications for the School of Integrity in Bijeljina

During two-day lectures and practical classes, the attendees will have a chance to learn more about the issues such as the Rule of Law and Good Governance, Effects of Corruption on Economic Development and Transparency and Free Access to Information.

The lecturers are experienced experts such as Svetlana Cenic and Srdjan Blagovcanin, and TI BiH will present its work in the field of access to information controlled by the public authorities. The School of Integrity will be held in Bihac (in December) also, besides Travnik, Trebinje and Bijeljina, and the most active attendees will be gathered once again in the final workshop in Banja Luka.

The topics will be discussed in a way comprehensible to all, and the School is directed towards young people of different vocations who may submit their applications for the School of Integrity in Bijeljina in the form of short biography and cover letter to e-mail address skolaintegriteta@ti-bih.org, until 15^th November 2015.

The main goal of the School of Integrity is to get the attendees more familiar with the topics related to the effects of corruption, and the methods of the effective fight against corruption, through:

• providing the insight into the latest theoretical achievements and presenting practical experiences so to raise the awareness and improve the knowledge of the attendees regarding the particular topic,
• and motivating the attendees to be socially active and to apply the acquired knowledge and developed analytical skills in practice.

The chosen attendees will have to be dedicated to the topics, actively participate in discussions and write an essay related to the one of the discussion topics. The best essays will be published in a specially prepared publication, and there are also some money prizes to be awarded. The School of Integrity is a chance for the young people to get to understand the basic terms of the vocabulary that is used to describe corruption and its devastating consequences, explained by the recognized experts and practitioners.

The School of Integrity is intended for students and high school pupils in their final year (age of 18-28) who are interested in topics related to the fight against corruption, devastating consequences of the corruption in different social spheres, but also the importance of the values such as transparency and integrity.

Lecturers and topics

The Rule of Law and Good Governance

Lecturer: Srdjan Blagovcanin

Topic description:  The attendees will hear a presentation on theoretical, and practical importance of the rule of law, especially in the context of fight against corruption, by analyzing the practice of good governance, which includes the selection of case studies and their presentation, while the practice of good governance implies the presentation of the way in which the public authorities function, their mutual connection and inter-dependence, as well as the overall structure within the legal order. The presentation of this topic also implies the description of the phenomenon of corruption through the relations with the concept of the rule of law and legal state. This topic will be especially presented through the illustrative practical examples, in a part referring to the practice of good governance, aimed at emphasizing through the chosen examples the advantages of good and functional governance, and their importance for the suppression and elimination of corruptive practices.

 The effects of corruption on economic development

Lecturer: Svetlana Cenic

Topic description: The presentation of this topic will explain the harmful effects of corruption and its impact on the economic development, through different theoretical approaches and perspectives in order to offer the attendees as comprehensive insight as possible. The practical examples will also be presented to the attendees so that the phenomenon of corruption and its relation with the economic development are explained in a comprehensible way. Lectures will be comprised of the lectures related to the basic terms and notions and those which will have deeper approach to the topic, and the issues to be discussed are, among other things, the type of corruption effects on economic development, long-term consequences it might cause and its short-term influence on economic policy.

Transparency and free access to information

Lecturers: Ugljesa Vukovic and Marko Vujic

Topic description: The attendees will be given a chance to learn about the practical importance of the transparency and free access to information concept as an effective tool in the fight against corruption. The presentation of this topic includes the insight into the theoretical background that a the importance of free access to information, but also the presentation of practical examples, with special emphasis on the treatment of legal framework in the field of access to information of public interest in BiH and the world. The aim is to present the existing trends regarding the free access to information but also the political initiatives that highlight the importance of the open government.

Terms of participation:

• The attendees must be highly motivated to gain the knowledge on topics related to the fight against corruption. They do not need to be the students of socioeconomics.
• The attendees may also be the high school pupils in their final year, age of 18 to 28.
• The attendees are expected to be committed, to actively participate in discussions and the work, and to read the recommended literature before the School of Integrity starts.
• All attendees are obliged to write a final essay on one of the chosen topics as agreed with the lecturers, while the best essays, chosen by TI BiH, will be published in specially prepared publication.
• A priority in the selection of attendees will be given to students and high school pupils who come from the cities in which the School of Integrity is taking place.
• The best and most active attendees from each city in which the School of Integrity will take place, will be gathered in the final workshop in Banja Luka.

Methodology:

The School of Integrity will base its work on expert lectures and discussions that will be moderated by lecturers in order to obtain as active participation of attendees as possible. The School will be organized in an intensive two-day course that will last the whole day with coffee and lunch breaks. All attendees will be given the literature which must be read prior to the beginning of the lectures. The planned number of attendees in each city is 30.

Participation costs:

The participation for the chosen attendees of the School of Integrity is free, and fully covered by Transparency International BiH with the support of the US Embassy in BiH. The School does not cover the accommodation costs, or the costs of travel, which is why the priority in selection of attendees is given to the candidates who come from the cities in which the School of Integrity is taking place.

Awards:  

Four best essays from each city where the School of Integrity will be held will be awarded a symbolic money prize of BAM 100, while the best assessed essays will be published in a special publication that will then be promoted throughout the country.

How to apply:

Applications in the form of short biography and cover letter must be sent to skolaintegriteta@ti-bih.org o later than 15^th  November 2015,  for the School of Integrity that will be held in Bijeljina (the end of November).

For all additional information and questions please contact us, 051/ 224 520. Contact persons Ugljesa Vukovic and Marko Vujic.