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Supported by Erasmus + Programme

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Open Digital Europe

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Out of the Box International develops a tailor made open data model and policies based on open digital environment which is transparent, accountable and secured.

Social Businesses

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Out of the Box International works with already existing hubs, various local and national stakeholders and social entrepreneurs in order to further develop and promote successful social entrepreneurship policies and practices.

Solidarity Europe

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Out of the Box International delivers expertise in the field of cohesive policies by using cross-sectorial approach and non-formal  education, in a global perspective.

European Project

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Out of the Box International  works further to enhance current cooperation in South East Europe region and actively supports the integration of all European countries in common European project.

Team

Out of the Box International is lead by a dedicated team of people committed to work hard, innovate and network. We have different profiles but the same desire for a solidary and innovative Europe.

  • Alexandra Vázquez Mera / Communications

    Proactive young graduate in modern languages and literatures and international relations from the University of Santiago de Compostela. Spent a semester abroad at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) learning about European history and politics, and 8 months in Romania as an ESC volunteer delivering workshops in schools about disinformation. Speaks Spanish, English, and French. Experience in non-formal education and communications. Passionate about advocacy and education for sustainable development.

    Areas of expertise: international relations, advocacy, and climate justice concerns.

    Contact: alexandra@outofthebox-international.org

  • Marija Bumbak / Project Officer

    BIO: With an over 12 years of working experience in the Tourism sector Marija has gained various skills in communication and speaks English, German, Spanish and Italian in addition to being a large event organizational manager.

    She gained the title of Bachelor of economy at Baltazar Polytechnic in Zaprešić with focus on Cultural management and was involved in several heritage promotion and revitalization projects.

    As an Erasmus business management student in Vilnius Gediminas Technical University in Lithuania she was the was coordinator of a project tackling youth unemployment and local business sector development.

    Professional specialist of Project Management with main personal interest on rural area development, she is a certified EU project manager with  considerable experience as a project assistant working with large organization development strategies, data analysis, Erasmus +, youth unemployment,  social inclusion and social entrepreneurship projects.

    Areas of expertise: Project management, Youth Projects and Policy, Management in Culture

    Contact: marija.bumbak@outofthebox-international.org

  • Borut Cink / Policy Advisor

    BIO: Communicator, project coordinator and facilitator with more than 10 years of experience in civil society and public affairs
    organisations. Served as a board member of JEF Slovenia, vice-president for international cooperation at National Youth Council
    of Slovenia and a president of Young Liberal democracy. He worked as a Policy Advisor for youth policy and public administration in National parliament in Slovenia and as a Communication Coordinator for National Youth Council of Slovenia and MOVIT, Slovene National Agency for Erasmus+: Youth in Action and European Solidarity Corps. He has extensive knowledge on youth policy in local, national and European context and quality youth work development.

    Areas of expertise: Communication in Non-profits, Youth policy, Youth Work, Political Participation, Policy Development

  • Marko Paunovic / Director

    Bio: Marko Paunović, consultant, moderator, and social entrepreneur with experience in the field of non-formal education, fundraising, organizational and project management. In recent years he has been lobbying the European institutions and following closely Cohesive, Enlargement, Social Entrepreneurship, Internet and  youth policies of the EU. He is the founder and CEO of Out of the Box International, an international network based in Brussels dealing with social innovations.

    Areas of expertise: EU Policies & Projects, Non-profit management, Social Innovations

    Contact: marko@outofthebox-international.org

     

  • Marija Djokovic / Project Assistant

    Bio: Marija is a project officer, project fundraiser, language teacher,  translator. In her ten-year long teaching career, she has successfully incorporated principles of non-formal education into formal educational practices, thus promoting active, experiential and life-long learning. She has extensive experience in youth work, project management and designing workshops especially for ones at risk of social exclusion. She has authored and co-authored a number of publications for youth workers and translated several books for children and teenagers.

    Areas of expertise : youth project management, research, training

    Contact: marija.bozic@outofthebox-international.org

  • Augustė Taruškaitė / Project Coordinator

    BIO: Augustė Taruškaitė, Project coordinator; University of London graduate with an academic background in history and cultural organization communication, specializing in not-for-profit organization outreach and fundraising. Work experience encompasses various organizations with focus on social enterprise establishment/management/funding, youth participation, project administration, volunteering, event organization and engagement with outreach.

    Areas of expertise: project management, social entrepreneurship, youth participation

    Contact: auguste@outofthebox-international.org

  • Antonis Polydorou / Projects

    Bio: Academic background in education and European studies. Professional experience in teaching for 13 years and monitoring of Youth in Action Programme at the Ministry of Education of Cyprus for 2 years. Long standing experience as a youth worker in several organisations. Participated in the organisation of various seminars, exchanges and trainings on education for youth in Cyprus and abroad. Member of the Board of European Confederation of Youth Clubs (ECYC) 2012-2014. Co-founder of NGO KEY dealing with community development and life long learning.

    Areas of expertise: Youth, EU Programmes, Education

    Contact:  polydoroua@yahoo.com

  • Ivana Davidovska / Policy

    BIO: Board Member with an expertise in youth work development, youth policy and organizational development. She is member of SALTO South East Europe Pool of trainers and Council of Europe Youth Department’s Pool of trainers. She sees society as a stage of diversity of many kinds and enjoys networking, connecting people and their ideas. Non formal education and science of learning are her passion. She is currently working in the European Youth Forum.

    Areas of expertise: Youth Policy, Trainings and Moderation, NGO Management

    Contact: ivanaadavidovska@gmail.com

  • Evren Ergeç / Projects

    Bio: Evren Ergeç brings more than 20 years of experience in NGO management.  While he was a graduate student at the Galatasaray University in his last year of the International Relations Department, he started working as a “Project Coordinator” of a community outreach project for assisting people’s living at the prefabricated houses in Duzce in 2001. From July 2003 to February 2016, he worked in Toplum Gönüllüleri Vakfı (TOG) respectively as Field Coordinator, Head of Field Department, Head of Global Affairs Department and General Manager. He represented TOG at the Advisory Council on Youth of the Council of Europe from 2009 to 2011.

    In January 2014, he became one of the founders of Karakutu Association (http://www.karakutu.org.tr/en/) that works with and for young people on remembering the past. From April 2016 to May 2017, he was the founding Secretary General of “Daha İyi Yargı” –Better Justice- to assist the institutionalization of a newly established association working to improve the judiciary system of Turkey. After being a managing partner of a private company, he was the Country Manager of Greenpeace Mediterranean in Turkey from July to December 2019. He continues working as a freelancer supporting the capacity building of NGOs in Turkey.

    Areas of expertise: European Youth Policy, NGO/Philanthropy Management, Fundraising

    Contact: evren.ergec@outofthebox-international.org

Why Out of the Box International

The seemingly ever-lasting depression of European economies has shaken the very foundations of many European societies. The shear rate of unemployment in Europe and the omnipresent environmental crisis coupled with the often frustratingly slow process of decision making in the EU, are calling for civil society actors to step in and fill the void.

In the aftermath of the 2008. economic crisis, the apprehension of falling under the spell of apathy of economic depression across the continent has not been easy to shake off. However, pinpointing the culprits for the current state of affairs on any particular EU decision maker is not the answer. Nonetheless, the fact remains that the current approach to the economic and environmental crisis hasn’t yet shown the affected citizens the light at the end of the tunnel.

As representatives of the civil society we feel the need to make our voice heard in the midst of the current debate on economic crisis. Being a social enterprise we offer new and feasible ideas in education and community work, creative cross-sectorial cooperation among different actors and strong networking coalitions to turn these dire economic challenges into possibilities through social entrepreneurship initiatives which aim at benefiting wide range of citizens, particularly vulnerable groups and those affected by the economic crisis.

Social entrepreneurship is a simple concept that has been put into practice by civil society actors for the benefit of a specific social group or people, and this is precisely what we want: to create projects and initiatives with fresh ideas in different policies, educational programs or tools, support businesses, empower cultural initiatives and offer different solutions to individuals, corporate bodies, everybody who believe that we can have more Creative, Innovative and Cohesive Europe.

 

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