SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY CAMPAIGN

The first project that AIPR has already started is a Social Responsibility Campaign in order to fasten its own branding process but also to assist Business Community to achieve to a natural approach for its Corporate Responsibility.

In the framework of this Social responsibility Campaign the Albanian Institute of Public Relations (AIPR) aims to assist the cultural needs of the blind people, approx.10.000 in Albania and about 6,000 more in Kosovo and western Macedonia. This campaign should guarantee the necessary funds to produce an Audio Library in CDs of max.5,000 books/titles, dedicated to blinds. The library will be compounded by the Literature for Children Unit (1/3) and Other Literature (2/3), including very best Albanian and worldwide authors. Several curricula from the secondary school books will also be included.

In order to produce the first marketing tool of this campaign, AIPR has started an interactive Radio Show with a 17 years old blind girl entitled “In my point of view”, going on air since July 3-d every Sunday at 9 pm, in cooperation with EUROSTAR RADIO. This girl, excellent student of Partizani Gymnasium will serve also as the Testimonial for the Campaign.

AIPR hopes to raise the necessary funds to support the production of a set of special Software enabling the use of computer by blinds through Voice Commands and also a Speech Software for reading texts in Albanian by a variety of hardware devices, including Palm Computers, etc.

World Bank, American Chamber of Commerce and several important companies in Albania have already expressed their interest to support this initiative.

A lobbing of best known journalists filing for both international and domestic media has been set up to support and voice the project.

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The Opinion Polling Call Center represent a flexible tool of opinion research that would supply to the government and decision making bodies an instant public view on different issues and political actions.

This structure would statistically elaborate the data from random selected phone-interviews in a national scale of research, offering within few hours a clear public perception opinion on actions that the government would be willing to take, on policies and law drafting issues that the parliament would be discussing, on new political approaches that political actors would like to endorse, etc.

This service would be marketed as a Government service through an NPO on a larger scale also to support other organizations willing to cope with it in defining better ways to meet market needs.

This instrument would give the Albanian Government a clear fast picture on issues under observation, enrich its profile with a service oriented approach, strengthening its commitment towards a public driven interest by supporting interested parties to recognize and meet these interests.

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AIPR has prepared a Concept Paper suggesting a coordinated feasibility study for the bordering region of Buna river. Both Albania and Monte Negro share a bordering area of at least 10- 15 km of coast which due to political and economic consequences represents an underdeveloped and almost maiden zone. Both countries can enhance their mutual cooperation in the framework of the regional integration, by agreeing on a common study of feasibility which would create room for integrated and complementary development, instead of a purely competitive one, avoiding the ruining of each other business interests.

To increase the regional inter-relation, the further development of each area can be completed through some new forms of PPP-s, where Albanian investors can be invited to join Montenegrin enterprises, offering the same to Montenegrin businessmen in Albania.

This step would also strengthen the capacities of the local authorities assisting directly towards a real decentralization process. The communication and transport between the two countries would be deeply alleviated, building at the same time new models of co-existence and regional ownership between nations.

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Few weeks after its foundation, AIPR forwarded this proposal to the Ministry of Tourism and Territorial Planning. The initial idea is to intertwine the Regional Promotion of Tourism with the legalization of the tourism offer in Albania. A huge number of tourism operators are illegal and offer no quality services. The proposed process consists of:

The Ministry can financially support this process by selling the hardware and the billing system software to the tourism operators, while the maintenance of the system can be afforded through reselling this marketing opportunity.

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The vision is to create a centre for marketing and co-ordinating planned tours for tourist in the high mountains of Northern Albania including the regions of Shkoder, Lezhe, Diber and Kukes. In every village included in this network, a base must be created including a medieval styled HAN (a place for tourists and villagers to meet with a main room for eating and with the traditional fireplace and with stonewalls combined with wood.

In every village in this network, private accommodation in small units or in private houses must be prepared at a standard acceptable for the tourists and in compliance with a standard required by the project manual.

GTZ has already invested to create the first Gasthaus-es in Thethi, Shkoder, while as the project becomes operational Banks and other financial partners can be invited to support the initiative on private basis.

In every village, guides must be educated to meet the incoming tourists half way from last place of overnight, and follow them further half way to the next. These guides will be educated in the local history and the history of foreign travellers like Edith Durham, Oakley Hill and others.

In every village an active artisan work, special for the village or the area, in order to show the tourists how they are made and in order to be able to sell artisan work to the to tourists.

In every village a tourist centre must be established in order to service the tourists and secure the extremely important interaction between the tourists and the local population and culture.

In every village in the network should be established a centre for horses that will either follow the tourists or for others, being the transportation of the tourists.

By creating this network and base the reception of the tourists in accordance with the traditional hospitality of the mountains, our vision will create the most attractive hiking paths in Europe and among the most attractive ones in the world.

The central unit of this enterprise shall produce the necessary promotional materials in order to enable an effective marketing as well as to supply promotional information to tourists, who visit the regions.

The initiative will be introduced in several international fairs of tourism and will be promoted by applying best up-to-date marketing methods, including online marketing.

The completion of this project is foreseen to rely on a PPP format (see Picture 1). Actors likely Financial Institutions and Banks, Business Organizations and Chambers of Commerce, Tourism Business including Tour Operators, Donors and Technical assistance organizations/ NGOs/individuals, etc, will join the initiative by creating a NPO named “Tradition of Tourism in Northern Albania”.

This Agency will then generate a Centre of Management, which will define steps for the realization of the project.

This idea will politically serve as a:

According to a feasibility point of view, there are over 4 million tourists worldwide preferring to walk in the mountains. This target is very well organized in special clubs. If the project succeeds to attract only 2% of this target in the two first years of activity, for a weekly rate of USD 1,500, the turnover of the enterprise would be USD 120 million.

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Kruja region represents one of the most important centers of Albania offering a uniquely rich history, flourished local culture, artisan’ work and tourism attractions’ heritage. This level of attraction is however in accordance with the trend of modern tourism that aims to take tourists back in time by discovering the lost civilizations and those already fading out.

AIPR founders strongly believe that the overall progress of the country can be achieved through a better approach for speedy development of these regions that enjoy resources and capacities to increase their economic performance. This project aims to build local capacities, improve the current situation in the sectors of tourism and artisan production and support the regional promotion in order to ensure a sustainable economic growth.

The main goals of this project are:

 

Very few European areas enjoy such a variety of nations and cultures mixed in such a small territorial unit. Regarding cultural aspects, Balkans represent the first laboratory where Western and Eastern Europe heritage merged with Asian traditional treasures, creating a unique three-dimensional environment of culture development.

The catastrophic situation experienced after the fall of Yugoslavia since 1991 turned the Balkans in an evil pattern of chaotic situation where extremism and divisions drew only battle lines.

Since the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Balkans have been suffering an endless conflict between quite all resident nations and states, based on territorial claims, religious grounds, economic domination attempts and foreign impulsions.

The basis of this long lasting conflict is due to a misperception of Diversity, which in most of cases is identified with religion.

But these tragic events of the XX-th century contrast with the main history of the last millennium, during which the Balkans appeared to be the only European territory where national differences played no importance and did never hindered the creation of a multi-cultural environment, where co-existence flourished.

Our aim is to bring elites (scholars/politicians/students) but also children and youngsters of these nations together in this “ Cultural Integration Centre for the Balkans” to commonly explore and admire another “past”, full of spirit of cooperation.

Again in the Balkans there is the common risk to loose the pace towards Europe, there is a vivid threat to remain prisoners of hatred and divisions; there is need to join efforts to realize the priorities of the epoch: the re-integration into Europe.

It is absolutely necessary that these nations learn to respect the differences as a variety of culture and as a positive input for their successful European integration process.

The inherited psycho-cultural momentum of “common enemy” might be used to forge a new perception towards reality through the creation of the new “common endeavor” of the Balkan nations. This will lead nations (their elite/students/children) to realize that “European spirit flourished in the Balkans when nations united efforts”, that the “today’s war is about progress and the European integration” and mostly to understand that “Europe belongs to those who dare to overcome the past”.

We consider Kruja to be a perfect place for the project. Its population was initially Christian, then it converted to Islam, ending to embrace a sectarian Sufism school named Bektaschism. Albeit the Islamic domination, the town served during WW2 as a shelter for hundreds of Jews, who successfully escaped the Nazis persecution.

One can see Italian shores from Kruja Castle. The presence of Europe and its vicinity with the Southern Balkans is nowhere more close and perceivable.

TARGET GROUPS

AIMS AND GOALS

Focusing its target groups, The CICB should develop projects in

• MULTI-RELIGIOUS CENTER IN ALBANIA

 

The latest world developments have once again brought to the attention of the decision-makers, political and social elites as well as to many analysts the fundamentals of the Samuel Huntington’s theory, who claims that the next coming world conflict is going to be the clash of the civilizations. The increasing tensions in the Middle East, the new war in Iraq, the stagnation of the democratic process in Afghanistan and more, have reiterated the basis of this notorious theory.

This approach tries to merge the image and the role of all monotheistic religions in the Albanian populated territories, (Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia and Montenegro), supporting the idea that all the religious structures are made out of the same will, scope, spirit and material components.

The project foresees the construction in Tirana of one center, where all monotheistic religions have a dedicated worship space, its spiritual services in place as well as a space dedicated to interchange of opinions and views. This multi-floor building will shelter a Judaic Synagogue, a Roman Catholic Church, a Byzantine Greek Church and a Muslim Mosque.

This all-in-one building will have also a museum describing the chronology of the religion revelation in Albania, a public library, a conference room and may be also a bar-on top of the building where scholars and followers of every religion can exchange views while consuming a drink.

This building will be served by two lifts, bringing forward also the idea that a religion choice is only a preferential stop along a predefined transcendental reality.

According to its symbolism, our aim is to promote the belief that whoever damages the walls of one religion has at the same time demolished the walls of his worship place also.

This center should initiate in a global level and fully represent the new civilization based on comprehension, respect and intensive communication between religions of all sorts, out of any fear, frustrations, historic repentances and revanche.

Albanian Institute of Public Relations is committed to closely cooperate with the Albanian Government to convince the Albanian Muslim Community to donor the required soil for the construction of this building, which will at the same time represent a “Religious Coexistence Monument”.

This intervention will for sure bring Albania on top of the international news, make this site a pilgrimage attraction to foreign tourists and re-iterate the special unique coexistence that religions enjoy in Albania.

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