Catalyst in the Balkans

Summer 2007

Click here for Catalyst in the Balkans blog

Rod Schwartz, CEO of Catalyst, will spend six weeks in the Balkan region over the summer of 2007. The purpose of the visit is to learn from, highlight and celebrate successful social businesses and enterprises in the region. The reputation of this region is tinged with bloodshed and more recently, warfare. By contrast, the history of the region embodies a great deal of tolerance and cooperation. The sole aim of this trip is to highlight and stress these positive aspects which have been less evident in recent years.

The map below illustrates the route that Rod will take through the Balkans and a provisional itinerary. He will write about his journey,as it progresses, in a blog.

Please send an email to sarah at sarah@catfund.com if you have any suggestions, recommendations or queries regarding Rod's trip.

Key

City	Country	Arrival Date
1. Ljublana	Slovenia	12 July
2. Zagreb	Croatia	13 July
3. Belgrade	Belgrade	18 July
4. Sofia	Bulgaria	23 July
5. Thessaloniki	Greece	27 July
6. Skopje	Macedonia	31 July
7. Tirane	Albania	2 August
8. Podgorica	Montenegro	4 August
9. Dubrovnik	Croatia	8 August
10. Mostar	Bosnia & Herzegovina	10 August
11. Sarajevo	Bosnia & Herzegovina	13 August
12. Split	Croatia	19 August
13. Zadar	Croatia	22 August

What are we looking for?

As the focus of Catalyst is on social businesses and social enterprises, these will be a key target during this visit. However, Rod will also be looking to meet with and learn about the best current and historical examples of cooperation amongst the many religions, national and ethnic groups living in this complex region. Specifically, he will be looking for businesses, cooperatives, schools, hospitals, and the wide assortment of ventures which portray the best of the human spirit.

What do we aim to contribute?

Only a certain amount can be achieved in six weeks. However, first and foremost, Rodney will aim to discover, learn from and try to understand the unique strengths of the many organizations and individuals that he meets in the region. Secondly, where there is interest, Rodney will share with social enterprises some of the experience of leading UK firms in this area. Where possible, Rodney will aim to highlight and publicize the businesses and other organizations with which he makes contact during the summer of 2007. While there can be no guarantee regarding press coverage of this trip, Catalyst aims to generate interest among the relevant English speaking media, before during and after the trip in publications and on its own website. Moreover, Rodney has made a commitment to writing a daily blog on the companies and, where permitted, the people he meets. Any interested observers, investors, academics, government officials, or curious citizens, who would like to join Rodney for any segment of this summer visit, please contact Sarah Cowie at sarah@catfund.com.

What might local organizations hope to gain?

Local enterprises will hopefully gain some increased recognition from this visit if only as a result of the aforementioned blog. Moreover, the sharing of expertise and relevant introductions, where appropriate, might aid these Balkan organisations. Beyond this, the region as a whole should, and hopefully will, benefit from such a visit, which aims to focus solely on its positive attributes.

Sponsorship of the Institute of War and Peace Reporting (IWPR)

In order to maximise the impact and leverage of the trip, Rod is also raising money for the Institute of War and Peace Reporting (IWPR). The institute provides high-quality, professional and independent journalistic coverage (both on its own and via mainstream media outlets) as well as training to journalists in the most challenging locations in the world. Without their work, we simply would not know what happens in the parts of the world where we most need to know what is happening. To sponsor Rod please go to his Justgiving page.