Books

Higher Education Reform in light of Bologna Process: opportunities, obstacles, context. Recommendations for Eastern Partnership countries

Andrei Yahorau, Sviatlana Antashkevich

In 2016 Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum supported the project “Higher Education Reforms Reinforcement in Eastern Partnership countries” that was implemented by the group of civil society organizations from Armenia, Belarus and Ukraine. Here present meaningful project’s results including some recommendations.
Belarusan-European relations: a history of unseized opportunities

Andrei Yahorau, Alena Zuikova

The book presents an analysis of the relations of Belarus and the European Union since 1991 up to the present day. The authors scrutinize the problems of Belarus’ geopolitical choice, the changes of the foreign policy doctrines of independent Belarus, the historical development of European-Belarusan political interactions, their actual condition, and build the foundations and frameworks to program the European vector in Belarus’ politics. The basis of a new construct of the foreign policy is the proactive approach that makes it possible to raise the questions about Belarus as about a European problem, to revise the policy of the European Union with a view to Belarus’ development, to seek for the ways of influencing the EU eastern policy and to change it in the necessary direction, and to use the current European initiatives and programs in the national interests.
Public dialog in Belarus: from grass-roots democracy to civic participation

Uladzimir Matskevich

The book continues the “Belarus for Beginners” series and deals with the problem of organizing political dialog in Belarus. The book studies successively a number of questions which lie in the foundation of this problem: from the differentiation of the notions “people” and “society” — to the specificity of public communication and dialog organization principles. Much attention is given to the analysis of the Belarusan forms and precedents of the solution of this problem. As an annex to this book, there is Olga Smolyanko’s analytical material on the legal regulation of the activity of public advisory councils in Belarus.
Organizing activity games: popular Introduction

Andrei Yahorau, Tatiana Vadalazhskaya

Today’s Belarus can be considered a challenge, a highly difficult complex of tasks and problems for all who see themselves in an active, deedful position in respect of the socio historical situation. Our time and our situation are characterized, on the one hand, by the scale and diversity of changes and, on the other hand, by the novelty of problems faced by an individual, Belarusan society and even mankind as a whole. This novelty of tasks necessitates adequate means, ways, instruments and methods of work. Among such means and methods, the Humanitarian Techniques Agency (HTА) and the Center for Social Innovations (CSI) apply more and more the organizing activity games (OAGs).
The Infancy of a civil nation in Belarus. From allegiance to citizenship

Uladzimir Matskevich, Tatiana Vadalazhskaya, Andrei Yahorau

In the modern scientific and pseudoscientific humanities concerning Belarus, the topic of national and civil relations, the national and civil identity, perhaps heads the list. Almost all authors have touched this theme. Such close attention can be explained by the fact that the key to the Belarusan nation’s mystery can reveal the ways to understand and overcome the national history’s dramas and tragedies, and to explain today’s events and contradictions. Even though it may look like significant exaggeration, nevertheless it is close to the root of the matter. Of course, it is not the only form in which Belarus can and must be perceived, but without the understanding of the national and civil construction processes’ history and modernity, it is very difficult to comprehend the country’s current situation.
The quality and way of life in Belarus: evolution and possibilities of transformation

Tatiana Vadalazhskaya, Uladzimir Matskevich

In this work, we consider the lifeway sphere to be changing — from generation to generation, or even during a period comparable with human life. Moreover, we believe that in the lifeway sphere it is possible and even necessary to have changes or reforms with apt concepts, notions, programmes and political will in order to implement them.
Communities building and development

Tatiana Vadalazhskaya, Uladzimir Matskevich

The present brochure contains concise analysis of what hampers the emergence and development of communities in Belarus and presents the principles and foundation of our own activity. It only claims to provide arguments for right and more accurate planning of time, resources, and human effort while working on community development in Belarus.