Agitos Foundation launches OCP2 in Estonia

Second level of the Organisational Capacity Programme starts to be delivered in Europe 15 Jun 2018
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Representatives from European NPCs take part in workshop, in Estonia

Representatives from European NPCs took part in the first OCP2 workshop, in Estonia

ⒸKristjan Jarv/Agitos Foundation
By Agitos Foundation

"This course gave us tools for examining the situation our organisations are in and to find out ways to overcome obstacles and improve our strengths.”

The second level of the Organisational Capacity Programme (OCP2) has been officially launched.

The Agitos Foundation programme made its debut in Tallinn, Estonia, from 11-13 June, with a workshop on governance and planning for European countries. During the three-day event, NPCs were able to work on planning tools and case studies that could be applicable to their own NPCs.

The first level of OCP started in 2014 and more than 1,000 people from 39 NPCs in all five regions have engaged in national workshops.

Now, with level 2, the Agitos Foundation aims to provide more in-depth knowledge and support to National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) in the areas of governance and planning, marketing and communications and athlete development.

Estonia, Hungary, Israel, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Romania and Serbia were all represented at the workshop.

Bojan Jacimovic, Secretary General of NPC Serbia said: "This is a great experience. I am very happy to be a part of OCP2. This course gave us tools for examining the situation our organisations are in and to find out ways to overcome obstacles and improve our strengths."

This was the first time in OCP a mentorship initiative was introduced. Participants were divided in three groups and each group had a mentor who helped facilitate group discussions. Steve Griffiths, IPC Academy Programme Lead, assisted with the activities.

"If, strategically, the programme can make a difference to organisations and make them more effective, increase their capacity to then deliver strategic goals for each NPC, it can only enhance the Paralympic Movement as a whole."

Keit Jaanimägi, deputy secretary-general of NPC Estonia, praised the event: "I had good experiences with different mentorship courses. I think that having someone from the outside who has a fresh look on your situation can be so helpful. I think this course has helped me understand some situations and aspects of our own NPC and the work we can do much better", she said.

The Organisational Capacity Programme began in February 2014. The aim is to support National Paralympic Committees by encouraging increased professionalism, more local supports from governments, corporates and development agencies, new local partnerships, and better visibility.

The long-term goal is to increase the ability of NPCs to manage and diversify their funding streams. The vision is to help them become drivers of the Paralympic Movement with strong communication strategies and pathways at all levels.

The next OCP2 workshop will be held in August 2018 in Colombia with NPCs from the Americas, and will have marketing and communications as its theme.