The Enhancing Digital Diplomacy Activities project finished the third training of its kind on September 11th. A four day event brought together digital diplomacy experts from 16 countries, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia and Ukraine, and served as a platform where everyone could share their best practices, ideas and experience.
Organised with the cooperation of experts from academia, governmental institutions, the media and the private sector, this event allowed the participants to gain experience from different fields beneficial for their profession and workplace. The initial day on Sunday covered topics as determining the value of Digital Diplomacy, and exploring the vast possibilities, challenges and developments social media like Facebook and Twitter have to offer. The digital age brought immense opportunities to access information and make every bodies voice heard. In order to easier navigate in this sea of information, the participants also gained knowledge on Data and Analytics techniques, followed by a best practice on how to counter Digital Disinformation.
The participants were faced with the challenge of developing a vision and future step for the project on the second day. This was the red line of the event, that came to a conclusion on Tuesday evening with a presentation of ideas, also joined by Charge’ d’ Affaires Gautam Rana and Public Affairs Officer Jean B. Leedy from the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana. The gained inputs will be included in the construction of future activities.
A new wind for the project can also be seen in the synergies with the Bled Strategic Forum (BSF) and Young Bled Strategic Forum (YBSF). Digital Diplomats worked with participants of the YBSF in a workshop on Building a Bridge to audiences. The project was also the organiser of a BSF Panel discussion named Transformation for Institutional Resilience.
The training follows a series of multiple events that focus on Enhancing Digital Diplomacy Activities. All of the trainings serve as a fruitful cooperation between The Centre for European Perspectives, the U.S. Department of state and U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana. It is the common goal of all the organising parties, to further expand the network and strengthen it, so that it may be best equipped for the Digital challenges future has in store.
Working with the US Department of state and the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana, the event “Enhancing Digital Diplomacy Activities” started today to tackle the challenges and opportunities present in the field of Digital Diplomacy. Participants from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Ukraine will interact with guest speakers from academia, governmental institutions, and the private sector. They will join forces, ideas and best practices to bridge challenges in the field and build a strong network for the future of the project.
The current training will be devoted to discover the potential and opportunities of Digital Diplomacy, trends in the field, promising tools like Facebook and other platforms, but also critically think of challenges and dangers, to find proper solutions. On Sunday morning the participants were addressed by Charge’ d’ Affaires Gautam Rana and Public Affairs Officer Jean B. Leedy from the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana. The training was then set of by Matt Jacobs from the U.S. Department of state and Centre for European Perspective’s very own Project leader Ingrid Omahna, who have been supporting and coordinating the project from the very beginning.
The first day of the training took place in Ljubljana. A discussion by Dr Corneliu Bjola on the value of Digital Diplomacy set a strong theoretical base for the day’s activities. The participants were working closely on developments and opportunities in the field of social media with guest speakers Mathisas Lufkens and Crystal Patterson. Hind Mohamed and Henry Collis from the UK Prime Minister’s Office and Cabinet Office Communications also shared their good practices. The participants equipped their Digital Diplomat’s toolbox on how to analyse data more efficiently, and also got an insight on how to counter Digital Disinformation.
On Monday morning the participants were invited to look back on their experiences and gained knowledge from past trainings. As their workplace encompasses different fields, they also have a broad variety of good practices and ideas to bring to the table. Their final concepts will establish the future direction of the Enhancing Digital Diplomacy Activities project. Participants joined the 2018 edition of the Bled Strategic Forum named Bridging the Divide latter on in the afternoon. Fruitful discussions in the formal and informal environment offered a great opportunity to share knowledge, experience and opinions on multiple topics, certainly also about digital diplomacy.
The third day was also placed at Bled, where the Bled Strategic Forum activities continued. The morning panel discussion named Digital Bridge: Transformation for Institutional Resilience was organized by the Enhancing Digital Diplomacy project and with the support of the U.S. Department of State. Guest speakers from the private sector (Crystal Patterson as the Global Politics and Governmental Outreach Manager representing Facebook and Microsoft Director Corporate Affairs – CEE Dr. Matthias Sachs), academia (Dr. Corneliu Bjola) and media (Nataša Briški as the Co- Founder and editor of Meta’s list) engaged the audience in an open debate regarding technological developments, best practices and experience from their fields of expertise. As the future is digital and evolving rapidly, transformation, flexibility and the will to learn is an essential part of the recipe, that can strengthen Institutional Resilience. (The recorded panel can be accessed below)
The evening continued with the closing ceremony of the project. It was unique from the other trainings, as this time, the participants held a presentation of their ideas on how to expand and strengthen the network. The evening continued in good fashion, with the certificate ceremony, and was also joined by Charge’ d’ Affaires Gautam Rana and Public Affairs Officer Jean B. Leedy from the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana. Although the event came to a conclusion, it is only the beginning of a bright future for the Enhancing Digital Diplomacy Activities project.
The Centre for European Perspective, together with the U. S. Department of State, is organizinganother special event in the scope of the project“Enhancing Digital Diplomacy Activities in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe”. All activities will take place in two locations, our state capital Ljubljana and Bled, between September 9th and September 12th. The four day event will bring together participants from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Lithuania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Slovakia and Ukraine, as well as leading experts in the field of Digital Diplomacy from the U.S. Department of State, academia, private sector and media.
The initiative continues to serve as the hub for education and sharing of best practices in the field of Digital Diplomacy. After two trainings, organized in autumn 2017 and spring 2018, this event will focus on combining all the past and current ideas, knowledge and motivation to build a strong network for the project. It will be up to the old and new participants to BRIDGE different challenges in the field, and contribute to a fruitful program in the future.
The event is also special in two ways, as its activities are included in the Bled Strategic Forum (BSF) and the Young Bled Strategic Forum (YBSF). Experts in the field of Digital Diplomacy will work side by side with the participants of the YBSF assisting them to properly deliver their messages to the target audience. Our project is moving to Bled for the last two days, where the participants will have an opportunity to join some interesting discussions, at one of the biggest international interdisciplinary conferences in Slovenia. Don´t miss our panel discussion titled Digital Bridge: Transformation for Institutional Resilience taking place on Tuesday. Our speakers and programme will remain a secret for now, but follow us on our social media to discover all about it in the next weeks.
Digital Diplomacy Bootcamp 2.0 organised by the Centre for European Perspective and supported by the U.S. Department of State took place in Bled and Ljubljana from 10 to 13 April 2018. A 4-day training »Enhancing Digital Diplomacy Activities in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe” brought together over 70 PR representatives, communication officers and digital diplomats from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine and Slovenia.
See what can be found in the digital diplomat’s toolbox:
Digital Diplomacy Bootcamp 2.0 organised by the Centre for European Perspective and supported by the U.S. Department of State took place in Bled and Ljubljana from 10 to 13 April 2018. A 4-day training »Enhancing Digital Diplomacy Activities in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe” brought together over 70 PR representatives, communication officers and digital diplomats from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine and Slovenia.
Digital Diplomacy Bootcamp 2.0 organised by the Centre for European Perspective and supported by the U.S. Department of State concluded in Ljubljana on Friday, 13 April 2018. A 4-day training »Enhancing Digital Diplomacy Activities in the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe” brought together over 70 PR representatives, communication officers and digital diplomats from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine and Slovenia.
The training covered theoretical and practical aspects of digital communications, digital journalism, story-telling, strategic communications planning, video-editing, photography and design. It evolved and upgraded the understanding of communications theory, digital crisis communications and digital journalism, but also offered a chance to improve and boost the skills in photography, design and video-editing. Participants were challenged in digital campaign development, but also actively discussed the phenomenon of misinformation, social media usage, audience identification, understanding and targeting.
Press and public affairs products and their development attracted the attention of participants particularly because of its applicability in their everyday professional life. The last day of the training took place in Ljubljana and focused on teamwork, simulations and presentations, where the participants had to show their best and use the knowledge and skills acquired during the training.
The concluding session and certificate ceremony were joined by Ambassador Brent R. Hartley, U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Slovenia and Dr Gorazd Justinek, director of the Centre for European Perspective.
The training is second of its kind, following the Digital Diplomacy Bootcamp conducted in November 2017 and represents an upgrade of an established cooperation between the Centre for European Perspective and the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana.
