Speech of Mr. Aleksandar Dedovic, Executive Director of ALPHA Centre during the ceremony of delivering the award "Safe Compass" and Celebration of 10th Anniversary of ALPHA Centre:

Mr. Borislav Pekic says:

“We should look right ahead. If we wanted to look behind, we would have eyes on the back of the head. We should love country of our children more than country of our grandfathers. Honor will not depend on where do we come from but on where are we going....”

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Forgive me for taking the words of our sharp-witted author, Mr. Borislav Pekic, to begin my address to you. I consider that by quoting him I have actually listed all our dilemmas, fears and hopes and that his words have given us as brief as possible reasons of both ALFA Centar’s existence and the previous ten years of their operating.

In the year of great anniversaries, ALPHA Centre is honored and privileged to have this present day recognized as the crown for all endeavors and labor we have been investing in creating Montenegro a democratic, proud and stable state, namely a member state of both the NATO and of the European Union.

Similar events are generally opportunities to review the achieved performance. They stand for even higher significance and value to us, knowing in what situations we have been achieving them, while simultaneously developing ourselves and strengthening our citizens’ confidence in us.

For the fifth time, we have handed over the Siguran Kompas (Safe Compass) Award to people and organizations that have been a part of all time, knowledge and energy invested in disseminating the convictions of strong beliefs in the Euro-Atlantic Integration  as a guarantor of piece and security in our community. This evening, the list of 30 laureates is extended by 4 additional ones. If we refer to the beginning, we were the only ones and completely alone.

Well, let us see the sequence of events.

Maybe highly ambitious, but nevertheless with all the belief in our mission justifiability, we have developed four programmes, being convinced that by their implementation we would change the stance of all of us to the country we live in.

By implementing the first programme, we actually managed to maintain the matter of Euro Atlantic Integration high up on the social events agenda. We were the pioneers in creating public debate about the NATO membership matter.

We have visited any single region of Montenegro; we have talked to citizens, while explaining the seriousness and significance of and a need for becoming a member of the collective security system; we were patient listeners, respecting and taking into consideration everything we were said.

We have prepared and arranged 6 international, 5 regional and 10 national conferences, as well as 98 lectures, 68 forums, 31 panel discussions, 19 round tables, 4 study visits, 11 competitions and a variety of 60 other activities aimed at increasing the level of awareness of the  integration into the Alliance. I am placing particular  emphasis on the Regional Euro Atlantic Camp, namely REACT, the ceremonial handing over the Siguran Kompas (Safe Compass) Award and the study visit paid by the opponents to the NATO membership to the NATO Headquarters in Brussels.

With the same aim, our members have participated in several tens of events throughout the world.

We have considered and we still consider that the NATO should neither be necessarily admired and idealized, nor bowed. Montenegro has the capacities, knowledge and resources capable of enriching and strengthening the Alliance as well. This political and security organization offers now the best security framework for both the Montenegro state and the Montenegrin society. It is a need and an interest of all citizens.

This evening, being the moment until which more than a half of member states have ratified the accession documents and all surveys’ findings have demonstrated more than a half public support, we are convinced we have made a success.

By strengthening our own capacities, back in 2009 we established Road Traffic Safety Division as ALPHA Centre’s independent organizational unit  that have been acting successfully for seven years so far.

Upon examining the road traffic safety in Montenegro and the ratio of the number of traffic accidents  to the number of citizens, and after finding out the absence of any  system for managing this highly significant safety area, we  opted for an additional pioneering work, namely to influence the education system; to tailor education to a variety of target groups, with the special focus on the elementary school pupils; to point out to current irregularities in both driving training courses and driving tests; to highlight obvious  defects in road infrastructure, horizontal and vertical traffic signals and lights respectively; as well as to engage in parallel in developing so called 3C, namely Communication, Coordination and Cooperation for involving public institutions, agencies, non-governmental originations, media and business community representatives wishing to contribute to this area’s considerable improvement.

We are proud of 194 road traffic safety-relate lectures delivered to 97 rural, suburban and urban schools throughout Montenegro, as well as of 9 counseling sessions held with the in-country and regional institutions, 3 national conventions, 4 campaigns and a verity of 70 activities aimed at drawing the attention  to and improving this area. We are placing particular emphasis on Saobracaj po mjeri Niksica (Niksic Tailored Traffic) and Siguran Korak (Safe Step), as well as on the Annual Campaigns on the slogans USPORI! (SLOW DOWN!) and Pusti neka zvoni! (Let It Ring!).

Besides, this year we have created the Web Site: USPORI.ME, the first one dedicated to traffic culture and  road traffic safety in  Montenegro.

Still far away from what we have been striving to achieve, but nevertheless we witness more responsible behaviors of all those in the road traffic. We have managed to have the Road Traffic Safety embedded as a school subject in the education curriculum to be effective as of the next school year and for both elementary and secondary schools. The Government established the Coordination Body for decreasing traffic accidents on roads, and this Body has already adopted their Action Plan.

Although we can refer back to certain results achieved, we are quite aware that there are still challenges to face in our efforts to have, in 20 years in Montenegro, responsible citizens as traffic participants cautiously taking care of their own and of everybody’s lives.

By focusing on political matters concerning the young, both on local and national level, we have created the Youth Programme.

A need for having the Youth Programme in place appeared at the moment when we have found out that, besides the current programmes that have been being implemented   throughout our community, this most important target group is still without  clearly defined education, mobility, employment and spare time using-related goals, the continuous need for informal learning and acquiring new experience have been going hand in hand with modest documentary and financial capacities; therefore, for 8 years  so far, we have been allocating our resources for  implementing the activates  and by means of them we have ensured the Niksic youth to enrich their knowledge  and   to extend their horizons, as well as to become active citizens and holders of changes in their community.

Just to mention 23 “Ambassador Hour” events; the Zelim da vidim – Hocu da znam (Wish to Experience – Want to Know) project which included secondary school student exchange program that Niksic shared with Plav, as well with Ulcinj; study visits paid by the Niksic secondary school students to the Parliament, the Government and the Army (Navy and Air Forces) of Montenegro, as well as to some  tens of Bureaus and Agencies, meida houses and business companies. The project titled “Niksic, grad otvorenog srca” (Niksic, the Open-Hearted Town), during which, for three years in a row, strengthening friendly relationships between the members of different, mainly Roma communities and their age-fellows from the town and its suburbs.

Each year, we set aside particular energy to implementing our national ALIANTE Competition; exactly here, at Vucje, back in 2011, we hosted the world ALIANTE competition.

Besides knowledge, experience and friendships, participants in our Youth Programmes established, along with our support, the Niksic Youth Club  that has been operating and dispersing our mission independently for two years so far. Fourteen members of the Club were granted scholarships to improve their knowledge by attending training in foreign colleges; the Club’s there members attend the Military Academies in the USA, Greece and Republic of Serbia respectively. Two elementary and two secondary school received valuable  grants in the form of equipment and teaching aids.

Here we can say also that we have made measurable results.

The last, but as important as the previous one, is the local community-level Programme.

Local-level programmer afford us a huge opportunity to attempt  contributing to the quality of life in Niksic, in a variety of areas such as culture, environment protection, human rights, civic activism, ecology, volunteering, civil society development, and numerous other areas.

As of October 16^th 2011—being the time at which we started implementing the two-day activity of cleaning and developing the space surrounding the Dom Revolucije (Revolution Home) and disposed of 20-tone waste from the downtown—so far, we have prepared and completed 87 different programmes, mainly of cultural content.

Each of them was unique and seen for the first time in our town.

Only this year, from March  and the Laura Cortese / Dancing Cards concert—arranged in cooperation with the American Embassy—to the close of the Norwegian Film Days—arranged in cooperation with the Kingdom of Norway Embassy—several days ago, we completed 10 cultural events including also tonight’s The Best Beata.

The project titled Reciklaža nije blamaža (Recycling does not mean Embarrassing) has resulted in placing two “green islands’’  and the ant sculpture for waste disposal near the King’s Palace.

One month after putting into operation again the Niksic Theatre, exactly in this building, we gathered the representative from twelve Embassies and created solid foundations for a good cooperation. We are partners in all cultural events and festival in our town and broader.

We have launched 11 civic initiatives and  have completed all successfully. They were aimed at dealing with road infrastructure,  street lighting, utilities, civil sector positioning and, naturally, the Dom Revolucije (the Revolution Home)-related matters.

It seems to me that the  performance we have anyway recognized.

More than 150 awards decorate our office’s walls. Out of national ones, the most significant are the Award for arranging the best volunteering and the Acknowledgment by the Defense Ministry and Armed Forces of Montenegro for the ten-year excellent cooperation.

As you can see on our banner “Ten-Year Contributing to Democratic Changes”, we rightfully consider that all objective and benevolent persons can observe changes.  The social reforms are yield-bearing ones; however, their processes are ongoing.

Most likely that if someone was in my shoes tonight, he/she would say: “We could do more and better.” However, I will tell that we could do NEITHER more NOR better!

The most challenging matters will definitely be the change of our stance to the country we live in, as well as to its future; to change our habits, regardless of public, private or civic segment we are and we are engaged in.

Everyone determined to make an active contribution to improving the life quality of all of us the ALFA Centar will regard as a reliable partner.

Lastly, I am taking this opportunity to congratulate to the young persons team for their longstanding patience and dedication to the work, as well as for their invincible belief in the rightfulness and honesty of our mission.

Wishing to have the coming New Year and Christmas holidays for the benefit of our good health and great love, to  have the Safe Compass lead us to peaceful and stable  ports, on behalf of the ALFA Centar I thank you very much for your attention.

14.12.2016., Niksic, Montenegro Ceremony of delivering “Safe compass 2016"

ALPHA Centre organized the Ceremony of delivering the award "Safe Compass".

The award is given to the institutions/organizations, media and individuals for a promotion of Euro-Atlantic integrations to Montengro in 2016

video

The winners of the Award are:

18.12.2014., Podgorica, Montenegro Ceremony of delivering “Safe compass 2014"

ALPHA Centre organized the Ceremony of delivering the award "Safe Compass".

The award is given to the institutions/organizations, NGO, media and individuals for a promotion of Euro-Atlantic integrations to Montengro in 2014

video

The winners of the Award are:

Certificates of Acknowledgements  »Safe Compass 2014« are delivered to:

High School  „17. Septembar“, Zabljak

TV Show "Izazov"

14-15. March, Canj, Montenegro REACT ALUMNI FORUM 

20.12.2012., Podgorica, Montenegro Ceremony of delivering “Safe compass 2012"

ALPHA Centre organized the Ceremony of delivering the award "Safe Compass".

The award is given to the institutions/organizations, NGO, media and individuals for a promotion of Euro-Atlantic integrations to Montengro in 2012

The winners of the Award are:

3. In category NGO and media

NGO »Institute for Strategic Studies and Prognoses«, Podgorica

TV »Atlas«  Podgorica

Certificates of Acknowledgements  »Safe Compass 2012« are delivered to:

Municipality of  Mojkovac

High School  „Tanasije Pejatović“, Pljevlja

30.06.2011, Budva, Montenegro Meeting with NATO Secretary General 

During the second visit of NATO Secretary General, Anders Fogh Rasmussen to Montenegro Aleksandar Dedovic, Executive Director of ALPHA Centre had a pleasure to give him a present on behalf of Montenegrin organizations dealing in promoting of Euro-Atlantic integration ideas.

Aleksandar Dedovic hand him a painting showing a scene of Niksic and on that occasion Mr. Dedovic thanked to Mr. Rasmussen for all support and understanding that NATO organization has given to Montenegrin NGOs.

20.12.2011., Podgorica, Montenegro Ceremony of delivering “Safe compass 2011”

ALPHA Centre organized the Ceremony of delivering the award "Safe Compass".

The award is given to the institutions/organizations, NGO, media and individuals for a promotion of Euro-Atlantic integrations to Montengro in 2011.

Click the images to see addresses  by:

H.E. Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy

H.E. Sue K. Brown, Ambassador, US Embassy, Podgorica

Mr. Ranko Krivokapic, President,  Assembly of Montenegro

Mr. Aleksandar Dedovic, Executive Director, ALPHA Centre