Learning, Storytelling, and Inspiration in Struga

We arrived at the 6th regional IPA–IPA JTS event in Struga, North Macedonia, ready to take notes and maybe snap a few photos. But, surprisingly, that was the last thing on our minds. The experience quickly drew us in, capturing our full attention and making every moment memorable.

We learned about the latest IPA III CBC regional monitoring system- its functionalities, updates, and user experience. It will certainly become one of our most used tools for analyzing the achievement of project and programme indicators. Relying on data can greatly help correct course and guide the future activities of all CBC practitioners and stakeholders. A big thank you to Denis Slatina and the CBIB+ project for their effort in designing the monitoring database and training us to use it.

We were also lucky to have Arkam Ograk, the EU Communications specialist and Generative AI Trainer from the Interact programme, as our trainer. As he put it: “IPA CBC programmes bring real solutions to real challenges across the Western Balkans through the projects they fund… I’m grateful not only for what I learned but also for the people I met: dedicated colleagues from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia. The energy, collaboration, and shared curiosity made the training unforgettable.”

Making CBC not only useful but also more visible was what we explored in Struga. Possible solutions for a communication manager’s day at work: EU communication essentials, audience targeting, building impactful project narratives, visual communication and AI tools.

As JTS staff, we look forward to using this experience for our Programmes’ visibility and to transferring this knowledge to our future IPA III project beneficiaries.

For the end, just a single photo of the stunning Lake Ohrid to mark the occasion.