IRI Trains People's Office of the President

May 11, 2005

May 11-14 – As a part of its on-going government communications project, IRI organized a three-day training seminar for managers and staff from the People’s Office of the President of Serbia. The People’s Office is intended to serve as a liaison between citizens and the government and provide a range of constituent services. IRI volunteer trainer Pam Kocher, state director for Senator John Sununu (R-NH), traveled to Serbia to instruct participants on constituent services, internal communications, external communications, project development and planning, event planning, casework management and intergovernmental relations. IRI Macedonia Resident Program Officer John Cavanaugh and IRI Serbia Resident Program Officer Ken Bricker also served as trainers during the seminar. The People’s Office is the first significant effort to provide a broad range of constituent services on the national level in Serbia. The formation of the office was a central component of President Boris Tadic’s campaign.

IRI also continues to provide assistance to political parties on the development of their internal education departments. On May 7-8, IRI conducted the first in a series of educational seminars for internal party trainers from the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS). IRI volunteer trainers Jarryd Gonzales, political director for The California Republican Party and Nathan Fletcher, district director for Congressman Duke Cunningham, trained participants on campaign planning, message development, fundraising, get-out-the-vote and voter outreach. IRI plans to conduct nine seminars throughout the spring and summer for members of the DSS internal education department. The seminars will offer training on the full spectrum of communications, organization and campaign management.

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