In a region where civil society often faces limited resources and increasing demands, EU TACSO 3’s Strategic Mentoring Programme offers something rare— tailored support to help organisations rethink their work from the inside out.

One of the organisations selected for this tailored support was the Macedonian Young Lawyers Association (MYLA), a leading civil society organisation working to advance the rule of law and human rights in North Macedonia.

For the MYLA,  this mentoring process arrived like a spark of clarity during a crucial period of internal transition.

“When the call for strategic mentorship landed in my inbox, it was almost like an epiphany,” recalls Bojana Bozhinovska Siljanovska, President of MYLA. “At first, people weren’t sure we needed it. But it came at exactly the right time.”

A Process of Reconnection and Redesign

MYLA, a prominent civil society organisation with years of experience implementing EU and regional projects, had outgrown its existing model and needed a system that could support its growing team beyond project cycles and short-term roles.

With the organisation preparing for leadership changes and facing the growing complexity of managing over 20 staff members, Bojana knew that something had to shift. The mentoring process—led by expert Goran Buldioski—began with careful listening: individual interviews with MYLA’s leadership, staff, managing board, and former president.

“Goran wasn’t just a consultant. He really understood the civil society context in North Macedonia. He asked the right questions, listened deeply, and helped us name things we hadn’t fully articulated before,” Bojana explains.

What followed was a series of strategic mentoring sessions, culminating in a two-day, in-person workshop in Skopje that brought together 28 participants, including the entire MYLA team and board members.

From Structure to Culture: Real Change Starts Within

Together, they tackled critical questions: How should MYLA’s internal roles be structured? How can responsibility be shared more effectively? And what kind of working culture do they want to nurture?

The results were concrete and transformative:

• A new internal structure was drafted, including the addition of an Operations Director and program leads to support more balanced decision-making.
• A draft systematisation framework with clear roles and career paths was developed.
• A plan for amending key internal acts was created.
• Three new internal rulebooks were drafted, addressing daily practices.

“Even small things like who does what in the office, or how we treat shared spaces, were discussed,” says Bojana. “Not because they’re trivial, but because they’re symbolic. They affect how we feel at work—and how we treat each other.”

From Epiphany to Action

The process was demanding. Staff were assigned homework, working groups were created, and Bojana herself had multiple one-on-one sessions to lead the transformation forward.

But the impact? Deep and lasting.

“We now have a structure that can support us—beyond donor cycles and temporary projects. We’re already in the transition phase, and our Managing Board will officially adopt the changes, with a review set six months from now,” she says.

While MYLA hasn’t yet made the new structure public, it has already shared the experience with regional peers in the Balkan Refugee and Migration Council. It plans to post about the transformation once it is formalised.

For Bojana, mentoring was more than an organisational exercise—it was a moment of re-alignment with purpose.

“This wasn’t just technical support. It helped us reconnect with why we do what we do—and how we want to do it. We’re deeply grateful.”