The History of SILBA

SILBA is a Danish NGO established in 1994. We promote Freedom and Democracy - Working with democratic oriented political youth organisations as well as with other democratic oriented youth organisations. 

We started out in 1994 as "SILBA - Support Initiative for Liberals in the Baltic States" - back then working only with liberal youth organisations in the three Baltic States. Later we expanded and turned into "SILBA - Support Initiative for Liberals in the Baltic Area", then also working with liberals youth organisations in Poland, St. Petersburg, Kaliningrad, Ukraine and Belarus.

In 2004 we have changed our name into "SILBA - Support Initiative for Liberty and Democracy in the Baltic Area" - as we are now working with all sorts of political youth organisations and non-political NGO's - provided of course, that these are working for Freedom and Democracy - We are no longer limiting ourself to liberals only. Finally in 2006 we changed our name into "SILBA - Support Initiative for Liberty and Democracy" - as we started working also in the Caucasus.

A corner stone in our work is that we are not missionaries trying to press our way of thinking upon others. We see ourself as facilitators, organising seminars and projects, that gives our partner organisations and the participants of our many seminars, the opportunity to learn about our and others experiences in constructing a Democratic Society or a Democratic NGO and giving the participants a good chance to discuss their own views on how they want their Democratic Society or organisation to look. They themselves are the future of their countries - not us. Building a future in their countries comes from looking at each other, joining hands - not from looking East or West hoping that others will solve their problems.