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RACCOON, Inc. is incorporated
as a 501(c)3 tax-exempt non-profit non-governmental organization in New
York City. RACCOON, Inc. publishes its activity on the Internet through
The Balkans Pages (your present location on the Net). RACCOON, Inc.
seeks and accepts private and corporate donations. Proceeds of
projects, if any, will, after expenses, be re-invested in other RACCOON,
Inc. projects or donated to the refugee aid or reconstruction project
in post-Yugoslav societies chosen by the Board of Directors. The
Board of Directors of RACCOON, Inc. will include, but not be
limited to, prominent younger artists or organizations of related
cultural substance with an emotional connection to the region and people
of post-Yugoslav societies. Our staff includes immigrants
from all parts of former Yugoslavia - Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia,
Montenegro, and Macedonia.
Current Projects
• Public Health Outreach– Working with the New York Immigration
Coalition and the Family Justice Center in Queens we provide direct
assistance to immigrants and refugees seeking health care and insurance.
In addition, our staff members conduct informational workshops for
recent immigrant groups and participate in other community events.
• CyberYugo – We are developing an online, multi-media dialoging project
where people who are emotionally connected to the Western Balkans,
regardless of the part of the world in which they currently live,
religious practice (Muslims, Orthodox, Catholics), or ethnicity can come
together to promote a greater level of trust and understanding between
individuals holding opposing views. Cyber Yugo is designed as an online
social networking mechanism comprised of a series of ongoing moderated
forums/discussions that is centered on one weekly topic and/or
question. Each forum will stay active indefinitely. A
supplementary virtual gallery will contain art, music, film, and
photograph submissions and relevant news reports to serve as a
complement to the ongoing forums. This project is still a work in
progress. Please check back for updates!
• Women’s Groups – These monthly gatherings are a place to learn,
support, share, and have fun in the great land of womanhood. Come and
join us in a variety of topics for exploration, such as art and history
of belly dancing; arts in recovery; women and children; women's crafts;
women's bodies; women's history and more!
How We Began
Since the beginning of the war in Bosnia, a
conflict resolution dialogue group has been operating among
Bosnian, Serbs, Croats, and other Balkan ethnic groups in the New York
City area.
About Our Location (WHERE ARE WE LOCATED?)
We have been asked why we would want to
headquarter our operations in New York City, when we primarily want to
address the problems in the post-Yugoslav societies: wouldn't a European
location make more sense?
• New York City is ideal for our purposes because there is less tension
here between the peoples of post-Yugoslav societies. Furthermore, we
want to leverage the ethnic climate here in New York City, which is more
peaceful than in the post-Yugoslav societies, and yet even more
diverse.
• Being located in the United States, the nation of immigrants, also
carries another connotation for individuals dislocated by "the war at
home." Ex-patriots and refugees have a role to play in helping exile
communities heal the wounds of war.
• Many peace activists who work in southeastern Europe travel through
New York City, either as a transportation stopover point or to conduct
their business here. Giving them access to RACCOON could strengthen
their efforts, as well as the efforts of our organization.
To see our financial reports (forms 990), please visit Guidestar.org.
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