2024-11-15

First National Policy Lab (Youth Dialogue Session) on Culture and Cultural Heritage Held

Regional Youth Dialogue for Europe - RYDE

The first National Policy Lab (Youth Dialogue Session) was held on 15 November 2024 at the ASK Education Centre, as part of the three-year project entitled ‘Regional Dialogue of Youth for Europe – RYDE’, implemented by the Center for Democracy Foundation with the support of the European Union.

Following the first Regional Policy Lab on 5 November 2024, where representatives from government administration, cultural institutions, youth representatives, CSOs and independent cultural experts from the Western Balkans discussed the barriers, opportunities, and strategies for integrating youth perspectives into public policy frameworks in the cultural sector across the region, the process was temporarily moved to the national level. A total of three sessions on culture and cultural heritage will be held at the national level, during which participants from Serbia will analyse the existing strategic and legal framework for youth and culture in the country. During these sessions, participants will identify gaps and potential areas for improvement and jointly formulate recommendations for creating a more supportive environment for youth participation in cultural initiatives and activities in Serbia.

Facilitated by Vesna Marjanović, Secretary-General of Europa Nostra Serbia, participants discussed existing youth and cultural strategies at the national and local levels, the current capacities of cultural institutions promoting active youth involvement, sustainable funding mechanisms for youth-led cultural initiatives, and opportunities for aligning cultural heritage with social, ecological, and digital strategies.

Policy labs are being implemented in cooperation with the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) in Sarajevo, which runs the Western Balkans Youth Labs (WBYL). Ognjen Marković, leader of the Western Balkan Youth Labs, shared impressions from the Regional Conference on Cultural Cooperation for Youth, organised by the RCC on 13 November 2024 in Belgrade. The conference brought together youth representatives, young artists, painters, poets, and dancers, as well as representatives from ministries responsible for culture and youth from Western Balkan countries. He emphasised the importance of addressing culture in parallel within both the RYDE and WBYL projects, as culture is crucial to the Western Balkans, which is the cultural heart of Europe.

Participants in the first National Dialogue Session:

Marija Ivković Trkulja, Youth Sector, Ministry of Tourism and Youth of the Republic of Serbia
Tijana Bugarski, Gallery of Matica Srpska
Marija Dragišić, Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of Serbia
Maša Vukanović, Institute for Cultural Development Research
Ivana Branković, Independent Cultural Scene of Serbia
Dunja Trifunović, Young Advisory Group, United Nations in Serbia
Ivana Bogićević Leko, Expert on Youth and Culture
Jovana Jovanović, Student, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad
Nataša Sandić, Student, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Novi Sad
Ivan Šuković, Public Policy Research Centre
Aleksandra Nikolić, Heritage Expert