2025-06-30
| Sarajevo, Skopje, Pristina, North Mitrovica, Tirana

Visiting RYDE Partners and Sub-Grantees in the Region: Strengthening Youth Participation in the Western Balkans

Regional Youth Dialogue for Europe - RYDE

During June, representatives of the Center for Democracy Foundation, Dajana Ostojić and Katarina Stojković, visited partners and sub-grantees of the EU-funded project “Regional Youth Dialogue for Europe” in Sarajevo, Skopje, Pristina, North Mitrovica, and Tirana.

In Skopje, we visited our partner organization NGO Info Center and sub-grantee LEAD – Leaders for Education, Activism and Development; in Kosovo, our partner Kosovar Stability Initiative and sub-grantee New Social Initiative; in Tirana, partner organizations Academy of European Integration and Negotiations (AIEN) and Youth Act Center (YA), and sub-grantee Beyond Barriers Association; and in Sarajevo, sub-grantees I Would Like to Be in the EU and PROI – Progressive Reinforcement of Organizations and Individuals.

Discussions covered both financial and programmatic matters, including the upcoming regional hybrid conference on the future of European integration of the Western Balkans, scheduled for November 2025, to be held simultaneously in studios in Belgrade, Skopje, Tirana, Pristina, and Sarajevo. The conference aims to mobilize youth organizations, CSOs, women’s organizations, and youth forums from political parties across the region to present youth priorities in the Western Balkans and assess reforms that impact the younger generation. It will provide a platform for their voices to be better heard at the local, national, regional, and EU levels.

The conference will also showcase projects implemented by civil society organizations and informal groups from the region that have been supported through the “Regional Youth Dialogue for Europe” project, funded by the European Union.

Additionally, special attention was given to policy recommendations developed within the Youth Policy Lab, covering a wide range of topics including media and digital literacy, culture and cultural heritage, sexual and reproductive health, youth employment (with a focus on the Youth Guarantee), and youth participation. These recommendations will be submitted to relevant public institutions for further consideration.