Engaging Young People in Community Development Planning and Decision-Making
On 1 and 2 July 2026, the Center for Democracy Foundation organised a two-day online training for civil society organisations as part of the project Your City – Your Voice, bringing together representatives of organisations from Subotica, Vranje, Niš and neighbouring municipalities working with young people and engaged in local community development, youth policy, culture, health and employment issues.
The objective of the training, “Young People and Public Policies – Partnership between CSOs and Young People for Local Community Development”, was to strengthen the capacities of civil society organisations to support the more active involvement of young people in local development planning and public policy making processes, while introducing participants to the Youth Policy Lab methodology as a model of structured dialogue between young people, civil society organisations and decision-makers.
During the two-day programme, participants discussed public policy development processes, local development planning, mechanisms for youth participation and opportunities for increasing young people’s involvement in decision-making at the local level. Particular attention was devoted to the thematic areas addressed by the project – cultural policies, youth mental and reproductive health, and youth employment policies.
An important outcome of the training was the establishment of cooperation among organisations from the three local communities and the strengthening of their capacities to engage more actively in public advocacy processes and in the development of public policy recommendations aimed at improving the position of young people.
The organisations participating in the training will play an important role in the next phases of the project by supporting local Youth Policy Lab processes and cooperating with young people in formulating concrete initiatives and policy recommendations aimed at improving opportunities and conditions for young people in their communities.
By connecting young people, civil society organisations and local stakeholders, the Your City – Your Voice project contributes to the development of more participatory and inclusive local policies and to strengthening the role of young people in shaping the future of their cities.
The project “Your City – Your Voice” is implemented within the project “EU National Resource Centre for civil society in Serbia” of the Belgrade Open School, financially supported by the European Union.
Center for Democracy Foundation
