“Sharing Our Experiences with Others” – Final Conference of the “Your City – Your Voice” Project
On 26 August 2026, the Center for Democracy Foundation organised the final online conference of the “Your City – Your Voice” project, implemented within the “EU National Resource Centre for Civil Society in Serbia” project of the Belgrade Open School, financially supported by the European Union.
The event presented the results of work with young people, civil society organisations and other stakeholders from Niš, Subotica, Vranje and the surrounding cities and municipalities. Through the structured and long-term inclusion of young people and CSOs at the local level, the project contributes to the sustainable improvement of decision-making processes and public policy development in Serbia, in line with European values and standards.
The main focus of the work was on increasing young people’s participation in local community development planning and public policy development. Through training programmes, Youth Policy Labs, dialogue with local stakeholders and public advocacy, young people moved from identifying problems and needs to developing concrete recommendations and initiatives for change.
“Young people should not only be beneficiaries of public policies, but active participants in their development,” said Nataša Vučković, Secretary General of the Center for Democracy Foundation. She pointed out that Serbia has a relatively well-developed normative framework, but that the key challenge lies in moving from strategic documents to their implementation in practice. She also emphasised the need for the long-term inclusion of young people in decision-making processes and for improved communication between institutions and young people.
Bojana Džulović, representative of the Belgrade Open School, stressed that young people’s participation should not be limited to the duration of a single project, but that institutions need to be more open towards young people and enable their continuous involvement in decision-making processes.
Three Cities, Three Topics – One Common Goal
The conference brought together young people, representatives of youth organisations, institutions, local public institutions, civil society organisations, the media and other interested stakeholders. The discussion focused on experiences from the three cities, the results of dialogue with local institutions and the possibilities for Youth Policy Labs and other models of structured dialogue to become a more sustainable practice for involving young people in decision-making.
🎭 In Subotica, where the focus was on cultural policies, a proposal for the Programme for Improving Youth Participation in the Cultural Life and Development of the Cultural Policy of the City of Subotica was developed. The aim is for young people to be seen not only as audiences and beneficiaries of cultural content, but also as creators, initiators and active participants in shaping the city’s cultural life. The conference highlighted that Subotica has well-developed cultural infrastructure, but that there is a need for clearer and more systematic inclusion of young people in cultural policies.
💼 In Niš, building on the challenges young people face when entering the labour market, the “Local Partnership for Improving Youth Employability in the City of Niš” initiative was developed. The proposed partnership is intended to bring together the local self-government, educational institutions, the National Employment Service, the business sector, civil society organisations and young people, enabling better coordination and the development of measures that respond to the actual needs of young people. The final conference highlighted that employment programmes are in place and that young people are formally recognised as a priority group, but that there is still room to improve the practical support available to them.
💜 In Vranje, following work on issues related to the mental, sexual and reproductive health of young people, an initiative was developed to establish the Youth Health Council of the City of Vranje. The proposal is aimed at creating a sustainable mechanism for cooperation between young people, the local self-government, healthcare and educational institutions, and civil society organisations, enabling young people to continuously participate in improving policies and services that directly affect their health. The work particularly highlighted challenges related to access to support, access to information and young people’s trust in institutions.
The experiences from Vranje, Subotica and Niš are also intended to benefit other local communities. The project’s long-term contribution lies precisely in creating the conditions for young people and civil society organisations to be recognised as partners of local institutions in development planning and public policy development, as well as for the recommendations and advocacy initiatives developed through the project to continue on their path towards implementation in local communities.
From local needs to concrete initiatives – the results of the “Your City – Your Voice” project demonstrate that the inclusion of young people can contribute to better public policies and to improving development planning processes at the local level.
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
