ANNOUNCEMENT

In the period from March 11 to 17, 2024, as part of the project “The Youth are (FOR) the solution”, forty selected young leaders from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia will have the opportunity to acquire knowledge and skills needed to initiate, develop and implement activist projects in local communities through the seven day program Winter Hub -Youth is (FOR) the solution.

The program is intended to develop the knowledge and skills of young people to solve problems in their local communities while informing and promoting democratic and European values and connecting young people in the region! The workshops is dedicated to activism in the areas of reconciliation and cooperation of young people in the region, advocacy and promotion of human rights , ecology, circular economy and social entrepreneurship, European values and networking, but also practical work of experts with young people in the areas of project management, campaigns and communications and fundraising.

The experts have valuable experience in the implementation of activist initiatives, but also in the development and management of civil society organizations, which they will transfer on to young people in the form of direct knowledge and support in the development of practical skills needed by young leaders in activism. Young people will have the opportunity to hear first hand the experience of experts in various thematic and practical areas, as well as to develop their activist ideas to the level of project applications with expert support. The program was created according to the model of short lecture sessions with the direct involvement of young people, debates and discussions, as well as team and independent work with expert guidance and providing feed back on the results that the participants achieve already during the workshops.

A special segment Winter Hub Youth are (FOR) the solution of the program, are online sessions with representatives of the University College of Europe, who will present innovations in education and models of providing support to young leaders through formal education, as well as European activist opportunities and practices.

As part of the program, the Balkan Youth Network (BOLD) will be presented, which represents the platform of the Embassy of the United States of America in Serbia for the empowerment and networking of young leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia. At the end of the program, young people will have the opportunity to present their ideas to experts in short presentation forms, with the aim of developing communication and advocacy skills to support youth activist projects. After the end of the seven day education program, the young participants will have the opportunity to turn their ideas into finished project proposals through mentoring with experts, so they can advocate the support for implementation among various donors. Within the project “Youth is (FOR) the solution”, the work of young people during the Winter&Spring Hubs and the mentoring process, will be published in t he publication “Youth is (FOR) the solution” in order to promote the youth perspective on solving problems and challenges in local communities voice and ideas of youth must be heard!

THE PROGRAM IS IMPORTANT TO YOUNG PEOPLE, BECAUSE YOUTH HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO:

o Acquire practical knowledge and skills in activism;
o Get informed about current state in different activist fields
o  To become encouraged for leading the initiatives through development of leadership skills and leadership spirit;
o Network and connect with young people in the region;
o To turn their activist ideas into a project proposals

The European movement in Serbia, with the project “Youth is (FOR) the solution”, seeks to encourage youth activism in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, through strengthening their capacity to engage in solving challenges in local communities, while promoting democratic and European values. The project is part of a wider regional platform for youth BOLD Network (Balkan Youth Leaders) supported by the US Embassy in Serbia, developed with the aim of offering a program of workshops and trainings an program  for academic and professional ex changes in the US, and an program of small grant opportunities for youth led projects that will achieve a positive and sustainable changed . The focus of the BOLD program is the empowerment of young people in region in the process of becoming enterpreneurship and civil society leaders who cooperate with each other to deal with the most important challenges. You can find more about the project “Youth is (FOR) the solution”

The project is financial supported by the US Embassy in Serbia.