Youth | Science | Society
Today, young people across Europe and the Western Balkans are facing diverse challenges and youth work in all its forms can serve as a catalyst for empowerment. The Western Balkans and the EU moreover share a demographic issue, albeit in a different sense: on the one hand, the so-called “brain drain” of highly skilled workers damages the economies and societies in the WBs, while on the other hand, the EU is facing an increased ageing of the population.
Through its policies, the EU aims to give young people more equal opportunities in education and the job market, and to make sure they can participate fully in all areas of society. This is achieved through various means, notably by engaging in dialogue with young people and by fostering exchange, participation and skills development.
The EU Youth Strategy represents the framework for EU youth policy cooperation 2019 – 2027. The EU Youth Strategy focuses on three core areas of action around the three words:
- Engage: The EU Youth Strategy aims towards a meaningful civic, economic, social, cultural and political participation of young people.
- Connect: Young people in Europe are getting more and more connected. Relations, connections, and exchange of experience are a pivotal asset for solidarity and the future development of the European Union. This connection is best fostered through different forms of mobility.
- Empower: Empowerment of young people means encouraging them to take charge of their own lives.
The EU Youth Strategy is based on several instruments, such as mutual learning activities, Future National Activities Planners, the EU Youth Dialogue, the EU Youth Strategy Platform, and evidence-based tools.
The year 2021 marked the beginning of the new seven-year cycle of the EU programmes in the field of youth, namely the Erasmus+ Programme, youth chapter, and the European Solidarity Corps. The new Programmes are built on the achievements and good practices, but are also introducing new opportunities for young people and organisations working with them, for the development of youth work and European cooperation. Both Programmes emphasise the international dimension, providing opportunities also for young people and actors in the field of youth in the Programme’s Partner countries.
2022 was proclaimed the European Year of Youth (EYY 2022) by the European Parliament and the Council, in order to Renewing the positive perspectives for young people, while highlighting how the green and digital transitions and other Union policies offer opportunities for young people. Tirana is the European Youth Capital for 2022. Under the slogan "Activate Youth", the city put in place a rich programme, featuring more than 100 events aiming at promoting volunteerism, empowering youth organisations, and creating networks and synergies among young people from all over Europe.
News
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POLICY ANSWERS Pilot Programmes: Five activities for the development of the Region
POLICY ANSWERS implements a set of dedicated, carefully selected activities to support change and increase impact “on the ground” in the Western Balkans. The general objective is to foster participation...
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MSCA and Citizens call has received 134 proposals, 7 from the Western Balkans
Three calls were submitted from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia (each), and one from North Macedonia. The MSCA and Citizens call has attracted altogether 134 proposals to organise the next two editions...
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COST results of Western Balkans economies for 2022 are available
Economy-specific factsheets of the Western Balkans, apart from Kosovo*, are available for the year 2022.
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Events
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Information Session on the 2024 Erasmus+ European Universities call
On 10 November 2023 (14.30 – 17.00 CET), the Commission and the European Education and Culture Executive Agency are holding an open information session on the 2024 Erasmus+ European Universities call ...
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2nd International Danube Cup - Conference on Entrepreneurship Education
Danube Cup is an international network of universities along the Danube to enhance entrepreneurship education and support student startups by bringing together student startups with educators, startup...
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Business and Art Come Together: a webinar for youth artists and cultural workers
The webinars will be held via Microsoft Teams in the period of October to November 2023, and aim to provide youth workers, specifically youth artists (emerging or not), cultural workers...
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Organisations
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Laconics: innovative SME from Albania
LACONICS is a software house specializing in digital transformation and automatization aiming for the highest enterprise effciency, thanks to a dynamic young team of dev-ops excelling in over 9 technologies...
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European Youth Foundation (of the CoE)
The European Youth Foundation (EYF) is a fund established in 1972 by the Council of Europe to provide financial and educational support for European youth activities. Only youth NGOs from the 46 ...
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Coordinating Committee for International Voluntary Service
The CCIVS is an International Non Governmental Org. engaged in the field of International Voluntary Service, created under the aegis of UNESCO in 1948  ...
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Calls
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Call for Journalists From Western Balkans: One-Month Regional Exchange Programme
BIRN invites journalists and editors from six Western Balkans countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia) to take part in its exclusive one-month regional...
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2024 Erasmus+ European Universities Call for Proposals
The fifth Erasmus+ call for proposals supports the further rollout of the European Universities initiative, allowing an expansion to at least 60 European Universities by mid-2024, in line with the European...
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Call for Applications: Young Leaders Fellowship Program 2024 in New York
he Young Leaders Fellowship Program is a one-of-a-kind leadership opportunity open to all young people between 18 – 26 from all over the world who wish to address community projects in the areas of ...
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Documents
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Handbook for STEM educators (Bosnian)
University of Banja Luka within the project “Embedding RRI in Western Balkan Countries: Enhancement of Self-Sustaining R&I Ecosystems (WBC-RRI.NET)” Horizon 2020 published the Handbook for STEM educators...
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WBAA report on the first four years
A report on the “history” of WBAA and its objective, structure and activities since 2018 was published. This report shows how WBAA contributes to the regional exchange of EU alumni, the promotion of mobility...
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PDIA in the Balkans: The Western Balkans Alumni Association (WBAA) as Positive Deviance
This chapter aims to portray why and how WBAA, as an organism, organization, entity, agent, actor, network, … produces emergent effects as a regional entity is a Positive Deviance, as recognized in theory...
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Links
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EBRD Youth in Business Programme
The Youth in Business programme of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development helps SMEs owned or managed by youth in the economies of operations of the programme access know-how, business expertise...
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Global Scholarships was founded in 2017 as a platform for international students of all levels and disciplines to search for scholarships around the world and its mission is to create the best scholarship...
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The HISTOLAB Digital Hub aims at bridging the breach between the state-of-the-art in academic history and history education within the classroom and outside it. It aims at promoting a history education...
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Projects
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Regional Youth Leadership Mobility Programme
Center Science and Innovation for Development (SCiDEV), Albania; Centre for Education Policy (CEP), Serbia; and Youth Educational Forum (YEF), North Macedonia, are implementing the Regional Youth...
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The joint UN project ‘Reimagining Education for Marginalised Girls and Boys during and post COVID-19 in Bosnia and Herzegovina’ launched on 10 March 2021 at the UN House in Sarajevo is jointly implemented...
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In the frame of the Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values Programme (CERV) of the European Union, ERIAC is launching a new project: ERIACNET4EU: ERIAC NETWORK TO ADVANCE ROMA INCLUSION BY COMBATTING AND...
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