Following the slogan “Better Region Starts with Youth”, the Western Balkans Youth Forum was held.
This year’s three-day online event brought together more than 80 young leaders from the region and Europe to interactively discuss the key challenges facing young people and how existing challenges can be overcome through various thematic working groups.
The Institute for Youth Development KULT is part of the working group Better Region Begins with Volunteering, which mapped the key problems and challenges in the field of volunteering, and gave recommendations for improvement and advancement in this area.
In addition to recommendations for improving the field of volunteering, the participants in the thematic working groups also gave recommendations for important topics such as the departure of young people, sustainable development, reconciliation and peacebuilding. The key recommendations are an integral part of the Regional Youth Agenda presented at the Western Balkans Leaders’ Summit.
In her welcome video message, German Chancellor Angela Merkel greeted the participants and stressed that the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) is a major success of the Berlin Process. She also pointed out that youth exchanges are something that bring us closer, that sows the seeds of understanding and trust between societies.
The Youth Forum is a side event of the Berlin Summit 2021, jointly organized by the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) and the Franco-German Youth Office (OFAJ) in cooperation with other regional initiatives and networks. It is organized with the support of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs and with the co-financing of the European Union.
The Berlin Process is a diplomatic initiative launched in 2014 by the German Chancellor with the aim of supporting the peaceful, stable and democratic future of the Western Balkans, with the aim of bringing the countries of the Western Balkans closer to the European Union.
