Strengthening Serbia’s Human Capital through the Active Involvement of Young people

Donor: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the R. of Italy

Executing Agency: International Organization for Migration (IOM)

Project Partner Agencies: Ministry of Youth and Sport of the Republic of Serbia, Local Self-Governments in target municipalities

Target municipalities: Subotica, Nova Crnja, Zrenjanin, Sremska Mitrovica, Kragujevac, Svilajnac, Pirot, Ivanjica, Užice, Sokobanja

Introduction

Despite remarkable improvements in the context of the overall country development strategy aiming at successful EU Integration, nowadays many young Serbian people still feel unsure about their future due to important transitional changes, still taking place in their country.

This makes it especially important to mobilize and coordinate a range of actors and actions in response. Indeed, it is particularly important to increase the engagement of youth in these efforts. They need to cover all relevant issues, not only those directly related to youth, but also ones where the voice and actions of youth are needed for the good of the country. Youth must also be leaders in one of the most crucial changes in “mentality” that is happening in Serbia. This is the change from the old thinking that if there are problems, then it is up to the Government solve them. Instead, the citizens themselves must feel the responsibility to take action – as individuals and in community – to solve problems, in partnership with the Government and other actors.

The Ministry of Youth and Sports highlighted the importance of decreasing youth emigration and youth migration towards the bigger cities and its willingness to strengthen young people’s participation in local youth policy development and implementation.

After thorough consultations with the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Serbia, bilateral and multilateral partners present in Serbia, the IOM project offers support to the Ministry of Youth and Sport in its efforts to strengthen and mobilize knowledge, skills and resources in the area of psychosocial and cultural integration of young people, social participation, prevention of brain-drain and in-country migration, from rural to urban areas.

The present project, which incorporates many of the lessons, assets and experiences acquired during the past 2003-2006 PTR programme implemented by the Psychosocial and Cultural Integration Unit in Serbia (and successfully replicated in many other countries worldwide), will thus focus on the empowerment of young people, by attempting to sustain and empower the most vulnerable and marginalized groups to be able to participate fully and equally in the cultural and social life and further development of their community and society.

Overall objective

To support and strengthen initiatives of the Ministry of Youth and Sport and Youth Offices to promote socio-cultural and economic integration of young people as well as to favour their active participation in the construction of a cohesive society.

Specific objectives

• To contribute to better identification of youth needs in target municipalities with a particular focus on social, cultural and educational sector.

• To increase the capacities of young people in the development of local initiatives and programs adequately addressing the youth needs based on the results of needs assessments and to strengthen the existing capacities of local professionals dealing with youth.

• To strengthen the co-ordination, information sharing and the systematic connection among public institutions and other organizations active in the field of psychosocial and cultural integration of young people both at the national and regional level.