The Balkan Youth Forum was organized from 14 to 17 May in Skopje for the fourth time within the project Balkan Regional Platform for Youth Participation and Dialogue.

The program included presentations, debates, exchange of experiences and panels. The purpose of the Forum is to establish a regional network of civil society organizations and local authorities to strengthen youth participation, especially for young people with fewer opportunities. Over 70 representatives of CSOs, local authorities and youth workers participated in the three-day forum, all of them coming from different Western Balkan countries.

The forum included an open conference, creative workshops and study visits. The young participants learned about creative innovations in the field of youth participation through positive practices. The youngsters also visited the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia during the forum, where the two youngest Members of Parliament presented themselves in front of the participants and a tour of the building was organized.

The European Association for Local Democracy - ALDA is implementing the project Balkan Regional Platform for Youth Participation and Dialogue from 2015 in partnership with 7 local democracy agencies from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Kosovo and ALDA Skopje. The fourth and final year of the project is designed to continue the creating an enabling environment of youth active citizenship for achieving equality, well being and tolerance of diversity in Western Balkans.

The project is financed by the European Union through the programme for Civil Society Facility Operating Grants to IPA CSO Associations. This year, the project is supported also by the Western Balkans Fund. The Balkan Youth Forum was the first event that was organized with the direct support of this fund.

The Conclusions and Recommendations from the Balkan Youth Forum are now available HERE.