3rd Europe-Western Balkans Youth Meeting 2020

Originally planned as a 3-day meeting in Montenegro in April 2020, the meeting was adapted to a virtual one-day meeting following the outbreak of COVID-19.

Here are some of the first outcomes to be shared:

We asked participants:

• From your perspective, which topics and approaches are now trending in the youth field?
• What are other developments, success stories, positive changes?
• Your ideas for using the EU youth programmes more effectively?

Responses collected through Mentimeter questions

Padlet collecting suggestions, concerns and questions regarding the new EU youth programmes 

The meeting was a follow up to the first two Europe – Western Balkans Youth Meetings held in 2016 and 2018. It brought together 50 stakeholders in youth work from EU and Western Balkan countries. Together, we took stock of achievements of past EU – WB cooperation projects and explored what is needed, and what youth work practitioners, policy makers and the various other stakeholders involved, including the relevant support structures and institutions, could do to increase impact and positive societal change and to initiate ways forward under the EU youth programmes after 2020.

In the framework of a panel discussion and workshops, examples of practices and projects with a strong impact on youth work and community related developments were presented and explored. Participants were also invited to send their own "inspiring practices" to SALTO SEE in the form of videos, blogs etc.

The concrete objectives of the 3rd EU - Western Balkans Youth Meeting were:

1. Taking stock and celebrating the cooperation and participation of the Western Balkans in the EU youth programmes (Erasmus+ and ESC)
2. Critical review of the opportunities for cooperation with the Western Balkans offered by the new EU youth programmes
3. Exploring the linkage between the EU youth programmes and the further development of youth work, youth policy and research
4. Exploring the issues that are relevant for young people and that therefore could be tackled in transnational cooperation projects
5. Providing space for contributing to the process of designing future cooperation with neighbouring partner countries (in the new EU youth programmes)

Programme

Feedback from participants shared at the end of the meeting

Recording of panel discussion on Achievements of EU - Western Balkans youth cooperation within the Erasmus+ and EVS/ESC programmes

The meeting was organised jointly by the Croatian, German, North Macedonian and Slovenian National Agencies for Erasmus+ Youth in Action (E+ YiA) and the European Solidarity Corps (ESC) and SALTO SEE Resource Centre.