Coalition of youth organizations SEGA

SEGA is national platform of youth organizations in North Macedonia, with over 19 years’ experience in lobbying the needed legislation changes in youth participation, information, employment and activism. SEGA works on development and implementation of youth policies at local and national level, connects and strengthens youth organizations aiming to activate youth and improve the conditions for their personal and professional development in the Republic of North Macedonia. SEGA as a national organization builds upon collective membership. The membership of SEGA (at the moment) consists of 24 member organizations. The main focus of field of work of SEGA is: (1) Youth activism; (2) Youth participation; (3) Youth employment; (4) Democracy, mutual confidence and cooperation; (5) Community development; (6) Information; (7) Advocacy and lobbying for youth policy.
With a vision 'Youth influence changes and the development of Macedonia, as well as participate in decision-making at national and local levels regarding issues that directly concern them. SEGA as a sustainable and developed youth coalition enables youth to believe in themselves, to accomplish their interests, to create and to build', our Strategic plan (2018-2023) is based on three pillars for five-year period:
1: Youth activism, youth participation and youth information
2: Development, support and coordination of youth organizations and other youth bodies
3: Creation of youth policies and space for development of young people in the society
Values and principles
- Active advocacy for the interests and needs of youth and youth organizations in the Republic of Macedonia;
- Fostering a bottom-up approach in your work;
- Openness for cooperation with related organizations from the country and abroad;
- Active cooperation with all institutions at national and local level that have competencies related to the needs of young people;
- Proactivity in informing and addressing the problems of young people;
- Advocating for increasing the coverage of young people in formal youth organizations in the R.N M;
- Advocating for increasing the scope of areas of work of youth organizations in the R.N. M.
Coalition SEGA has given significant contribution towards creation of the first National Youth Strategy [2005 – 2015]. SEGA was actively involved in the facilitation of the process of developing the new NYS [2016 – 2025] in partnership with the Agency of youth and sports and the UNDP office in Skopje. SEGA successfully introduced the youth participation model “Council of Youth” the Municipalities, which established the first practices for guaranteeing institutional youth participation in the municipalities through Statutory amendments in number of municipalities including the City of Skopje. Staring in 2010, SEGA introduced the practice of creating Local Youth Strategies, involving 12 municipalities and the City of Skopje. Based on the experiences of these models and processes and the active lobbying and advocacy of SEGA, the councils of youth and
youth strategies are now an integral part of the Law on youth participation and youth policies [2019]. As of 2015, SEGA continuously works on developing and piloting digital youth participation tools, through the European digital youth participation platform OPIN.
SEGA is active in the field of child rights promotion at country level. In 2009, SEGA prepared Alternative report for the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child at national level. In 2010, the report was presented to the UN Committee for the Rights of the child in Geneva. SEGA continued the practice of regular monitoring of child rights implementation, through monitoring processes [2011-2013] and generated periodical and annual monitoring reports. In 2017, SEGA led a consultative process for legal regulation of student participation and organization resulting in a Draft text on Amendments of the Laws on Primary and Secondary Education. In 2019, the Law on Primary Education was adopted by the Assembly, containing the provisions for youth participation submitted by SEGA.
Based on the European experiences and standards of the ERYICA, and towards increasing youth information, in 2010 SEGA established the first “Youth Information and Counseling Center INFO SEGA” in N. Macedonia located in Prilep, which was followed by the second Youth Information Center INFO SEGA in Kavadarci in 2015. In cooperation with UNDP, SEGA established Youth Info Clubs in Bitola and Shtip [2014].
As of 2017, SEGA is particularly focused on support of social inclusion of the vulnerable groups of young people through enabling equal opportunities for accessing labor market, thus establishing 4 Youth Info Career Centers in Prilep, Bitola, Shtip and Skopje towards supporting youth at risk employment process. SEGA also delivers services and programs for employability enhancement of vulnerable youth.
SEGA is currently a member of the Association of Local Democracy Agencies (ALDA), CIVICUS, the European Innovation Network for Inclusion and the European YouthProAktiv Network.
Since 2021 we are officially accredited as VET (Vocational Education and Training) centre by the Centre of adult education in R. N. Macedonia and our main area of expertise is fostering youth work as a profession.