Unlocking Potentials of Youth Work in the Western Balkan Region

2026-07-22

Although youth work plays a significant role in equipping young people with the skills that are needed both in the labour market or in education spheres, as well as for their own personal development and well-being it still has not been acknowledged and supported adequately by the Western Balkan (WB) governments. Youth work is a field of practice consisting of a multitude of methods, which address different social challenges, target different groups of young people and contribute to a range of policies. Therefore, the proposed action seeks to foster and boost youth work across the WB region and bring it closer to the EU. The overall objective of the proposed initiative is to support the quality youth work development and recognition in the Western Balkan region through multi-country cooperation, networking and design of innovative practices. Specific objectives: SO 1: To acknowledge multilayer impact of youth work and to create favorable conditions for quality youth work development and standardization in the WB region; SO 2: To network and enable growth of the youth work community of practice in the WB in order to foster EU Youth Strategy and European Youth Work Agenda implementation across the region; SO 3: To support youth work recognition processes across the region by effectively communicating the impact of youth work to different audiences; SO 4: To foster meaningful multi-sector and regional cooperation in order to advance young people's position in the WB region, especially young people with fewer opportunities. The action will facilitate implementation of EU Youth Strategy and the Bonn process in the WB regarding promotion and quality assurance of youth work; foster cooperation on regional and EU level among youth work community of practice; capacitate organisations working with young people outside formal learning; and enable professional development of the WB youth workers and share of experiences and best practices with their EU counterparts.

Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo *, Belgium

2025-12-01