Strengthening the capacities of municipal youth administrators to organize local youth services and identify the needs and priorities of youth in their communities is a focus of a three-day training course organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro and the Ministry of Sports and Youth, which began on 27 March in Budva.
Eight local youth administrators operating in Bar, Kotor, Mojkovac, Nikšić, Petnjica, Plav and Podgorica, supported by two Mission's consultants, discussed how to conduct a needs assessment and involve young people in the process of planning, monitoring, evaluating and promoting activities. Participants also worked on the developing yearly action plans for their youth services and practical advice on how to address challenges they face in their every-day work was offered.
Opening the training course, Head of OSCE Mission, Dominique Waag said that the Mission is proud to be a long-term supporter of youth administrators and local youth services, recognizing how they can provide a space for young people to be active and engaged in their comminutes. She noted that the OSCE's commitment to promote the role and the inclusion of youth dates back to its founding document, the Helsinki Final Act, and has become a priority. "There is no policy that is neutral to young people. Each of you are agents of change and role models in your community. Be bold. Reach out to youth in your community, and provide them with forums for discussion. Listen to youth, and develop joint initiatives with them and those working with and for the youth. Only by working together you can make a real change," said Ambassador Waag.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Sports and Youth, Dragoslav Šćekić, said that this training course represents an important step towards strengthening the capacity of young people to respond to the needs and challenges they face in local communities. "Your active involvement in decision-making processes is extremely important for the development of society, but it is also the right answer to the challenge before us - to reduce the percentage of those who want to leave Montenegro. You are the strength of our society and a key link in achieving positive changes. Your energy and enthusiasm can encourage creating new solutions for current problems," said Minister Šćekić, adding that the Ministry will work on opening new youth services and strengthening the existing ones.
The training programme in Budva will be followed by online mentoring sessions for the youth administrators in seven municipalities, to support them finalize their yearly action plans. The mentoring sessions will also include additional four youth services from Cetinje, Danilovgrad, Pljevlja and Šavnik.
The Mission will continue to provide support to the existing municipal youth services, as well as to the ones that will be established in other Montenegrin municipalities, as envisaged by the National Youth Strategy.
