YOUTH – THE RIGHT DIRECTION

AT A GLANCE

The project started its preparation phase in December 2006 and will last for three years (until November 2009). It aims at enhancing the promotion and visibility of the Youth programme in South East Europe (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, Montenegro and Serbia) and the Southern Caucasus (Georgia).The overall objective is to allow young people to acquire knowledge, skills and competencies, focusing on the training of multipliers and on the development of networks and partnerships. The proposal combines co-operation, training and information aspects, through the implementation of different actions: information seminars, the setting-up of specialised info-points, web-site and newsletters, youth ambassador groups, trainings of peer educators (multipliers), job shadowing, trainings on the European Volunteer Service, itinerant crossing youth fair and the setting-up of 4 different networks of stakeholders (networks of info-points, of youth ambassadors, of EVS organisations and network of peer educators-multipliers) working in the field of youth in SEE and in Georgia.

ACTIVITIES

• EVS training seminar in Kotor, Montenegro, 9-13 February 2009

An important training seminar on European Voluntary Service (EVS) took place from 9 to 13 February in Kotor, Montenegro. This event, who gathered the delegates and the youth officers from the 12 LDAs, was organised by the Association of the Local Democracy Agencies and the Local Democracy Agency from Niksic within the project “Youth: the right direction” financed by the European Commission.
The aim of the seminar was to complete the trainings for the youth officers about the European Voluntary Service within “Youth in action” programme. During the first day, the participants refreshed the knowledge on EVS from the previous trainings held in 2008 in Budva, Montenegro. A special focus was put on a role of the hosting and sending organisation and the other stakeholders, the tools for promotion of the programme as well as the financial part of on EVS project. Also, all the participants appreciated the nice walk in the old picturesque city of Kotor which surely contributed to the team building.

The second day was reserved for the accreditation of the LDAs for becoming hosting, sending and coordinating organisations for European volunteers. Thanks to the Salto SEE Resource centre, all the LDAs were accredited in the same place and time on the base of the Host expression of interest (HEI) they have previously provided. The LDAs benefited from the presence of the Salto accreditors for SEE to ask some questions and share some ideas of how to develop good EVS projects and to promote this programme among the youth on local level.
Finally, the last day was focused on the future cooperation by creation of EVS network that include all the LDAs and other European partners. The creation of this network is a result of the “Youth: the right direction” project that during the past 3 years has informed and trained many young people on the European programme “Youth in action”. These young people are now youth ambassadors among their peers and are willing to continue working in the youth field on local level.
By the creation of this network, the LDAs will have the possibility to develop high quality projects by straitening the cooperation with the other European Partners. The final beneficiaries will surely be the youth from the Region who will have a possibility to live and work as a volunteer in EU for 6 months as well as the youngsters from all around Europe that will come to discover the Balkans by working in one of the LDAs.

• Training on EVS in Montenegro, 10-11 December 2008

The Association of Local Democracy Agency and the Local Democracy Agency of Niksic with the support of the European Commission through the Youth in Action programme is glad to host you in the City of Becici/Budva for this two days seminar 10-11 December 2008! This pre-training on European Voluntary Service (EVS) is the first step of a project aiming at developing EVS projects and at setting-up a network of EVS organisations in the field which may grant multiplying effects, high quality projects, exchange of best practices, long-lasting commitment and cooperation.

• Training in Shkodra

The newly establish LDA Albania in Shkodra, northern Albania has been inaugurated on the 10th of October and immediately started its first activity on the 11th. It was the third peer training of multipliers in the framework of ALDA’s “Youth the right direction” project.
During four days, 25 young people from South-East-Europe and EU countries including ten Albanian from Shkodra had the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of the “Youth in action” program and to draft project together.
Apart from the training the young people discovered the city of Shkodra and created real links among each other.

• Training in Kutaisi, Georgia

In the scope of the « youth the right direction » project sponsored by the European Commission, ALDA and the LDA Georgia organised a peer to peer educators training from the 24th to the 28th of June 2008 in Kutaisi (Georgia). During 4 days, 20 people from Kutaisi (Georgia), Belfast (Northern Ireland), Nis (Serbia), Monfalcone (Italy), Osijek and Verteneglio (Croatia) have been trained in order to promote, employing a peer to peer methodology, the Youth programme at the local level, supporting the work of Youth National Agencies, Contact Points for Youth and SALTO resource centres.

• International Youth Crossing Fair

An international crossing fair organised by ALDA in the framework of its project Youth: the right direction started on Friday the 25th of July in Verteneglio/Brtonigla, Croatia. This fair aims at promoting the European Commission’s “Youth in Action” program and at deepening the mutual knowledge of the different youth contexts whilst promoting cooperation in the field of youth. The activity involves young people, from 7 different countries of the Balkans and European Union. They are travelling all together by bus from Croatia to Albania, passing through Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, taking part in different activities such as workshops, cultural events, etc. Articles will be regularly published in our website to inform our partners of the progression of the fair.

• Youth Centre in Nis -LDA CSS

Thanks to the programme YOUTH, the Right Direction, sponsored by the European Commission, a new group of news people set up an innovative and challenging Youth programme in Nis, in Central and Southern Serbia. They are fully equipped with skills and goodwill for the future.
One of the strategic priorities of LDACSS in the next period will be work with the youth in Nis and development of numerous youth projects under the Youth Center Program. This program is a build-up of idea of opening Info Points under the Youth the Right Direction project.
Aims of this program are:

• youth education and development of various skills, (with acknowledging the principle of peer education, youth for youth learning)
• membership networking and development of voluntarism
• development and support of youth initiatives and campaigns
• development of local cultural potentials and intercultural exchange
• working on increasing the knowledge of youth about processes of involvement in EU processes, and encouraging them to take an active role in these processes