INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR: “DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS SAME CHALLENGES“ (11.-14.10.2007.)

In the period between 11th and 14th October 2007, Youth network of Croatia with the support of Government of Croatia and European Comission, organised an internetional seminar “Different Backgrounds - Same Challenges” that gathered around 30 young people from Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Macedonia, Portugal, Slovakia, Italy, Spain, Greece and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Youth information agency of BiH was represented by the TAM leader from Tuzla Mirela Arifović and TAM host from Sarajevo, Adis Palo.

The topic on the seminar was youth policy, national youth strategies, involvment of youth on the local level, cooperation with authorities and the principle of co-management. The purpose of the seminar was to exchange experiences between different countries in mentioned areas, collecting examples of good practice and recommendations for development of national youth policies that they can use in their countries. During the seminar, participants had the opportunity to visit the building of the Croatian Assembly where the meeting with the youngest representative in the Assembly was held.

Representatives of each country presented the development of the youth policy in their country, and it was followed with the plenary discussion on the topic as well as on the forms of social engagement of young people in those countries. It was concluded that member states of European Union have well developed mechanisms for involving young people, and governments of those countries care about the needs of youth and offer special budgets for young people exclusively, while in SIE countries, the situation is quite opposite and it appears that the only effort aimed at improving the position of young people comes from NGOs.

The final day of the seminar was dedicated to development of future cooperation between the seminar participants through group work on the following issues:
1. How to form Youth Council
2. How to create promotional campaign in the area of youth policy

At the end of the seminar, participants also made a draft project proposal with which they plan to apply before the European Commission, and which should gather above mentioned partner organisations in Macedonia next year.

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