SKOPJE – Head of the RYCO Local Branch Office in North Macedonia Mr Vladimir Gjorgjevski took part in a panel on “Opportunities and Mechanisms for Regional Cooperation in Western Balkans on their path towards European Union Integration” which took place on Sunday, 5 September 2021.
The event was held at the School for Politics in Skopje, North Macedonia, under the auspices of the Presidential Center for Political Education and gathered interested stakeholders to discuss regional cooperation and EU integration with a focus on youth cooperation and civil society.
The panel was moderated by the Youth Representative of North Macedonia in the RYCO Governing Board Mr Blazen Maleski who addressed the two panelists, Mr Gjorgjevski and Head of Center and Senior Researcher at the Institute for Democracy Societas Civilis Mr Misha Popovikj.
In his remarks, Mr Gjorgjevski presented RYCO’s work and achievements in the past years, highlighting that over 10,000 young people from the region were involved in RYCO youth exchanges from where over 90% now have more interest in knowing and exploring other cultures in the region. He underlined that RYCO’s co-management principle of its Governing Board ensures that youth can take part equally in decision-making processes and they will always be consulted about their needs and perspectives.
In continuation, Mr Maleski also shared further insights on the opportunities and mechanisms which the new law for youth participation in North Macedonia is offering to young people.
The participants of the event were particularly interested in the opportunities that RYCO offers to the youth as well as the concrete impact that the RYCO is making through its mandate. They expressed the need for more opportunities provided for hard-to-reach youth from the Western Balkans region as well as better policies that provide more chances for young people to be actively involved and engaged.
