VRNJAČKA BANJA— The RYCO Local Branch Office in Serbia, with the support of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, organized for the ninth year in a row a capacity-building training, aimed at strengthening civil society organisations’ capacities to develop and implement projects advancing the Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) Agenda.
Held from 24 to 27 August, the training brought together 15 representatives of civil society organisations from all parts of Serbia for an intensive programme combining knowledge-sharing, practical exercises, group work and peer learning. The programme focused on equipping participants with practical skills to design meaningful, inclusive and sustainable initiatives that contribute to peacebuilding, while placing young people at the centre of the process.
The training opened with an introduction to the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda, with particular attention given to meaningful youth participation as one of its core values. Through interactive exercises and a Participation Game, participants explored different approaches to youth engagement and reflected on the importance of creating opportunities for young people to actively shape decisions and initiatives that affect their communities.
A significant part of the programme focused on understanding different perceptions of peace, as well as social polarisation and factors that can contribute to a discouraging environment for young people in Serbia and Western Balkans. Participants discussed the challenges facing young people and civil society organisations and explored ways in which projects can respond to complex social realities.
Practical project development was at the heart of the training. Participants worked on identifying internal and external factors that influence successful project applications and were introduced to the Theory of Change as a tool for designing effective YPS initiatives. Through group work, they developed project ideas and explored how to translate identified needs into clear objectives, activities and expected results. The traning also covered key aspects of project management, including project design, planning of activities, as well budgeting. Participants addressed risk identification and mitigation, with particular attention to the sensitivity of work in the field of Youth, Peace and Security Agenda. Dedicated sessions on budgeting provided participants with practical guidance on developing project budgets, including work with the RYCO budget form.
On the final day, participants focused on pitching of their project proposals. The presentations provided an opportunity to apply the knowledge and tools gained throughout the training and to receive feedback from fellow participants and facilitator, as well RYCO and OSCE Mission to Serbia representatives.
Main tools that were used on the training, Beginner’s Manual for Project Proposal Writing 101, and Participation Game, were developed jointly by the RYCO Serbia and OSCE Mission to Serbia as tools to support the design of project proposals. The Manual is conceptualized to support the advancement of project writing skills for the successful design of projects and initiatives that can connect the Western Balkan youth, while the game serves as a tool for the inclusion of young people in the project development process.
