PODGORICA – As a part of the final stage of the ROUTE WB6 project, promoting youth mobility, volunteering and peacebuilding in the region, a creative and unique volunteer caravan, made up of fifty ROUTE WB6 volunteers, young journalists of the HAJDE platform and Young European Ambassadors (YEA) from all over the Western Balkans, started its journey in Podgorica on 10 March 2022.
The kick off meeting that preceded the start of the tour took place in Podgorica on 9 March 2022. The participants got the opportunity to get to know each other better through interactive and informative sessions. On this occasion, the ROUTE WB6 Project Coordinator Ms Ines Bulajić and RYCO Director of Programs Mr Jan Zlatan Kulenović addressed the participants and introduced them to the Caravan’s concept and wished them luck on their journey through the region.
“The ROUTE WB6 Volunteer Caravan is connecting towns and cities where we will promote our Alumni Club and opportunities which, together with our partners, we offer to the youth. The caravan is the crown of our efforts to promote ethical volunteering in the region. Partnering with the YEAs Network enables us to expand youth opportunities in the region, strengthen young people’s voices and amplify the message of peace, stressing the importance of cooperation once again,“ Ms Bulajić pointed out.
The YEAs involved in the ROUTE WB6 Volunteers Caravan expressed their excitement for joining their peers from all around the region on this interesting journey.
“We are heading to the same destination – a region which is embracing European values. So let us jump together on this caravan, sharing the path that leads to reconciliation, stability, and a common European future,” YEAs emphasized in a joint message.
On their way, the volunteers will have the chance to visit Mostar, Sarajevo, Kopaonik, Pristina, Bitola, and Tirana, socialize with their peers, contribute to the local communities, and actively participate in the ROUTE WB6 Alumni Club establishment. Their final destination is Tirana where they will have the opportunity to attend the music concert and enjoy the activities organized in the framework of Tirana European Youth Capital 2022.
Background
The ROUTE WB6 project aims to promote regional volunteering as a tool that will contribute to reducing social and ethnic distance among young people in the region, as well as strengthening their prosocial and European values, leading to reconciliation, stability and prosperity in the region. The project is being implemented across the Western Balkans by a consortium led by the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) in cooperation with Beyond Barriers, the Southeast European Youth Network, Lens, Youth Cultural Center Bitola, Association for Democracy and Prosperity – Zid, Young Researchers of Serbia and Institute for Youth Development KULT. The project is supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The YEA network is a component of the EU Regional Communication Programme for the Western Balkans which was launched in January 2020. The programme is funded by the European Union and runs for four years. The objective is to inform diverse target audiences about the cooperation between the EU and the Western Balkans.