BELGRADE – Head of the RYCO Local Branch Office in Serbia Ms Ivana Antonijević met with Head of the OSCE Mission to Serbia H.E. Ambassador Jan Braathu, Deputy Head of the Mission Ms Sarah Groen and Mission’s Youth Focal Point Ms Milena Stošić, at the premises of the RYCO Local Branch Office in Serbia. Meeting underscored achievements of this long-term partnership and RYCO’s work on the regional as well as on the local level but also discussed plans for the future period.
Importance of RYCO’s work on regional cooperation was highlighted and its contribution to the reconciliation processes and deconstruction of inherited narratives among young people in their communities. Ms Antonijević presented the ongoing RYCO projects and activities and emphasized support which the OSCE Mission to Serbia has been providing to the RYCO Local Branch Office in Serbia from the very beginning of its establishment and through its work with civil society organizations and high-schools.
RYCO LBO in Serbia and the OSCE Mission to Serbia are implementing a joint online meet ups series “Among RYCO friends” throughout the year, tackling most relevant topics for youth in Serbia and the region. The next meet up is taking place already in June, focusing on volunteering challenges and opportunities.
Now already traditional capacity building training for CSOs and high schools from Serbia will also take place later this year. The training course will be based on the recently jointly produced and published Manual for project proposal writing.
“The OSCE Mission to Serbia’s support in further RYCO institutionalization will be crucial and beneficial,” Ms Antonijević underlined. To that end, the meeting concluded with mutual commitment to the strategic partnership and enhancement of successful cooperation.