PETROVAC – Head of the RYCO Local Branch Office in Montenegro Mr Edin Koljenović took part in the opening of the consultations organised by the Youth Network of Montenegro, on Monday, 31 May, in Petrovac. The consultations are financially supported by the Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) within the project Youth Laboratory of the Western Balkans and aim to collect inputs for the development of the Youth Network’s first Strategic Plan.
Representatives from 38 civil society organisations that founded the Youth Network participated in the consultation aiming to contribute to the continuous development of the Network. The achievement of the goals related to improving the position of youth in Montenegro were also discussed.
The opening session of the consultations was attended by Head of the RYCO Local Office in Montenegro Mr Edin Koljenović, President of the Youth Network of Montenegro Executive Committee Mr Miloš Marković, Deputy Director of the Directorate for Sports and Youth Ms Ksenija Božović and Project Coordinator at RCC Mr Ognjen Marković.
Mr Koljenović complimented the work and approach of the Youth Network of Montenegro. He emphasised that their activities conducted so far are strongly indicating their openness to cooperate with all the relevant actors working in the field of youth as well with young people whose inputs are of key importance.
“The consultation meeting itself is an excellent example of this described inclusive approach that the Network cultivates while striving to involve all the relevant actors, as well as to empower and encourage the participation of young people in this endeavour,” Mr Koljenović underlined.
He highlighted that the RYCO Local Branch Office in Montenegro perceives the cooperation with Youth Network as highly important for both parties involved and youth. In that direction, RYCO and the Youth Network signed a Memorandum of Understanding at the beginning of this year and the realisation of concrete activities is planned for the second half of the year.
“Strategic planning of the Youth Network is a very important platform for decision-makers, especially bearing in mind that the National Youth Strategy is currently being developed,” Mr Koljenović concluded.
The newly formed Youth Network of Montenegro consists of 38 civil society organisations that bring together and work with young people in various areas of youth development and improvement of youth’s position in society. The main goal of the Youth Network is to represent the rights and interests of young people, create and advocate for solutions to systemic challenges, connect youth policy actors and strengthen the capacities of member organisations. It is formally recognised as an umbrella organisation, operating in the field of youth policies, which has already implemented several activities to determine priorities for young people and their development. The key task of the Youth Network is to encourage and affirm youth as active citizens that are motivated to proactively participate in the decision-making processes, community development, as well as policymaking and implementation.