In Montenegro, it is necessary to establish youth funds, as a form of youth participation in which they propose, choose, provide part of the funds and implement projects according to their needs in the local community where they live, according to the non-governmental organization (NGO) Prima.
The representative of the NGO Prima, Jelena Jovanović, on the occasion of the International Youth Day on August 12, said that young people initiate changes in various fields and change the direction in which the world develops, and that, as she added, is significantly influenced by the people and the environments in which young people live. , including their parents, teachers, civil sector and decision makers.
"Unfortunately, most young people are not sufficiently involved in social life, because there are no incentives that would encourage them to actively participate, as well as content that is adapted to their needs and interests," said Jovanović.
International Youth Day, as she said, is another day when Prima points out that it is important to create adequate policies for youth activities, based on research on their needs.
"The results of the research we are conducting as part of the project "Youth Funds for the Western Balkans and Turkey" show worrying data that 28,8 percent of young people in Montenegro are unemployed and therefore their right to work is at risk. "Also, over 70 percent of young people, after finishing school, are looking for a job for more than two years, so their skills and knowledge, which are necessary for work, are significantly reduced," said Jovanović.
The inability of young people to work, as she explained, threatens their right to a dignified and economically independent life, which is why, she added, they are forced to leave the country in search of employment.
"A big obstacle in employment is the fact that young people are not sufficiently involved in non-formal education programs, which is contributed by inadequate information, but also the fact that non-formal education in Montenegro is not valued in the right way," explained Jovanović.
She pointed out that the rights of young people from minority and marginalized groups are significantly threatened and neglected.
Jovanović said that Prima continuously works to empower young people and create a safe space for their activities, stating that the four-year project "Youth Funds for the Western Balkans and Turkey" is underway, through which "we encourage young people to actively participate in social, economic and political life".
"The initiative for which we are actively advocating is the establishment of youth funds, which are a form of youth participation in which they propose, choose, provide part of the funds and implement projects according to their needs and the needs of the youth in the local community where they live. In that way, they would directly make decisions that concern them and they would be encouraged for youth activism, which would ensure them to be active actors in the process of local development," Jovanović explained.
She reminded that, as part of the project, Prima supported three organizations from Montenegro, stating that on Youth Day, she would sign contracts with them and thereby make their membership in the Network of Youth Funds for the Western Balkans and Turkey official.
"The organizations that join our Network are the Youth Cultural Center from Herceg Novi, the Roma youth organization Koracajte s nama from Podgorica and the Civic Creative Center from Cetinje. After that, we implement the second module within the framework of five-part mentoring support, as well as the payment of grants, for the implementation of their projects, in the total amount of 45 thousand euros", said Jovanović.
Bonus video:
