The last days of January of NVO Prima’s work were dedicated to the Youth Participation Week within the regional project “WB&T for EmploYouth – Support for the employment of youth from vulnerable groups” to present the results of the Youth Participation Index. The project is financially supported by the European Commission and is implemented by the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation (Serbia), Prima NGO (Montenegro), Youth Alliance Kruševo (Macedonia), Partners Albania – Centre for Change and Development Management (Albania) and the Volunteer Community Foundation (Turkey).

The Youth Participation Index (YPI) is a unique mechanism for getting an insight into the involvement of girls and boys under the age of 30 in the political, economic, and social life of Albania, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Turkey. The index provides a comprehensive overview of youth opportunities through the lens of 25 indicators of political, economic, and social participation. Created with the idea of a concrete tool that will be able to be used by public authorities and civil society organizations, the Youth Participation Index gathers relevant data on the position of young people and compares them both among themselves and in relation to the countries of the European Union. The index monitors progress and warns of negative phenomena that affect the lives of young people in five different countries. 

During Youth Participation Week, the results of the Index were presented, which shows the insufficient representation of young people in political life, exclusion from employment and education, long periods of unemployment and the risk of poverty which represents huge obstacles that young people face in the region. 

During the previous period, significant efforts were made to improve the availability of youth-specific data, such as data on youth in prisons and youth receiving financial support within the social welfare system. Based on the information collected in the Youth Participation Index, the youth organizations of the Western Balkans and Turkey have successfully advocated for changes in the policy framework in accordance with the recommendations based on the data from the Index.

Youth Participation Week was held from 23rd until 30th January 2023.