Since June 2022, the Youth Office has been actively participating in the “Europe Goes Local” project.

The aim of the project is to involve municipalities from the Western Balkans in the processes of developing and implementing youth strategies and local youth action plans, to align local-level youth policy with the EU agenda, to improve spatial capacities for young people, to become familiar with examples of good practice, and to expand networks of contacts with colleagues across Europe.

A special segment of the project is dedicated to mentorship support throughout all processes, in line with the needs of the member organizations, through cooperation with experts in the field of youth policy.

So far, representatives of the Youth Office have had the opportunity to visit Ljubljana four times and become acquainted with the implementation of youth policy in Slovenia, the development of local youth strategies and action plans, innovative mechanisms for youth participation, spatial capacities for young people, as well as ways of participating in international youth projects and initiatives.

In addition, they participated in study visits to Zagorje, Celje, and Brežice, which provided an opportunity to become acquainted with the implementation of youth policy in smaller communities and rural areas, and, most importantly, to gain first-hand insight into the operation of the Multifunctional Youth Center in Brežice, which, among other things, was the first to receive a quality label from the Council of Europe.

Alongside examples of good practice from Slovenia, participation was also achieved in a study visit to Albania, which offered deeper insight into the essential importance of establishing and developing youth centers and clubs owned by municipalities, as a direct response to the real needs of young people in local communities, as well as into the fact that youth policy requires significant budgets and investments, primarily in well-designed spatial capacities for the implementation of activities and youth engagement.

The Capital City had the honor of hosting all members of the “Europe Goes Local” project by organizing a two-day study visit, during which representatives of participating municipalities were introduced to local-level youth work practices.

One of the most significant events was participation in the annual gathering of all project members in Prague, where the further plan of work with municipalities was presented.

Through the “Europe Goes Local” project, the importance of non-formal education is particularly emphasized as one of the key priorities in youth work, along with the provision of a large number of high-quality ideas for working with young people.

In this context, through the mentoring process, the Youth Office developed and improved the Local Youth Action Plan, the Decision on the establishment of the Youth Council, as well as the Decision on the establishment and operational framework of the Youth Club.

The current focus of cooperation with mentors relates to strengthening the role of the Youth Office within Erasmus+ calls, which will further improve the mechanisms and organizational structure of the Youth Office.

The “Europe Goes Local” project team made an invaluable contribution to improving the quality of the Capital City’s application for the title of European Youth Capital 2028.

Participation in the “Europe Goes Local” project will continue until the end of 2027.