Youth Connect is a British Council Global Programme that is grounded in the belief that more peaceful, prosperous and inclusive societies depend on the meaningful social, political and economic participation of young people. It supports young people to become active agents of positive social change rather than passive recipients of policy and services. Youth Connect aims to strengthen resilience, social cohesion and inclusive leadership by fostering trust, dialogue and collaboration across divides. Through youth-led action research and positive role modelling, young people engage with peers, communities, stakeholders and decision-makers to shift attitudes, challenge exclusionary norms and build more enabling environments in which young people can thrive and contribute to their communities. The programme strengthens skills such as self-confidence, adaptability and critical thinking through workshop-based learning, practice, and real-world engagement.
Youth Connect Western Balkans
Youth Connect Western Balkans will bring together 36 young people from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia from diverse backgrounds – gender, ethnic and geographical – to learn and work together in order to make a positive contribution to a more peaceful Western Balkan community.
The programme will engage young people aged 18-30 (who have completed secondary school) in a 4-day training workshop in Belgrade in autumn 2026, led by expert trainer-mentors from the region. The training workshop will include the core modules of the Youth Connect Toolkit. It will also include presentations on issues such as the environment and disinformation by selected British Council partners and stakeholders in order to ground ideas and catalyse action in our cohort of young people, whilst developing networks for future action.
This will be followed by a period of Action Research where young people will work in groups with other programme participants on the topics they consider to be important for them and their community, with the support of a mentor. The programme will culminate with a final Showcase event in Montenegro, in March 2027, where those teams of young people will present their Action Research.
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