The Western Balkans Youth Lab 2 (WB Youth Lab 2) is an EU-funded and RCC-implemented project aimed at fostering a long-term structured regional dialogue between youth and policy-makers. This dialogue is designed to jointly develop policies that enhance youth participation in decision-making and improve the overall socio-economic environment for youth in the Western Balkans.
During the first phase (2020-2024), two Youth Policy Labs were successfully implemented tackling unemployment and mental health issues. During this time, the project conducted comprehensive mapping of youth policies, increased youth participation in high-level conferences and strengthened the capacities of National Youth Councils across the region.
Building on these achievements, WB Youth Lab phase 2 began in January 2024. This phase continues to focus on empowering young people and strengthening their role in decision-making processes through a range of targeted activities and remains a vital platform for innovative policy-making that addresses the needs of young people.
Expected Outcomes
- Increased mobilisation of youth in policy-making
- Increased co-creation of relevant policies with youth
- Strengthened formal and informal mechanisms of youth participation
- Enhanced opportunities for regional networking of young artists
Scope of activities within the project includes:
EU-Western Balkans Summit in 2018 placed special emphasis on creating further opportunities for youth, and called for establishment of a Western Balkans Youth Lab in order to provide space for innovative policy-making addressing the needs of young people and to tackle the issue of brain-drain.
