Initiatives that unite and call for a joint search for solutions in the interest of offering better quality and more sustainable programs for the youth of the region are always worthy of respect. In the last decade, the YMCA organizations in the Western Balkans developed with undiminished capacity and reached the level of offering quality program activities for the young people in the region.

But the last 2 years with the Covid-19 pandemic have shown us a different reality and more or less brought out certain anomalies and shortcomings in the functioning of organizations. Although to some extent in similar or different levels of organizational development and context of action, the YMCA organizations from Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia in the spring of 2021 started joint online meetings with the aim of discussing the new normality that has been imposed on us and discussing the relationship of the organizational problems we are currently facing.

So, as key areas in which we need to strengthen in the next period are the areas of good management, management structures, work on project-based activities, dependence on grants, weak sustainability of projects, weak coordination at the regional level and readiness to act with joint EU projects on larger project applications.

In the several held joint meetings, in addition to realizing the challenges and the fields in which we need to act, we also worked on the preparation of joint project applications, during which we submitted two. The initiative continues with unabated dynamics in 2022, in which we hope that with the reduction of the pressure from the pandemic, we will finally be able to have meetings with physical presence.

The “Western Balkans Initiative” also started with activities that include regional visits to partners. At the first physical meeting after a long time since the initiative started, all involved countries Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo and Albania met at the YMCA office in Kosovo. The connection between national strategies and how they fit together into a larger, Balkan narrative was discussed in more detail. We look forward to what this group will bring to the youth of the Western Balkans!

You can see more photos from the meeting here.