On 25.05.2023, the Youth Center was opened in Bitola, following its mission to encourage the personal and social development of young people through their inclusion in the community. Currently, two youth workers work in the center, while the center itself is managed by a consortium of 3 youth organizations from Bitola, YMCA, Sfera International and MKC.

During the whole year, a series of activities were carried out in the direction of fulfilling the 8 previously established specific goals, and we are particularly happy to share that they have been largely fulfilled, i.e. we offered program activities covering all fields of youth development. Providing a space for young people to express themselves, organizing the free time of young people, developing the competencies of young people, encouraging the entrepreneurial spirit, promoting healthy lifestyle habits as well as raising environmental awareness, informing young people about opportunities for non-formal education, strengthening the active citizenship and promoting volunteering.

By numbers it would look like this:

• 2,651 total covered end users,
• 207 different activities realized in total,
• 16 included organizations that used the space to promote youth work and its importance.

The most visited program activities were: digital education, environment, mental health, youth participation and youth policies, as well as entertainment/social activities such as intercultural dinners, cooking days, learning foreign languages, etc.

Our contribution to the activities of the youth center was mainly through two projects that we implemented during the year:

• The digital education club led by the youth worker Natasha where we can proudly share that we covered the number of over 600 participants from the city who successfully attended and completed the courses made possible through the partnership of YMCA and HP Life Foundation. The activities of this club continued to work in 2024 to reach as many young people as possible and provide accessible free digital education to all young people.
• The peer school for mental health of children and youth started in June 2024 and this project will continue during 2024. The project is financed by the European Union, and co-financed by the Municipality of Bitola through the program for regional democracy in the Western Balkans implemented by UNDP. More information about the project at the following link.

Last year was proof of the youth center’s commitment to the development of young people in Bitola. The implementation of activities across all specific objectives demonstrates the commitment to fostering a dynamic, responsible and inclusive environment for young people. The vision of the Youth Center is a future with encouraged, creative and responsible young people who actively contribute to general progress, and represent a lively, informed and active youth community in Bitola. 

The full annual report of the youth center in the Macedonian language is available on the Youth Center website.