Young people and the opportunities offered to them by civil society organisations were the focus of the discussion during the visit of the Mobile Resource Center in Tearce, which took place on 19th September 2023.
“Considering that only 11% of municipalities in Macedonia have formed youth councils, and even in those municipalities where they have been formed, there are no dedicated officials for youth, we can say that opening youth centers is more than necessary. This situation is even more alarming in rural municipalities because young people in these regions are not at all a priority, so young people do not see a perspective in the country,” said Metin Muaremi from the Center for Education and Development during the meeting. According to him, the functioning of resource centers can improve socialization, development, career advancement for young people, and increase their participation in decision-making at local level.
The team of the Civic Resource Center shared information about the services they provide, and attendees had the opportunity to discuss the problems and challenges they face in the municipality.
Ardonit Ismaili from the Center for Education and Development (CED) shared his successful story of volunteering in an organisation and the benefits he gained in personal development. “After nearly four years, I am a project manager at CED, but I also privately initiated to open a start-up business that will operate in the region and beyond. Therefore, I recommend to the young people to join organisations because through them, they contribute not only to individual but also to societal development,” Ardonit said.
In addition to the meeting with civil society organisations, the team of the Civic Resource Center had a meeting with the mayor of the Municipality of Tearce, Mr. Nuhi Neziri. The Mayor emphasized his openness to cooperation with civil society organisations, stating that the municipality, within its modest budget, provides funds for local organisations and can additionally provide space for them, as is the case with the provided space within the school for the Center for Education and Development (CED) in Tearce.
This event was organised as part of the project “EU Support to the Civil Society Resource Centre – Phase 2,” funded by the European Union and implemented by the National Foundation for Civil Society Development Civic Resource Centre, the Macedonian Center for International Cooperation (MCIC), Media Plus, Stip, and the Association for Democratic Initiatives – ADI, Gostivar.
