RYCO Publication: A Better Region Starts with YOUth (2020)

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A better region starts with

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Content

Introduction 3

Welcome Notes of the RYCO Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General 5

Welcome Notes of the Editorial Board 7

Who is RYCO and why was it created? 9

RYCO in Numbers 10

Vision and Strategy 12

RYCO’s Journey 14

Dedication: On History and Political Importance of RYCO 16

Connecting People 20

Devoted Governing Board Members 22

Six Stories of RYCO Local Branch Offices 24

RYCO's Youth Exchanges 31

Involvement of Youth in the Reconciliation Processes 33

There's More Peace than Hate: An Interview with Univ.-Prof. Dr. Rainer Gries 35

Balkan Youth on the move 39

You(th) spread the News 48

What Youth Say 52

RYCO – A Valuable Contributor to a New Culture of Remembrance? 55

Programmatic Excellence 59

“It takes a lot of effort, strength and courage” 61

“Somebody Actually Believes in Us” 67

Committed Organisers and Trainers 71

References 74

RYCO's Projects, Development and Partners 79

Diverse approaches 80

A well organised Institution 86

Youth Participation in Decision-making processes 90

Inspiring Advisory Board Members 92

Partnerships 95

Friends of RYCO 98

What lays ahead of us 101

The Way Forward 102

1

2

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A better region start with an

Introduction

3

4

Đuro Blanuša and Fatos Mustafa

are the first Secretary General and

Deputy Secretary General of

RYCO. Ðuro comes from

Belgrade and Fatos is from

Pristina. They were appointed to

their positions by the RYCO

Governing Board in 2017 and will

hold them until 2021.

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Welcome Notes

of the RYCO Secretary General

and Deputy Secretary General

Dear Reader,

If you are reading these lines then you are a true

friend of RYCO and a strong believer in regional

cooperation among the youth. Let us stop here

for a second to consider how important this is

for the Western Balkans. You are one of us, an

individual who strongly believes that the people

of the region deserve a better and prosperous

future. In such a region, we want to see our

youth empowered and able to play a key role in

building and sustaining peace. Such a future

can only be created if we join our forces and

work together.

The publication 'A Better Region Starts with

Youth' has been created through a partnership

between the Regional Youth Cooperation Office

( RYC O ) , D e u t s c h e G e s e l l s c h a f t f ü r

Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the

University of Vienna (UV). Through this

publication, we aim to present the key

milestones of our work since the very

beginning of RYCO, the influence that RYCO

youth exchanges have on young people in the

Western Balkans and the youth workers that

suppor t them through these exchange

programmes. Moreover, you will find inspiring

stories by members of our Governing Board,

both those who represent young people and

those representing the governments of the

region, the impressions of members of our

Advisory Board and stories of those working on

RYCO's mission everyday – our team members

and numerous partners.

Đuro Blanuša is the first

Secretary General of RYCO.

He is leading RYCO by

providing direction and

clarity to the organisation’s

strategic and policy

development.

In July 2020, RYCO celebrated its fourth

birthday. On that occasion, we reflected on the

work done as well as the challenges that lay

5

ahead of us. We underlined the fact that the last

four years were just the beginning and that we

should not deceive ourselves that our work is

done. We pointed out that we will start to live

better lives in a better region once we manage

to come together and start looking at each

other as allies rather than enemies, when our

societies start resolving common issues

together for the common good without

competing and when we realise that there is no

other way than cooperation.

We believe that this publication will inspire you

to continue to work in this direction because

RYCO's achievements are above all the result

of the efforts and commitment of all actors

involved in our journey: our six governments,

donors, international supporters, partners,

beneficiaries, young people, and every

employee at RYCO. Without working together

with all of you, RYCO would not be able to

engage in the important task of changing the

Western Balkans and making this region a

better place for us all. We are happy to have you

with us on this journey.

Fatos Mustafa is the first

Deputy Secretary General

of RYCO. He is assisting the

Secretary General in

leading the organisation.

Let this publication be yet another cornerstone

of our work and the inspiration for achieving

new heights of regional cooperation. On our

way to making these needed changes in the

Western Balkans, we should never forget that a

better region starts with youth.

Yours ever,

Ðuro Blanuša and Fatos Mustafa

RYCO Secretary General and


6

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Welcome Notes

of the Editorial Board

Dear Reader,

We are the team who has been working jointly to bring this publication to you. It is the result of a

partnership that brought together different organisations and persons in a very complementary

way and a common goal: to contribute to a peaceful and prosperous Western Balkans, that is

closer to the European Union. We hope this publication will inspire you to create similar

partnerships because without them we will not achieve our goal of changing the region.

We wish you a nice read and lots of success in bringing a better future to all the Western Balkan

peoples.

Yours sincerely,

Editorial Board

Jan Zlatan Kulenović

RYCO Director of Programmes

Šejla Mujačić

GIZ, ORF Promotion of EU-Integration, Project Manager

Michaela Griesbeck

Franz Vranitzky, Chair for European Studies at the University of Vienna, Senior Researcher

Aisha Futura Tüchler

Faculty of Psychology, Sigmund Freud University Vienna, Junior Researcher

Nicolas Moll

Crossborder Factory

Nikola Ristić

RYCO Communication and Visibility Officer

7

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Who is RYCO

and why was

it created?

9


RYCO in Numbers

12

Governing Board members

6

6

Western Balkan Government Youth

Representatives

Representatives

Head Office

6

Local branch offices

34

Average age of

RYCO employees

10

Governing Board meetings

4

Advisory Board meetings

Open calls for

project proposals

930+

Applications

2,800+

Partnerships

10

2,500,000+

Invested in youth exchange programmes

€

Projects awarded

326

Organisations and schools

implementing RYCO projects

5,000+

Young participants

taking part in youth exchanges

940+

Participants of 33 trainings for

youth and those working with youth

4

Multi-year projects

1,000+

Meetings at the local,

regional and international levels

6

Local incubators within the regional

incubator for social entrepreneurs

800,000+

website visits

1,000+

Media Appearances

COUNTLESS

Hours in Zoom meetings

25,000+

Cups of coffee

11

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Vision and Strategy

How and why did it start?

Established in 2016 by the governments of

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*,

Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, the

Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) is

an intergovernmental organisation that

promotes and strengthens reconciliation, trust,

cooperation and dialogue in the Western

Balkans through youth exchange programmes.

Since its establishment, RYCO has provided

the region's youth with life changing

opportunities. We empower young people to

be real change makers in the region by putting

youth cooperation in the spotlight. Present in

the six capitals of the Western Balkans, our

unique position is strengthened by the fact that

we stand for the region's interests and take into

account the needs of all young people from the

region. This makes our organisation a true

game changer.

The Wester n Balkans share the same

challenges and needs. Living in a peaceful and

prosperous region in which cooperation and

dialogue prevail would certainly help in solving

these challenges and pave the way to a better

future.

We have a clear vision

We believe that bringing the region's youth

together in educational, cultural, civic and

social activities enables them to build enduring

friendships. This empowers young people to

share experiences, break prejudices, explore

other cultures, learn about each other and

reach personal fulfilment. Our goals are only

met when young people are ready and wellprepared

to be a driving force for genuine

change in their societies.

Moreover, by giving young people an equal say

in decision-making processes, RYCO is making

their voices heard and their actions supported.

Our unique governance cherishes active youth

engagement as it brings together government

and youth representatives to ensure that young

people are involved at all levels. Co-management

is at the heart of our decision-making, where the

two sides jointly govern RYCO.

RYCO's Strategic Plan 2019-2021 was

drafted based on input from more than

200 participants that gathered at a

regional strategic planning conference

held in March 2018 and the six national

events that followed.

What we are aiming to achieve is to:

● deliver high quality, high impact

programmes;

● build demand and a viable

environment for youth;

● invest in RYCO's competences.

*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on

the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.

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How do we do it?

To create an environment that supports young

people, we invest in innovative ideas and

partner with organisations and schools that

work with youth from diverse backgrounds.

Through grant making, capacity building,

influencing policy and advocacy we have

learned how the youth in the Western Balkans is

ready to meet and discuss the past, present

and future. The friendships they have created

through these activities are the most significant

result of RYCO so far.

We believe that one can make a real change

only if we join our forces and dedicatedly work

in the common interest. To strengthen the

quality of our programme, impact and scale,

we work with a strong network of partners. The

partnerships that we have established in the

region and across Europe are another example

of the power of cooperation. Our friends and

partners are a key ingredient of our success.

Values first

Impartiality, trust, mutual understanding,

tolerance and respect are the values in which

we strongly believe and that guide our everyday

work. Building enduring peace is only

achievable through shared experiences,

cooperation and an ongoing exchange of

views. In this way, we build new pathways for

our people who would otherwise remain

divided and trapped in the past.

We strive to create new opportunities and

partnerships, enhance capacities and excel in

our work. The future that we want to see is one

where our people embrace the enthusiasm

and creativity of the youth and one where

everyone holds firm to the goal of creating a

peaceful prosperous open and strong Western

Balkans.

RYCO Strategic Plan

13

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RYCO’s Journey

A number of meetings, consultations and discussions took place before the signing of the

Agreement on the Establishment of RYCO. We are thankful to everyone involved in this process,

but in particular to the civil society organisations from the Western Balkans, the governments of the

Western Balkans and the Working Group for the Establishment of RYCO. Their countless hours of

work dedicated to this process were of immense importance and should not be forgotten.

First RYCO Open Call

16 October 2017

10 October 2017

Opening of the Local

Branch Office in Kosovo

2018

1 January 2018

Bosnia and Herzegovina

chairs the RYCO Governing Board

22 January 2018

Opening of the Local Branch

Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina


Branch Office in Albania

1 August 2017

12 July 2017

Trieste Summit

7 July 2017


Branch Office in Montenegro

3 July 2017

Appointment of the RYCO


Appointment of the

RYCO Secretary General

3 April 2017

2016

2017

Opening of the RYCO Head Office

in Tirana, Albania

Paris Summit

First RYCO Governing Board Meeting

4 July 2016 8 December 2016

Agreement on the Establishment of RYCO

Albania chairs the RYCO

Governing Board

Vienna Summit

27 August 2015

Joint Declaration on the

Establishment of RYCO

2015

Berlin Process Kick Off, Berlin Summit

28 August 2014

2014

START

20-22 March 2018

Strategic Conference for drafting

RYCO Strategic Plan 2019-2021

14 February 2018


Office in Serbia

4 May 2018

First RYCO

Advisory Board Meeting

31 August 2018


Office in North Macedonia

6-11 May 2018

First regional capacity

building training

14 August 2018

Publication of the first

RYCO Strategic Plan 2019-2021

4-8 June 2018

Six Local Strategic Dialogues

held by all RYCO Contracting Parties

London Summit

9-10 July 2018

3 September 2018

Western Balkans meet Japan (MIRAI)

29 October 2018

Launching of the Building Capacity

and Momentum for RYCO project,

funded by UNPBF

2019

Second RYCO Open Call

3 December 2018 1 January 2019

Kosovo chairs the

RYCO Governing Board

18 February 2019

Launching of the Enhancing

Youth Cooperation in WB6 project,

funded by the EU

5 March 2019

Launching of the ROUTE WB6

project, funded by the Norwegian

Ministry of Foreign Affairs

28 August 2019

Third RYCO Open Call

2020

1 January 2020

North Macedonia chairs

the RYCO Governing Board

Poznan Summit

16 July 2019 4-5 July 2019

RYCO meets the President

of the French Republic

21 June 2019

Launching of the RISE project,

co-founded by the French

Development Agency

2-5 March 2020

The First RYCO Capacity

Building Training for

Teachers on Peacebuilding

Open Call for Young

Social Entrepreneurs

– RISE project Fourth RYCO Open Call Sofia Summit

26 August 2020 31 August 2020 9-10 November 2020

The future ahead of us will be marked by a strong dedication to

reconciliation, trust and cooperation. Friendships and partnerships

in the Western Balkans and beyond will enable us to

reach new milestones for a better region together.

1 January 2021

Montenegro chairs the

RYCO Governing Board

2021

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Dedication


On History and Political

Importance of RYCO

“Some years ago we only dreamt about it. Now,

it has actually come true.”

This is what a representative of a youth

organisation from the Western Balkans told me

in Paris on 4 July 2016. That was the day when

the six governments signed the common

agreement creating RYCO. For years, different

youth organisations in the region had

advocated for stronger governmental commitment

and support for youth exchange within

the Western Balkans in order to allow young

people to meet and to overcome the physical

and psychological borders that remain so

strong in the region.

The opportunity and the concrete incentive to

create RYCO came with the Berlin Process,

launched by the German government in 2014.

The aim was to address the issue of the lack of

regional cooperation within the Western Balkans

through concrete projects and at the same time

to introduce a new dynamic to relations between

the EU and the accession candidates. In the

frame of the Berlin Process, the governments of

Serbia and Albania proposed to create an

official structure to support youth exchange. The

governments of Bosnia and Herzegovina,

Kosovo, Montenegro and North Macedonia

agreed to support this proposal.

The six governments cooperated with civil

society actors in order to create a step-by-step

plan for the establishment of the future institutional

mechanism and asked international

actors to support this process. The Franco-

German Youth Office (FGYO) coordinated and

moderated the working process that led to the

creation of RYCO, which received the political

b a ck i n g o f t h e G e r m a n a n d Fr e n ch

governments and other international actors

involved in the Berlin Process.

After it opened in 2017, RYCO quickly become

operational. It launched four open calls for

youth exchange projects within three years and

organised many other activities such as

training, research projects, institutional

meetings and information campaigns, while it

built numerous partnerships with local and

international organisations.

The Franco-German Youth Office was created in 1963 as a follow up to the Franco-

German cooperation treaty signed by the French President Charles de Gaulle and

the German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer in order to support and develop youth

exchange between both countries. The idea was that in order to remain sustainable,

reconciliation and cooperation need to be anchored not only at the governmental

level, but also in the civil societies. The FGYO later opened its programmes for

young people from other countries with the idea to put Franco-German cooperation

in the service of European integration. Since 2000, the FGYO has organised and

supported exchange programmes that include young people from France, Germany

and the Western Balkans.

16

This short summary does not only remind us of

the history of this new and young organisation, it

is also a good starting point to better understand

the political importance and significance of

RYCO and why this new institution is indeed

something special and unique. Four points

should be underlined in this perspective:

1) Regional cooperation is not the dominant

trend within the Western Balkans, where political

relations remain tense and where regional

initiatives are sometimes announced but are not

implemented. RYCO was created in spite of and

against this trend. While the difficult general

political context can have a negative influence

on the work of RYCO the very fact that it has

been established and is working underlines that

a form of common cooperation is possible within

the Western Balkans, between the six

governments and beyond. The singularity of

RYCO appears also in the fact that it was the

very first outcome of the Berlin Process and

remains one of the few to appear thus far.

2) RYCO is neither a governmental agency nor

a youth NGO, but an institution by its own with

its own legal structure. RYCO was established

through a cooperation process between

governments and civil society actors and the

institution embodies this partnership structurally.

This is especially true of the Governing

Board of RYCO, which is the highest decisionmaking

body, where there is equal representation

among youth and government

representatives. Yet this is by no means selfevident,

knowing the mutual mistrust that

generally exists between governments and civil

societies in the region. In fact, such a close and

structural interlinkage between civil society

and government as in the case of RYCO did not

exist within the Western Balkans before. The

strong position of youth representatives in the

Governing Board goes beyond many similar

institutions at the international level, such as the

Franco-German Youth Office where government

representatives dominate the administrative

board.

Members of the RYCO Working Group with the EU and the Western Balkan leaders

17

© European Union, 2016, EC - Audiovisual Service

3) RYCO connects regional ownership and

international support. It has been constituted in

an international framework and has developed

a lot of international cooperation since it

opened: The Berlin Process created the

incentive to establish RYCO and the Franco-

German Youth Office was at the same time its

inspiration and the facilitator for its establishment,

but it has not been a copy-paste

model. The governments and civil society

actors who established RYCO were aware that

they needed to build an institution that is

adapted to the specific needs of the region.

The regional actors and international supporters

agreed that it was crucial for the

sustainability and legitimation of the new

institution that its ownership remained within

the region. All decisions – the general strategy,

the budget, the office structures and the

organisation’s activities – are made by regional

actors and not in Brussels, Berlin or Paris. Yet

this does not exclude strong international

connections, because RYCO clearly presents

itself through a European perspective and a

commitment to European ideals and ideas.

4) RYCO encourages and supports youth

exchange in the region, but its scope extends

beyond youth. It operates as a grant-making

organisation but is not limited to this role. RYCO

has a political mission and vision as articulated in

the Agreement to “promote reconciliation,

mobility, diversity, democratic values, participation,

active citizenship and intercultural learning.”

18

By allowing young people to meet and to learn

with and about each other and by connecting

schools, NGOs and other structures RYCO is

giving young people a more active role in their

society and through this contributes to the fight

against the negative legacies of the past.

The fact that RYCO is politically important does not

mean that it can resolve all of the problems of the

Western Balkans and it would indeed be

dangerous to expect too much from this new

institution. RYCO can play a significant role in

improving relations in the region by bringing

young people together and by connecting

governments, civil society and other structures

and by formulating a vision for a better future and

encouraging everybody to become an active part

of this new vision. Yet the governments should not

assume that by creating RYCO they have done

enough regarding the question of reconciliation.

Reconciliation is a long-term and complex

process that requires commitment in many ways

and at all levels. Neither young people nor RYCO

can achieve this task alone. This is why RYCO’s

slogan is not ‘Young people will make the region

better’ but that ‘A better region starts with YOUth’.

Yes, young people can and do play a role here.

Yet everybody needs to contribute, which

means you who are reading this text regardless

of whether you work for a government, an NGO,

an international organisation or in any other field.

Nicolas Moll

Crossborder Factory

Signing of the Agreement on the Establishment of RYCO

19

© European Union, 2016, EC - Audiovisual Service

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Connecting People

We Network and Connect the Western Balkans and its Youth.

We support the process of reconciliation in the region by providing young people with

opportunities that create spaces for dialogue, mutual learning and increased understanding

across communities and RYCO's Contracting Parties. We contribute to increasing the capacities

of schools and civil society organisation to offer such opportunities.

In so doing, through our open calls for project proposals, we empower young people and support

the stakeholders who have access to and an impact on young people in terms of their becoming

active contributors to reconciliation, democratic development and social and economic prosperity

in the Western Balkans.

RYCO was founded upon the belief that when young people are provided with the opportunity to

learn, grow and express their voices they and their whole communities benefit over the long term.

Our open calls are designed specifically to provide decisive support to schools and civil society

organisations so that they are able to contribute to this vision but we also assist them in continuing

or expanding their work in this regard. Simultaneously, we also provide incentives and

opportunities to actors who have not yet had the chance to offer such programmes to young

people.

All projects funded by RYCO and its partners promote and contribute to the values upon which

RYCO was founded and the vision of societies where young people are able to create a culture of

mobility, intercultural exchange and reconciliation. All project organisers ensure that their activities

do not feed into further divisions among youth but contribute to mutual understanding, peace and

social cohesion. Every young person participating in a RYCO supported project is free to express

themself without fear of punishment or retribution for their beliefs. Each young person is protected

from violence, bullying or belittlement, especially when such acts are based on their identity,

origin, social standing or abilities.

Through our three open calls for project proposals, we supported 326 schools and organisations

to implement over a hundred projects across the Western Balkans. We are currently in the process

of evaluating the applications received within the fourth Open Call. The following map shows the

lines of cooperation in the region for each of the open calls.

20

SUBOTICA

SOMBOR

KIKINDA

VRBAS

BEČEJ

ZRENJANIN

NOVI SAD

PRIJEDOR

BANJA LUKA

TEŠANJ

BRČKO

ŠABAC

BELGRADE

TUZLA

JAJCE

TRAVNIK

ZENICA

VALJEVO

BRATUNAC

VISOKO

ILIJAŠ

SARAJEVO

EAST SARAJEVO

GORNJI

MILANOVAC

ČAČAK

VELIKA

PLANA

KRAGUJEVAC

JAGODINA

KRALJEVO

VRNJAČKA BANJA

ŽAGUBICA

ŠIROKI BRIJEG

MOSTAR

PLJEVLJA

BLACE

NiŠ

KNJAŽEVAC

BIJELO POLJE

NOVI

PAZAR

NIKŠIĆ

KOTOR

PODGORICA

CETINJE TUZI

BAR

SHKODËR

ULCINJ

LESKOVAC

BERANE

VLASOTNICE

MITROVICË E VERIUT/SEVERNA MITROVICA

MITROVICË E JUGUT/JUŽNA MITROVICA

VUSHTRRI/VUČITRN

PEJË/PEĆ

VLADIČIN HAN

PRISTINA

FUSHË KOSOVË/KOSOVO POLJE

KLINË/KLINA

KAMENICË/KAMENICA

BUJANOVAC

GJAKOVË/ĐAKOVICA

TROPOJË

KAÇANIK/KAČANIK

PRIZREN

BELOVISTE

KUKËS

KUMANOVO

DELCEVO

TETOVO SKOPJE

BEROVO

GOSTIVAR

SVETI NIKOLE

VINICA

STIP

MAKEDONSKI

BROD

KAVADARCI

RADOVIS

VORË

DURRËS

TIRANË

ELBASAN

KRUSEVO

PRILEP

VALANDOVO

POGRADEC

st

1 RYCO Open Call

nd

2 RYCO Open Call

rd

3 RYCO Open Call

FIER

VLORË

KORÇË

SARANDË

21

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Devoted Governing

Board Members

RYCO's unique governance system brings together twelve government and civil society

representatives to ensure young people are represented at all levels within the organisation. With

an equal voice in the decision-making processes, we asked our Governing Board members both

youth and government representatives why they consider RYCO and its work important.

,,

RYCO has marked a new chapter in regional cooperation

perceptions as well as in youth empowerment and trust building.

It has confirmed that youth are part of the governmental agenda,

which has produced concrete outputs. RYCO has created

synergies and positive change for youth in the region, which have

reinforced the idea that being courageous and thinking outside of

the box can change the narratives in the Western Balkans.

Françeska Muço, Youth Representative of Albania

Promotion of diversity, cooperation through diversity and young people

meeting their peers from the region are of interest to each government that

intends to establish democratic principles of life in its society.

In every possible way, Bosnia and Herzegovina will support the establishment

of new and more quality relations between the youth of the region, thus

supporting the European spirit of tolerance and intercultural dialogue.

My work in the RYCO Governing Board has a motto: “The war starts in the

heads of people and it is indeed the only place where you can resolve it”. By

joint endeavours, we will make young people more open towards each other

but also towards the open society principles.

Ankica Gudeljević,

Government Representative of Bosnia and Herzegovina

,,

22

,,

Why is RYCO important? Because RYCO supports cooperation for common

prosperity, promotion of genuine human values and principles, commitment

and responsibility regardless of different national affiliations.

Vlora Dumoshi, Government Representative of Kosovo

Before RYCO, we, the young people, had to carry the heavy burden of the

troubled past of the region on our own. Now, RYCO is there to show us how

much we can achieve if we cooperate and are given the concrete and

institutional support. If only we work together, we can build bridges torn down

by the conflicts we did not start but are able to bring to an end.

Andrea Mićanović, Youth Representative of Montenegro

RYCO is the future of the Western Balkans and it should be seen as a

process rather than just another institution or regional initiative. This process

bears on its shoulders the burden of success or failure of the new open

Balkans, freed of fear and hate for 'the others', ethnic or religious

communities. It has been a pleasure to follow and contribute to the growth of

RYCO since its start. I hope that all dedicated people in this process will learn

from others and their mistakes and become the best example.

,,

,,

Darko Kaevski,

Former Government Representative of North Macedonia

,,

RYCO is a unique organisation in this part of Europe and it represents the

cornerstone for relationship enhancement between the youth in the Western

Balkans. The decision-making process in the RYCO Governing Board allows

the youth from the region to express their opinions and decide on matters that

affect their lives and their communities. Thus, RYCO's institutional framework

promotes the proactive role of youth from the region as well as provides an

opportunity for young people from the Western Balkans to promote the spirit

of reconciliation and cooperation between them.

Marko Kostić, Youth Representative of Serbia

23

RYCO Local Branch Office in Albania

A Story of Passion

to Challenge Barriers

It is important in a newly established organisation to build

strong foundations and to ensure sustainability. It is also

important to nurture values. So for us, Kreshnik and Flutura,

focusing our teamwork on accountability, open communication

and transparency has been a key to constructing our

foundation. We work to create a positive invigorative environment

that allows reflection, mutual respect, constructive feedback

and a sense of humour. We are a small young team with

a big sense of unity.

One of the biggest success stories of our office is the

creation of a safe and open space for our current and future

collaborators. We work to support, with all the necessary

tools, inspired and uninspired young people and civil society

organisations who want to be part of RYCO programmes and

its journey.

There cannot be steady regional development without a

strong local foundation for RYCO. That is why we are devoted

to consolidating partnerships and communication with local

actors and youth in Albania, contributing to the organisation's

further impact at the regional level.

Kreshnik Loka

Head of the RYCO

Local Branch Office in Albania

A day in our office is made up of constant coordination,

learning and self-growth. We like to think of our working

space as an extension of our minds and eyes and we use it as

a space in which to reflect on our achievements, challenges

and share of funny moments. The walls are full of pictures

from our most successful events, quotes, timetables and

funny memes that turn our office into a living reminder of why

we do what we do.

This working experience has fed us with hope and motivation

to give back to our community and with the passion to

challenge barriers. Ten years from now, we see the Local

Branch Office in Albania as a hub of human and professional

development of youth and civil society that will re-establish

their roles as change makers.

Flutura Brakaj

LBO Programme Assistant

24

RYCO Local Branch Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina

A Story that even

Instagram cannot handle

We are Berina and Ali from Bosnia and Herzegovina. A typical

day for us starts with a warm cup of coffee, church bells from

a cathedral nearby and some cool songs that Nikola (RYCO

Communication and Visibility Officer) plays during our Zoom

meetings as we prepare to read our emails. All live from

Sarajevo. What is cooler is that in Pristina, Tirana, Belgrade,

Podgorica and Skopje someone clicked the same email – for

a better region.

Berina Bukva

Head of the RYCO

Local Branch Office in


If you asked us about the success of our work then we would

say that everything depends on trust and constant desire to

perform better. We have made it through three years so far

and did not get any older. The wrinkles are only from tight

deadlines, but as Mara (Head of the RYCO Local Branch

Office in Serbia) says, "Even though the level of stress is high

the deadlines are met."

We feel rewarded when we see that our work has a positive

impact and that our grantees and participants are satisfied

with the results. Participants of RYCO supported projects

inspire us; they are friendly and like having coffees in other

places with different people and talking about a lot of similar

things. This year at the Sarajevo Film Festival, we heard

people from across the region saying that nationality does not

matter and that we are all pretty much the same. This speaks

volumes.

When it comes to how our work at the local level connects to

the regional one, it goes like this: How do you finish a whole

puzzle picture without one piece of the puzzle?

Ali Mahmutćehajić


Everything first starts within all of us and locally from your

room, street, city, your hometown, your favourite pub or store

and then it goes across all the borders.

We envision that one day we will have people who tell the right

stories, which will tell more about great people. This region

deserves it. Everything we do was once just an idea and yet

now we are a powerful engine. That is the full story and not

even Instagram can handle it.

25

RYCO Local Branch Office in Kosovo

Making a difference

in People's Lives

At the time of its inception, Krenare was the one who helped

lay the foundation of the Local Branch Office in Kosovo. Within

two years, Ramadan and Besarta had joined the team. Today,

this small team of three works incredibly well together, shares

the same vision and supports the overall mission and regional

work of RYCO by carrying out the hard work at the local level.

Our accomplishments are already many but to point out a few

we can say that we are very proud that we have developed a

reputation of being a reliable partner in our efforts to enhance

regional youth cooperation. We have receive great support

from both the local and international community in Kosovo.

We have witnessed many cases where our local activities

organised by our grantees have had a positive impact on the

lives of people. One example of this is a regional summer

female youth camp organised by one of our grantees. As we

found out, the participants from Albania had never had the

chance to travel abroad before the opportunity to attend the

youth camp. It brings us immense satisfaction knowing that

RYCO enabled these people to travel and exchange

experiences, but also the feeling we get knowing that we have

an opportunity to make a difference to people's lives.

We also draw inspiration from Krenare who continues to work

for RYCO because of her son. She strives to contribute toward

creating a better and safer life for him and future generations.

Krenare, like many of us in Kosovo, had a childhood filled with

fear and trauma. Now, she works courageously to transform

all of her unlived dreams into strength that can be used to

create a better region where her son and everyone in the

Western Balkans can live and dream freely.

Krenare Gashi-Krasniqi

Head of the RYCO

Local Branch Office in Kosovo

Ramadan Sokoli


A day at our office includes a light atmosphere, good humour

and lots of laughter. Among other things, we love to chat

among ourselves over a nice cup of Turkish coffee that we

take turns to make.

In the future, we envision that RYCO will be perceived as a

trusted partner that young people can rely on for achieving

positive change.

Besarta Halimi

Project Assistant

26

RYCO Local Branch Office in Montenegro

A place where Ideas

and Visions thrive

At our office in Montenegro we, Edin, Bojana and Irena, enjoy

working with people that come from different national, ethnic,

religious groups so that we can promote what we all have in

common, namely our system of values and joint mission.

Edin Koljenović

Head of the RYCO Local

Branch Office in Montenegro

Bojana Lalatović


Our working days are at the same time dynamic and

interesting. We have different responsibilities as a team but

provide support to one another whenever possible as we

work toward the same goal: achieving the mission and vision

of RYCO. Our regular meetings and the open communication

we have is what makes our working environment relaxed and

productive.

Together, we have achieved many results that have a wider

regional impact. One of them is our initiative that led to the

doubling of the annual contribution of Montenegro to the

RYCO budget. It also sent a clear political message that

Montenegro sees the future of the region in terms of peace,

stability and cooperation.

When we listen to the stories of young people who took part in

the RYCO exchanges we feel satisfied and rewarded. Equally

inspiring is the energy that these youth generate when they

speak about their vision for the region and their limitless

aspirations to challenge the status quo. We see our office in

Montenegro as a powerful actor at the local level that will

continue to work successfully in different fields. This entails

implementation of grant schemes as well as many other

things such as being a space where young people can

gather around progressive ideas and processes and where

constructive ideas and visions thrive. Our office acts as the

driving force of these processes at the local level and allows

youth in the region to reach their full potential in their societies.

Irena Marunović

Project Assistant

27

RYCO Local Branch Office in North Macedonia

We are the ones

that bring a Regional

perspective to Local issues

Working days for us, Albert and Elena, are filled with lots of

fun and happy moments as we attend meetings and activities

alongside people who are full of positive energy. This is quite

important, especially when we have dynamic days filled with

a great amount of tasks to be accomplished.

Since the establishment of the office, we have focused on

identifying potential policy processes that can better

reposition youth in our society. We have succeeded in

bringing a regional perspective into the local thinking and

way of acting. A key aspect of this growth has been the

commitment and openness to addressing the most important

needs and concerns of youth and in giving them an

opportunity to gain a better understanding at the regional

level. We also try to be an example of what we preach.

The opportunity we have to discuss and challenge our

thoughts and ideas against those of our colleagues from the

region is something that RYCO has made possible and that

has helped us grow as a team. We think that we have a dream

job. When our calendars become full of pressing deadlines

we look at each other and try to help by comforting and

hoping that after the rain there will be sunshine.

We feel rewarded when we support our grantees and local

actors to succeed in their activities, because we are

confident that a better region starts with having amazing

partners who are always active and ready for change. The

strategic conference that RYCO organised in Skopje in 2018

showed clearly that youth in North Macedonia recognise the

challenges they face and have creative ideas to solve them.

Seeing them willing to cooperate with their peers from the

region is a moment of satisfaction and pride for us.

Albert Hani

Head of the RYCO

Local Branch Office

in North Macedonia

Elena Mishevska


In the future, we see RYCO as a powerful actor that will help

build a better community in the Western Balkans and one that

is ready to collaborate peacefully and live together.

28

RYCO Local Branch Office in Serbia

A place where RYCO

magic happens

We, Marija, Bojana, Ivana A and Ivana M, are the dedicated

and hardworking RYCO team from Serbia. We work for and

with RYCO at the local level. Two years ago, our office had

only one employee and did not have a working space

whereas today we are the largest local branch office in the

region, located in the centre of Belgrade.

Marija Bulat

Head of the RYCO Local

Branch Office in Serbia

Bojana Zimonjić


Ivana Antonijević


A usual working day for us begins with a cup of coffee or tea

and continues with an agenda full of new challenges and

opportunities to work with amazing young people from the

region. This is what makes our work very pleasant and

motivates us to give a hundred percent each day. Beyond

work, we enjoy having lunch together and watering the plants

in the office. Our favourite saying is 'A better region starts with

a local branch office'.

LBOs constitute the core of RYCO's work. By supporting the

mission and vision of RYCO, together with grantees and local

partners, they make the 'RYCO magic' happen.

We have supported the implementation of over thirty projects

and have organised numerous local activities. Fruitful

cooperation with local stakeholders has brought us several

outcomes that we then successfully scaled up from the local

to the regional level. One example is capacity building

training for civil society organisations and schools that was

first organised in Serbia and later became a regular practice

across the region. The smiling faces and positive impressions

we receive from young people that are part of our activities

are our biggest reward. It is very pleasing to see that we

provide them with great and life changing experiences.

Looking back at the past, we can say that intercultural

learning has helped us a lot to grow both professionally and

personally. We envisage that our office in Serbia will become

the key contact point for all youth and a place that will make

them feel empowered and connected with their peers in the

region.

Ivana Markulić

Monitoring Assistant

29

30

youth


RYCO's Youth

Exchanges

31

Dimitrije Jovićević

Đuro Blanuša

Milica Škiljević

Fatos Mustafa

Danijela Topić

Arianit Jashari

Vladimir Gjorgjevski

Dafina Peci

Six Youth Representatives and RYCO Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General

The Youth Representatives in the

RYCO Governing Board take

part in meetings and

discussions together with high

level Decision makers and use

these opportunities to advocate

for the interests of young people

in the region.

32

youth


Involvement of Youth in

the Reconciliation

Processes

Former youth representatives on the

RYCO Governing Board, those who

had a chance to enjoy first-hand the

experience of regional cooperation at

the highest decision-making level of

RYCO, jointly wrote this article. We are

grateful to them for the immense work

they did in bringing the youth of the

Western Balkans closer together.

Frankly speaking, the story of RYCO is

summed in its tagline 'A better region starts

with youth' in this case in the region of the

Western Balkans. A better region rests on the

promise of development through youth cooperation

and the dismantling of the burden from

the past through mobility, education and peace

building.

The Agreement on the Establishment of RYCO,

which was developed and signed within the

Berlin Process, stipulates the intention and

clear interest of the Western Balkan governments

in cooperation and creating stable

societies that build trust amongst people and

ensure better livelihoods in the region. The

ownership of RYCO lies in the region and this

serves as a platform through which young

people can actively contribute to the reconciliation

processes.

Reconciliation processes should be facilitated

on three levels and this demands the active

involvement of youth at the institutional, policy

and community level.

Institutional involvement –

RYCO is a Champion of

Co-management

In striving to create an enabling environment for

young people, the concept of equal representation

of both youth and government in

decision-making is embedded in RYCO's

governing structure. This principle lies in the

belief that young people are fully capable of

acting on an equal basis and taking part in

dialogue and decision-making vis-à-vis governments.

One could argue that with the number of

conflicting and ongoing bilateral disputes it is

impossible to improve working relationships

and work on reconciliation. However, this is not

true. The concept of dialogue implies different

ideas and opinions around a single table.

Decision-making in RYCO is based on consensus

and consensus requires our full attention

and understanding of the differences that

stand in the way of agreement.

With the co-management mechanism, both

governments and young people either learn or

are ready to resolve concerns in an atmosphere

of dialogue. It is the very practice of

dialogue and the dedication to succeed in

providing efficient and quality decisions that

further facilitates the reconciliation process.

Our aim is to improve regional cooperation but

the long-term goals go beyond this.

33

Policy involvement: RYCO is a

result of Partnership

RYCO initiates and participates in policymaking

and advocates for reform. It supports

the development of a political and social

environment that empowers and facilitates

youth exchange. Leading by example, RYCO

nurtures the concept of the active participation

and the involvement of young people in the creation

of its core programmes and exchanges.

Young people are a distinctive and highly

relevant group for reconciliation and peace

building. Responsible and participatory

policies that facilitate a safe political, economic

and societal environment protect young people

from situations of violence and extremist

behaviour. By creating and sustaining a safe

context, young people can help to build peace.

Given the intergovernmental nature of the

organisation and its approach to programmes

and policymaking, national governments

should further mainstream the approach of

participatory policymaking and make efforts to

involve young people in all stages of public

policy and thus enable policy involvement. That

is the only responsible course of action and a

moral prerogative for governments toward

youth organisations and the young people of

the Western Balkans.

Community level:

Reconciliation begins in Your

Local Community

Finally, RYCO's vision where "young people are

creating a culture of mobility, intercultural

exchange and reconciliation" is not possible if

the programmes do not reach local

communities. Building trust must be facilitated

at the community level. Through its programmes,

RYCO facilitates behavioural change by

lowering the distance and diminishing the veil

of ignorance when it comes to our neighbours

throughout the region. Young people from

various backgrounds must be given enough

room to acknowledge the advantages of

regional cooperation and sufficient room to

thrive and lead small-scale changes.

Lastly, the need for change requires action on

all three levels. We cannot expect to see shifts

at the community level if we do not engage

young people in policymaking, if we do not

provide them with an equal say in the decisionmaking

process both within RYCO and by

advocating it nationally. In the long run, this

offers hope of a greater shift in behaviour and

attitudes and of a better and more open region.

Reconciliation takes time, because rebuilding

trust takes time. The Franco-German example

teaches us that the process is anything but

easy. The process of reconciliation revolves

around the idea of direct encounters and open

dialogue with young people. Although each of

the parties involved may find this process

difficult it must remain as the leading path that

we will follow, because in the end we can only

progress as a region through joint action.

Milica Škiljević

Former Youth Representative of Serbia

Dimitrije Jovićević

Former Youth Representative of Montenegro

Arianit Jashari

Former Youth Representative of Kosovo

Danijela Topić

Former Youth Representative of


Dafina Peci

Former Youth Representative of Albania

34

youth


There's More Peace

than Hate

An Interview with Univ.-Prof. Dr. Rainer Gries

about the Research Project on RYCO Youth Exchanges

We spoke with the Director of the Franz

Vranitzky Chair for European Studies at the

University of Vienna Rainer Gries who is

leading a team of researchers conducting a

study on young people in the Western Balkans

and their participation or non-participation in

regional youth exchange programmes. This

interview focused on the history, politics and

psychology in the region and approaches to

conducting research on these topics but most

importantly on the project that the University of

Vienna and RYCO have been implementing

since 2018.

RYCO: Professor Gries, you

are the Director of the Franz

Vranitzky Chair for European

Studies at the University of

Vienna (FVC). During the last

few years, you and your team

have investigated the history,

politics and psychology of

young people in Southeast

Europe through several research

projects. Please tell us

more about your experiences.

Professor Gries: Indeed, the

Franz Vranitzky Chair for

European Studies devotes its

attention to the youth and young adults in

Western Balkan societies. In our previous

research, we focused on the Children of the

Balkan Wars – a generation marked by violence

and crises. When the FVC became a scientific

advisor to the Regional Youth Cooperation

Office two years ago, we expanded this focus

and applied our expertise to the context of

RYCO funded youth exchanges and we

included the young people of today.

RYCO: You are a historian and communication

scientist and your team of researchers is

composed of experts from various fields like

contemporary history, international development

and communication science. Why is this transdisciplinary

approach important?

Rainer Gries

Photo: University of Vienna

Professor Gries: I am convinced

that research projects

like these can only be tackled

by multiple disciplines working

together. Take reconciliation,

for example. Reconciliation

is not a single political

event it is a complex historical

process. Part of this process

is a comprehensive approach

to dealing with divisive notions

of a distant past and the mass

violence that happened in

Southeast Europe in the 20th

Century. When young people

from the region meet at a youth

exchange they bring along

their own perceptions of these painful pasts. A

profound knowledge of the history of the

Balkans was thus key to understanding young

peoples' self-images, their notions of the past

and their ideas of a common region.

35

At the youth exchange projects young people

start talking to each other about their everyday

lives and interests, but also about their shared

yet divided past, present and future. This is

where communication science comes into play.

RYCO: Please tell us more about your research

on RYCO youth exchanges.

Professor Gries: The aim of our research was to

reach an in-depth understanding of what is

happening at RYCO youth exchange projects.

Why do young people attend? What do they

gain? What is the role of organisers and

trainers? What happens after participation?

Moreover, we wanted to develop an extensive

insight into youth in the Balkans, their cultures

of communication and non-communication

and their notions of reconciliation.

RYCO: What did you do and with whom did you

speak?

Professor Gries: Our team interviewed participants

and organisers of RYCO youth

exchange projects directly on the spot and

visited them in their hometowns after their

programme had ended. We also spoke with

young people who had not attended a RYCO

youth exchange yet. Talking to all of these

young people was very inspiring because they

were so open and enjoyed telling us about their

lives and their experiences. In addition, we

conducted a comprehensive online survey

covering all youth exchanges of RYCO's

Second Open Call for Project Proposals that

took place in 2019 and 2020.

RYCO: Let us talk about your research findings.

What happens at the youth exchanges you

studied?

Professor Gries: Youth exchange projects can

offer something very rare to post-conflict

societies: an open forum and a safe space for

young people from (former) adversary

communities to meet. Just two to three

decades ago, their grandparents and parents

might have been at war with each other. Now,

young people from the region get to meet, to

exchange thoughts, to become friends and to

build bridges between their societies again.

This can be a very powerful even life changing

experience for them.

RYCO: A life changing experience?

Professor Gries: Yes, on an individual level

these experiences allow young people to grow.

They become more independent, confident,

aware, outspoken and engaged. Yet we also

saw the effects on a social level and by

enabling them to interact with each other in a

safe setting young people could develop

empathy and trust for members of the other

group. Empathy and trust are central to the

reconciliation process.

RYCO: You also interviewed young people who

have not yet participated in such an exchange.

What was their perspective?

Professor Gries: Unfortunately, young people

from the Western Balkans face administrative

and structural impediments when they want to

travel in the region. We also found that there are

emotional barriers. We spoke with a secondary

school student from Mitrovica/Kosovska

Mitrovica, for example. When we asked her

where in the Western Balkans she would like to

go on a youth exchange, she immediately

pointed to Serbia on the map. Later in the

interview, we asked what her parents would say

if she went on an exchange there. She said they

would never allow her to go. We heard similar

sentences from youth in Serbia and other parts

of the region. It is not just the parents though.

Young people themselves also expressed that

they were worried about how they and their

cultural identity would be accepted by other

participants. Still, many of them showed great

interest and would like to attend a youth

exchange in the future. RYCO's cooperation

with schools can play a significant role here in

reaching first time participants and allaying the

fears and worries of both parents and youths.

36

RYCO: As you previously stated, the past

always plays a role when young people from the

Western Balkans meet. How do participants

deal with this 'elephant in the room'?

Professor Gries: We found that some young

people avoid talking about the region's

historical heritage in order to evade conflict with

their new peers. The wars of the 1990s are a

particularly sensitive subject here. Nevertheless,

there are also young people who

choose to participate in a youth exchange

precisely because they want to face potentially

difficult conversations about history. Interestingly,

we found this happens whether a

programme directly addresses the past or not.

RYCO: How can RYCO youth exchange

projects contribute to this important topic of

dealing with the past?

Professor Gries: When trainers and organisers

choose to focus on dealing with the past, young

people learn and reflect extensively about the

history of their region. They might visit

museums or memorials, watch and discuss

documentaries or meet contemporar y

witnesses of the wars linked to the break-up of

Yugoslavia and the political oppression under

socialism. However, young people also share

personal experiences and stories of the past

passed down in their families in projects with a

completely different focus. We found that

young people have great interest in hearing

other perspectives. They want to share the

'shared history' of their region.

Even though addressing the past is an

emotional and challenging process for them,

young people feel a certain responsibility to

remember the past and as a participant from

Niš pointed out in one of our interviews "not to

continue the hate and the wars but to make sure

it never happens again."

RYCO: There is a common heritage in the

region but there are also particularities in the

history of each society. Do RYCO youth

exchanges help address both of these aspects?

Professor Gries: Yes, RYCO youth exchange

projects allow for both. When young people

from former Yugoslavia meet, they might hear

different stories about the wars and conflicts

between 1991 and 2001. But the history of the

Western Balkans also includes Albania, which

has its own difficult past. In projects that bring

young people from Albania and their peers

from for mer Yugoslavia together the

participants learn about the history of the

'other' but also about their mutual histories and

cultural commonalities. These exchange

experiences lead to stronger connections and

better relations among young people from the

entire region.

RYCO: You also studied the role of project

trainers and organisers who are in direct contact

with the young people during an exchange. Why

was this important to you?

Professor Gries: How young people experience

a youth exchange is strongly shaped by

the teams of trainers and organisers

implementing it. They act as mediators at

different levels – between young people,

between RYCO and project participants and

between society and the participants. Since

they are so influential to young people, we

wanted to listen to their life stories as well. We

found that trainers' and organisers' motivations

and goals are very much aligned with RYCO's

mission, making them important partners on

the ground.

RYCO: As an expert in European Studies, how

do you see the role of the youth of the Western

Balkans when it comes to Europe?

Professor Gries: Young people are essential for

the future development of the 'European' in this

region. They face crucial challenges to convey

their post Yugoslavian and post socialist

societies to Europe and to convey 'Europe' to

their home region. This will not be an easy task

in times like these, when the core values of the

European Community – human rights, civil

liberties and the rule of law – are tested and

questioned both within and outside the EU.

37

RYCO: Finally, what are the obstacles young

people in the Western Balkans face and what

are their potentials?

Professor Gries: Young people in the region

share a number of issues, among them high

youth unemployment and weak political

representation. They have to deal with inherited

notions of the past that are often divisive and

ongoing conflicts with their neighbours in the

present. Yet we found that despite these

difficulties many young people look into the

future with hope and are motivated to improve

their societies. A participant from Sarajevo told

us, "Young people can change things. There is

hate everywhere, but I think there's more peace

than hate." This should leave us hopeful as well.

Franz Vranitzky Chair for European Studies

Named after the former Austrian Chancellor, the Franz Vranitzky Chair for

European Studies (FVC) at the University of Vienna was first launched in 2008.

This transdisciplinary professorship is anchored at the Faculty of Historical and

Cultural Studies and the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Vienna and

works in close cooperation with the Faculty of Psychology at the Sigmund Freud

University in Vienna, Berlin and Paris. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Rainer Gries is the Director

of the FVC, which integrates methodologies of historical studies and social

sciences with psychological and psychoanalytical approaches. The FVC team

cooperates with researchers all over Europe, in particular with those in Central

and Southeast Europe, making their academic expertise available to political

institutions and civil society organisations.

Recent research projects:

Generation In-Between: The Children of the Balkan Wars

'Gefühlserbschaften' – Transgenerational Transmittance: From the Occupation

Children to the Occupation Grandchildren

Through 'Autocracy' to Democracy? The United Nations High Representative

for Bosnia and Herzegovina (Wolfgang Petritsch)

Biographical Experience in Rural Territories in Austria, Germany and in Southeast

Europe

Youth in the Balkans and their Cultures of Communication, Non-Communication,

and their Notions of Reconciliation

Their latest research project 'Youth in the Balkans and their Cultures of

Communication, Non-Communication, and their Notions of Reconciliation' –

presented in this publication – was conducted over the period from 2018 to 2020 at

the University of Vienna and was supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für

Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal

Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

https://franzvranitzkychair.univie.ac.at/

38

youth


Balkan Youth

on the move

From shared History to shared

Emotions: About participants of

RYCO funded youth exchanges

The big budget friendly and modern hotel in

Sarajevo hums like a beehive on this sunny

afternoon in early spring 2018. About 30

teenagers run up and down stairs, open room

doors and call out names. Some of them

travelled in groups, thus knowing each other,

but all of them are curious to meet new people.

They are ready to begin their youth exchange

experience having just arrived from different

places in the Western Balkans. For the next few

days, they will be a part of a RYCO funded

youth exchange programme organised and

held in cooperation with three CSOs from the

region and focused on dealing with the past.

The CSO workers, all young people in their

twenties or thirties, are well prepared to work

with them during the course of the programme.

At this youth exchange, the young people will

attend human rights and peace building workshops.

They will have all their meals together

and share rooms as well as experiences both

within and beyond the official programmes with

their peers. They will debate and work on

projects and attend workshops but also go out

together and have fun, maybe even attempt to

be buskers in the streets of Sarajevo.

But why are they all here?

Travelling to a RYCO youth exchange is exciting

39

Discovering their

Commonalities and Differences

The motives for attending a youth exchange are

manifold, as our research shows. Some

participants see it as a good opportunity for an

adventure, to travel and have fun and to meet

new people from the Western Balkans whereas

others want to change the world and learn more

about the presented topics such as human

rights and peace building.

In line with the topics of the researched youth

exchanges, we also found motives connected

to the history of the region. Participants are

interested in the recent and more distant past.

"Not repeating mistakes" was one explanation

given for their interest in RYCO funded

exchange programmes.

The participants from Albania, Bosnia and

Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North

Macedonia, and Serbia find themselves growing

up in post-conflict societies dealing with the

misdoings committed in a shared and belligerent

past and its continued impact on the

present. In this sense, 'shared' has a twofold

meaning in that it refers to the socialist past as

well as the war driven and violent past of the

region. Namely, to a common heritage that also

entails the rivalries and the separated communities

within it. The participants are eager to find

out both what they have in common and what

separates them. Their similar and at the same

time very different perspectives on their shared

past are loaded with emotions that they cannot

yet explain. Amira, an 18-year-old participant

from Montenegro, underlined the influence of

the past being felt in the present, "We are still

under reconstruction from the war that happened

in Yugoslavia and we still can feel it, we can

still feel it on ourselves what happened."

Although Amira is not her real name but a

pseudonym her story is true, just like the stories

of all of the participants mentioned in this text.

We changed all the names of the young people

whose stories we tell in our research in order to

protect their privacy.

Our findings show that other young people from

the region also share the same feelings that

Amira described, they can sense that

something happened in the past that led to the

current state in their societies. This gives the

term 'shared' a third meaning. The shared

history as well as the shared feelings serve as a

strong motivation to participate in regional

youth exchanges like the ones RYCO supports

because it gives them a unique opportunity to

find out more about their shared commonalities

with 'the other'.

According to Amira, this shared history and

heritage should be talked about and dealt with.

To communicate about the wars of the 1990s and

the breakup of Yugoslavia, the ethnic cleansing

and the forced migrations, the fight over territory

and cultural supremacy are what the participants

want to discuss at the youth exchanges.

“I think that connecting people from our

societies and actually talking about it and not

just pushing it in the back, and not ignoring that

it happened is preventing it from happening

again.” (Amira, after a workshop about identity

and narratives in Sarajevo.)

Youth exchanges allow young people to

participate actively in this discourse and to

form their own opinions, but they also extend

beyond this topic by branching out into related

experiences.

Connecting with 'the Other’

Linked to the motive of communication is the

curiosity among participants in regard to other

cultures. What unites them is their eagerness to

learn about people from other places, about

their cultures and to get to know their customs

as well as their thoughts and opinions. The

young people reported that they mainly want to

meet new people and gain new experiences,

which underlines their pronounced curiosity

about the near but at the same time distant

'neighbouring other'. As previously suggested,

the participants sense a barrier between

themselves and other (adversary) communities,

which they perceive to be a conseque-

40

nce of their shared history. As our research

shows, it comes as no surprise that curiosity on

the one hand and anxiety on the other accompanies

this interaction of peers from within the

region.

Filip, a 16-year-old participant from North

Macedonia, had gained some experience

abroad with his peers from other places in the

world and yet he was still curious about ‘the

others’ who live close to his home. Highlighting

his interest in the specific regional

perspective and experiences, Filip told us “I

heard that there were Bosnians here and I

know Bosnians but I don’t know about their

religion, their culture and I wanted to learn a

little bit more about them.” During the youth

exchange, the participants realised that ‘the

other’ does not necessarily meet their preconceived

expectations. The youth exchange

enabled the participants not only to cross

borders, in the literal sense, but also to break

down borders in their minds.

People from post-conflict societies tend to

think in an in-group and an out-group or ‘us’

versus ‘them’ framework. Yet contact between

the in-group and the out-group is believed to

play an important role in the reduction of

prejudice and the development of positive

social attitudes toward ‘the other’ and thus

contributes to the process of reconciliation.

Yet the first contact can bring with it distrust

and even sometimes hostility toward ‘the

other’ and therefore the effects of intergroup

contact are not always straightforward or

necessarily positive. Important findings by the

renowned American psychologist Gordon

Allport show that intergroup contact reduces

prejudice if certain criteria are ensured,

namely institutional support is provided and

both groups have equal status and equal

goals and the members of the different

g r o u p s c o o p e r a t e w i t h e a c h o t h e r.

Accordingly, youth exchanges where young

people come together within the context of a

guided framework provide an excellent

Young people during a workshop at a RYCO youth exchange

41

opportunity and allow the benefits of intergroup

contact to happen. During this exchange,

young people find similarities with their

peers and begin to share emotions and to

build trust.

“We can cooperate with each other. We can

understand each other well, because we are all

the same. It's not like we are so much different.

We were part of one country, once upon a

time.” (20-year-old Besime from Kosovo took

part in a programme focused on intercultural

exchange, where the participants learned

about each other’s languages, food and

cultural traditions.)

Youth exchanges where young people from

different places come together and collaborate

with each other, especially in the context of postconflict

societies, which are characterised by

distrust toward ‘the other’, represent a powerful

tool for steering and fostering greater connections

and commonality among the younger

generation. Our results suggest that young

people view their experience of youth exchanges

as a good opportunity for building

bridges and for leaving stereotypes and barriers

behind. They experience themselves belonging

to the same group as other peers from the

region, not only sharing experiences and life

circumstances, but possibly their opinions,

attitudes, and emotions. This fosters a sense of

community, and creates a common frame of

identification, which is believed to reduce bias

towards 'the other', thus stimulating the process

of reconciliation. In the best case, a youth

exchange programme can become the first step

towards a long-lasting friendship.

Hoping for a better Future

In addition to the previously described social

effects and intercultural benefits that youth

exchanges offer, they also spark curiosity in

political and societal topics and could inspire

further participation in exchanges at the local or

international level. Some of the interviewed

participants saw youth exchange programmes

as their first step toward civic engagement,

while others stated that their motivation was to

be able to contribute to the improvement of the

Western Balkans.

According to representative studies from

Southeast Europe, political matters are of little to

no interest to young people. This might be a

repercussion of their not being represented in

the political systems in their societies. Their level

Having a meal together brings young people closer to each other

42

A Sense of Community:

“I just felt so at home at that

place and with those people.”

We see a three-step process:

1

While participating in the project, young

people have real contact with each other

and experience a sense of community.

The concept of Sense of Community is defined

as “a feeling that members have of belonging, a

feeling that members matter to one another and

to the group, and a shared faith that members’

needs will be met through their commitment to

be together.” The theoretical framework of the

Sense of Community was first introduced in 1986

by United States community psychologists David

McMillan and David Chavis and was revised by

McMillan in 1996.

The basic foundation for developing a sense of

community is the experience of shared

emotional connections in time and space. To

have this experience, the members of a

community must get in contact with one

another. RYCO’s youth exchange projects

enable these contacts and provide a safe

space in which to develop a sense of

community.

The process starts at the youth exchange

project but it does not end there. It goes on after

the end of the project and ideally leads to the

development of a sense of community among

youth in the region.

Real

Young people

experience a sense

of community at

RYCO projects

2

Young people

feel connected

to their peers

"We have the

same problems."

Feeling connected

3

Both during and after the project, young

people feel connected to their peers.

They express themselves through

phrases such as ‘we have the same

problems’ and ‘we speak the same

language’.

When they return home these young

people take this experience and build

their own real communities with likeminded

peers in their hometowns or, with

the help of social media, they stay connected

to other participants who have

become friends.

A better region starts with trusting each other.

When young people in the Western Balkans see

and feel themselves as part of a community

then they can develop trust. Trust then leads to

the cooperation, support and understanding

needed to create a better region.

RYCO funded youth exchanges have the

potential to initiate the development of a sense

of community among the participants and thus

contribute toward improved cooperation in the

region.

again

Real

Young people

biuld ther own

communities

e.g. via

social media

RYCO youth exchange projects are a starting point for developing a sense of community

among the youth of the Western Balkans.

43

It's all about the region, its people, places, cultures and

religions and about personal growth.

Participants' voices in numbers

In July and August 2020, a survey was sent out to the participants of 13 youth exchanges that were

part of RYCO’s Second Open Call for Project Proposals. Of those who participated in the survey in

Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia, 129 young

people told us their opinions about RYCO funded youth exchange programmes and their motivation

for participating as well as how they perceive themselves and the region in which they live.

The survey contained questions on how much they agreed with the statements about themselves

and the other participants, and about their attitudes and interests. For many young people, the

youth exchange they participated in fostered their personal development, encouraged them to

reflect on current and past issues/topics and helped them to discover commonalities with other

peers from within the region.

Over 90 per cent of the young people responded that their curiosity about other places, cultures

and religions in the Western Balkans had been sparked and almost 7 out of 10 agreed that their

experience on the RYCO funded youth exchange was life changing.

I realised I have many things in common with other young people

from the Western Balkans

I now have more interest in getting to know other places

and cultures in the Western Balkans

I have become more self-confident towards meeting peers

from different parts of the Western Balkans

Participants of other nationalities also became people I can trust

I will contribute my ideas about how to improve life in the Balkans

I have matured personally

Now I would like to know more about the history of the Balkans

I have reflected on my prejudices

This exchange has sparked my interest in other religions

I have become more independent concerning travelling

During this exchange, I thought about the conflicts

in the Western Balkans

I can handle conflicts better now

I feel more self-confident in making my voice heard

This experience changed my life

I have reflected on where I belong

strongly agree agree disagree strongly disagree no answer

Online survey among participants of 13 youth exchanges of RYCO's second open call.

n = 129 participants.

Q: A few questions on yourself after having participated in the youth exchange programme.

How strongly do you agree or disagree?

44

of dissatisfaction ranged from 46-65 per cent

amongst 14 to 29 year olds (Friedrich-Ebert-

Stiftung, 2019). Our data confirms that the

majority of young people are not interested in

politics, which is reflected in their scepticism

and lack of trust in politics and politicians. Yet

labelling the younger generation as apolitical

might however be short sighted. They are

disappointed with their political systems and

political representatives and this is reflected in

the negative connotations that they attach to any

form of political engagement. However, our

evidence suggests that young people do

perceive political and societal issues such as

corruption, social injustice and poverty as

concerning and they see a need for action. This

leads to the question of how young people can

become active in their societies.

Our results as well as those of other surveys

conducted in Southeast Europe show that youth

exchanges increase civic and political

engagement but that only a minority of young

people from the Western Balkans have experienced

an international exchange. Providing

young people with the oppor tunity to

participate in such an exchange can be the first

important step toward fostering a more

engaged younger generation and can be a

powerful tool for shaping their political

awareness, promoting civic engagement and

for fostering democratic processes in the

region. Youth exchanges allow young people to

share their experiences and their shared

history, as well as to build bridges based on

their shared aspirations to improve the Western

Balkans, which in turn intensifies their hope for

the future.

Milan, an 18-year-old from Serbia who took part

in a RYCO funded exchange programme,

reported this urge to take action.

“We felt hope and the motivation to go outside

in the world and to build peace, to promote

peace.” (Milan)

Hope, as mentioned by Milan, is not only a

driving force for future engagement but also

plays a crucial role in the process of

reconciliation. According to researchers from

the universities of Sarajevo, Stanford and

Herzliya, negative emotions such as anger, fear

and mistrust must be transformed and

Young people during a workshop at a RYCO youth exchange

45

processed so that more hopeful and empathic

perspectives toward ‘the other’ can be adopted.

Youth exchange can foster selfempowerment

and hope and can initiate youth engagement

and the promotion of reconciliation in the

societies of the Western Balkans. Milan told us

that, “It was for me also a first step into the peace

world and volunteering and everything.”

According to our results, participants of youth

exchanges see themselves as capable of

promoting change and want to contribute to the

betterment of societies in the region. In fact,

our results reveal that the participants of youth

exchanges discover that they have common

challenges and aspirations as well as similar

hopes for the future.

Sharing a sense of gaining

‘more than expected’

It was Milan’s first time participating in a youth

exchange. He was a bit worried about meeting

new people and if they would accept him, but

other than that, his expectations were to learn

something new and have fun. Šejla, on the

other hand, came without any concrete

expectations and was not sure about her own

motivation. It was also her first youth exchange.

After a few days, she was surprised at how

meaningful this experience was for her.

“I didn't know at the beginning when I came

here why I came, but I know now. I came here to

make some experience, to meet new people.

Everything I will say you know, but now from this

perspective it’s just a life-changing experience.”

(Said 19-year old Šejla from Sarajevo

after an acting lesson held in Central Serbia.

She attended a programme in which the

participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina,

North Macedonia and Serbia discussed and

acted out scenes on human rights issues,

focusing on women’s and LGBT+ rights.)

Both Šejla and Milan immersed themselves into

the programme, attending workshops,

participating in discussions and connecting

with their peers. What they experienced

exceeded their expectations, because not only

did they learn something new and have fun but

they also built connections and reflected on

meaningful topics. The participants stated that

they had acquired new skills like how to express

your opinion in public and conflict management

during their youth exchange. They described

themselves as becoming more extroverted,

open-minded and self-confident after participating

in these exercises. The manifold

activities in youth exchanges can hence mark

important events in a young person’s personal

development and boost developmental

processes that convert them into truly life

changing experiences.

Milan described how participants not only

learned about the content of the workshops

held as part of the youth exchange but also

used every opportunity outside of the official

programme to connect with others, to enjoy

themselves and to share their experiences. This

direct interaction gave them an extensive thirst

for and experiences with young people from

different cultures and religions. Milan concluded,

“The group came together, we could feel

each other’s emotions and we can be emphatic

to each other about what happened in the past

and we came together as a group.”

Milan highlighted another important factor of

intergroup contact, which is the expression of

empathy toward ‘the others’ through the sharing

of emotions. Linked by a shared history, the

participants returned home with shared emotions

such as trust and empathy that were prompted

during Šejla’s and Milan’s youth exchange.

To sum up our investigation, intergroup contact

forms positive intra- and intergroup attitudes

thereby shaping the notion of ‘the other’ not

only as an individual but also at the societal

level. This appraisal process was accompanied

by emotions which were experienced at

the group level, and that resulted in a change of

attitudes. This acceptance, as well as a felt

need for action could have an impact on the

reconciliation process.

46

A souvenir shop in Sarajevo

Darija's story

:

There was this really cool souvenir shop that sold

handmade goods and the vendor was this woman and she

was a muslim, I think. I said to her: “Oh my god, your work

is so pretty, I really like it!” And she said: “Oh my god, you

are so nice. You're not from here, right?” I said: “No, I'm

not. I come from Serbia.” Then she said: “Oh you're such a

sweet child.” I bought a magnet and she gave me a gift and

we hugged. We talked a little more and I was so surprised,

because I met her for the first time. We are on different

sides and we got along so well. That was really a big

moment for me.

(Darija, participant of a RYCO funded

youth exchange, explored the old town of Sarajevo.)

47

youth


You(th) spread the News

Milan attended his first youth exchange

programme in the spring of 2018. Milan is not

his real name but he is a real person who shared

his story. He enjoyed his stay in Sarajevo, where

he immersed himself in the topic of dealing with

the past and made new friends. He did not get

much sleep during this time.

Saying goodbye on the last day was very

emotional, with plenty of hugs and tears. The

young people promised each other that they

would stay in touch via Instagram and that they

would meet-up again, perhaps through

another youth exchange.

The project did not end on that day

for Milan

After a long and exhausting trip back home to a

small town in Northern Serbia, the following day

he went to ‘his’ local youth centre to talk about

what had happened at the meeting in Sarajevo.

Guided by a local youth worker, he took the

chance to reflect on his experiences with the

other participants from his town.

Milan did not want to stop there, because he felt

the need to pass on what he had experienced and

learned. Together with a youth worker, he

developed a peer-to-peer workshop for his school.

At home, even though he knew they would not

agree with him on certain issues he talked to his

parents. It was still interesting for him to engage

in these conversations.

He also spoke to his friends and enjoyed the

discussions with those who were interested.

Milan was a very engaged participant and

successful multiplier, holding more than twenty

workshops at his school.

Obviously, this was not the case with all of the

par ticipants. However, many talked to

someone, be it their parents, grandparents,

teachers, classmates, siblings or friends. They

shared their experiences with sports team

members and through online networks. Some

like 19-year-old Šejla from Sarajevo spoke

within their religious communities, which in

Šejla’s case involved speaking to people at her

local mosque.

Everyone gets to hear a specific story

Our research shows that young people are

careful about with w hom they share

information. Parents are often the first contact

the young people have after participating in a

project. The information they offer varies from a

report on the weather, the food or the hotel to

descriptions of what happened at the seminar

to profound discussions about the topics they

discussed during the youth exchange.

Milan’s new friend Luka, a 19-year old

participant, told us why he would like to speak

about his youth exchange experience with his

grandparents. “I like to talk to them because

they are old people, but I don't see that as a bad

thing. They lived their lives in other eras and

experienced many things and I think they will

enjoy hearing another story.” He expects a

fruitful, intergenerational dialogue with his

grandparents, bringing in their life experiences

and his contribution of new information and the

different perspectives he encountered.

Other participants described their grandparents

as ‘close minded’ and unwilling to participate

in complex or difficult topics. The same

was true of some classmates or friends. In order

to avoid conflict, some participants might decide

48

Peer exchange during a RYCO supported project

to limit their discussions to ‘like-minded’ friends

whereas other participants will feel that it is their

duty to talk to everyone in their surroundings.

Participants are credible

testimonials and multipliers

By sharing their stories about their youth

exchange experiences the participants ensure

that the impact of the project extends far

beyond its original interactions.

The participants talk about peace, intercultural

dialogue, human rights and all of the other

topics addressed at the many different youth

exchanges funded by RYCO. They talk about

what they have in common with their peers in

the Western Balkans as well as their fears and

their hopes for their future. They also talk about

their new friends from Albania, Bosnia and

Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North

Macedonia and Serbia.

They are multipliers because they report first

hand experiences and this creates trust. Not

everyone they talk to will agree with them or will

change their minds because of what they say

but the participants’ stories serve as ‘food for

thought’ for their listeners.

Participants also are credible testimonials that

evoke interest among their peers and motivate

them to participate in the dialogue.

The additional value of post

project dialogue

Telling others about personal experiences

makes you rethink, reframe and adapt what

you have learned to cater to different

audiences. Additionally, participants may

have to handle negative reactions of

disinterest and confrontational feedback.

Therefore, engaging in these conversations

contributes to the participants' personal

development.

49

Trainers and Organisers share their

experiences

Working on youth exchange projects can be

challenging, wonderful and overwhelming at

the same time. The trainers and organisers can

create new experiences through the many

stories they share. Like the participants, they

too are multipliers through their personal

networks. Their families and friends will hear

about their stories and the content of the

seminar as well as about the time spent with

participants from all over the region.

Trainers and organisers also talk to colleagues

and their broader professional networks about

their work and thus spread the news about

RYCO funded youth exchanges. In this sense,

they are effective multipliers in both their private

and professional lives.

film screenings and sports events and so on. In

so doing, youth exchanges will have an impact

that goes far beyond those directly involved.

Michaela Griesbeck

is a communication scientist and expert in

youth studies and intercultural

communication. She researches and teaches

at the University of Vienna.

Aisha Futura Tüchler

is a cognitive scientist with a solid

background in psychology and linguistics.

She is a researcher and lecturer at the

Sigmund Freud University of Vienna.

Ripple effects are the reason why the

effect of Youth Exchanges extend

beyond the direct participants

In their study ‘Ripple Effects and Peacebuilding

in Exchange Programs’ the American scientists

Julie and Douglas Olberding show that youth

exchange projects have the potential to impact

others beyond the direct organisers and

participants through a ‘ripple effect’.

Interaction with visitors from the region who

take part in an exchange programme affects

people not considered initially such as hotel or

restaurant staff and potentially the entire

community of the host location.

These interactions might happen by chance,

when the participants explore the host town

and interact with vendors, when the hotel staff

supports the preparation of the seminar setting

or when the local doctor has to be consulted for

medical advice. The organisers can also

consciously enable these meaningful

interactions with locals as part of their youth

exchange project by organising public opening

and closing ceremonies and by inviting the

local community to the theatre performances,

During the course of the research interviews,

the young people drew pictures about whom

they plan to talk to about their exchange experiences.

They had many dialogue partner in

mind, as can be seen in the these examples.

50

Family

Peer

group

Family

Friends

Colleagues

Organisers

Participants

Class

mates

RYCO

Youth Exchange

Teachers

Local

population

of host city

Hotel and

restaurant

staff

Potential multiplying effects of RYCO youth exchange projects

Who got to hear the participant’s stories?

Q: After your returned from the youth exchange, with whom did you talk about your experiences?

(Multiple Choice) n=129 respondents.

Family and friends: 84 per cent of the respondents said that they talked about their experiences

with their parents and with close friends (84%), while siblings (52%) and grandparents (36%) were

also important communication partners.

The results show that school is an important place for communicative exchange concerning youth

exchanges: 65 per cent talked to classmates and fellow pupils/students and 57 per cent to

teachers or professors.

Percentage of respondents

Parents 84%

Close friends 84%

Classmates/fellow students 65%

Teachers/professors 57%

Siblings 52%

Grandparents 36%

Online community 16%

Strangers 10%

51

youth


What Youth Say

Since the beginning, RYCO has actively supported projects that bring the youth of the Western

Balkans together through traveling, sport and cultural activities and by meeting new people and

learning about each other and many more. Organised by secondary schools and civil society

organisations, these activities connect, engage and empower youth. Here we present to you the

impressions and memories of participants from various activities held all across the region.

During the youth exchange, I got to know and improve myself,

socialise, make new friends and learn about their cultures.

There were a lot of moments where each of us expressed our

feelings and true emotions. The thing I appreciated the most

was that all of us were aware of everyone’s feelings. I think

intercultural exchanges enable people to open up and talk

about prejudices, taboos and stereotypes that often worry

them, as we started getting closer to having connections built

upon trust.

Lea Kokeri

Tirana, Albania

During the training I was convinced that people in the region of

the Western Balkans, in addition to the similarities in culture and

the way of thinking, have also similar and common challenges.

The latter made me realise that you cannot actually find separate

solutions. Everyone in the region, especially youth, must

cooperate to tackle these challenges together.

Melitjan Nezaj

Tropojë, Albania

My relationship with the friends I made during the activities

taught me that regardless of the differences and existing

divisions, we are all the same and that we should not hesitate to

say our true opinion because real friends understand.

Muhamed Jusupović,

Ilijaš, Bosnia and Herzegovina

52

My favourite memory from the trip would be the first coffee that

we had with the participants, during which we shared so many

ideas, stories, anecdotes and experiences. Because of this, the

first coffee lasted several hours and we were not even aware of

the time passing. What I have gained through working on such

projects and what I carry with me are the values that I want to

continue to nurture and to share with everyone in the region.

Ajla Tihić

Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina

At the beginning, we were all a little nervous because we were visiting a

new and unknown place but something that helped us was

communicating with the friends and supervisors. Their presence

created a very loving and safe environment for everyone as we started

to tell different stories about ourselves and share different experiences

related to the topics that we were discussing. It was one of the best

experiences I have ever had.

Deniza Bujupaj

Pristina, Kosovo

This experience has changed my view on some places in the region that

I did not know much about before. There were no barriers to interacting

and I felt like the moment the language barrier was taken care of we all

started learning new things about each other. There was nothing

standing in the way of new friendships. Intercultural exchanges give

everyone the freedom to speak their mind and really learn a lot about

each other.

Jora Shala

Pristina, Kosovo

I have learned that I am much more capable and resilient than I

thought before and that I can approach and communicate with

different people. I think that breaking taboos and divisions in the

region can be successfully achieved by giving people the space

to talk about their experiences in front of the group freely,

because that is the way to avoid direct pressure from individuals

who have prejudices.

Participant from Montenegro

who preferred to remain anonymous

because of transgender identity

53

Every time before meeting someone from another country I

think that they will have some kind of prejudice towards me. I

believe I speak for a lot of people when I say that. But during my

participation in the project, everyone talked about stereotypes

and prejudices that come in their way when meeting people

from different places. That was one of the reasons we became

really close. I believe that the youth in the Western Balkan

region are really nice and friendly.

Gordana Petkovska

Skopje, North Macedonia

For the first time I have listened and learned about the past in

the region. Regarding the cultures, I think that we are very

similar in food, music, future and I believe we are the same no

matter where we come from. During the activities, we had to do

the role-play where we were put in very different roles. I

realised that many of us are not even aware of the stereotypes

and prejudices we carry. It was an awakening session and

made me think a lot about me, my life and the other people

around me.

Bojan Gjoshev

Skopje, North Macedonia

I was insecure and I know that other young people feel the

same way when meeting new people. With joint work and

spending time together, we relax and ‘squares of friendship’

start building up. These kinds of activities ensure exchanges

of our own experiences. For us, young Roma men and women,

it is of great importance because they encourage us to help

each other tackle the challenges of our daily lives. There

should be more exchanges and more often, especially for us

young people who come from vulnerable groups of society.

Andrijana Mikulović

Aleksinac, Serbia

Prior to the project and at its very beginning, I was slightly

insecure because of the inner conflict, “Will I succeed to adapt

to the new surroundings?” Meeting other cultures for me earlier

would mean a challenge, but now I crave a lot for similar

projects and activities. Thanks to this experience, I am

convinced that every cultural exchange contributes to the

creation of constructive dialogue without prejudices.

54

Marko Gajić

Belgrade, Serbia

youth

RYCO – A Valuable Contributor to


a New Culture of Remembrance?

Young people from RYCO’s Contracting Parties

(Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo,

Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia,

presented as the Western Balkans) use

narratives of the wars and of the socialist past

to form a collective memory of their own

generation. The analysis of the interviews

conducted with regionally mixed participants

of RYCO funded exchange projects and their

peers who have not yet attended such a

programme provides a valuable insight into

their remembrance strategies.

The past as an integral part

of the present

Given that reconciliation and cooperation

between youth in the Western Balkans is the

central goal of RYCO, the past is seen as an

integral part of the present and therefore it is

important to pose certain questions: When do the

young people start to ask about the past? When

do they become aware of ‘the other’? When do

they ask about minorities or different ethnic or

religious groups in their neighbourhood? Young

people in the Western Balkans often mature in a

mono-ethnic community, especially those born

during or right after the Yugoslav wars.

Jovana was a child during the Yugoslav wars in

the 1990s. She spent her entire childhood in a

small town in the southern part of Serbia and

only visited neighbouring towns. She said that it

was only after she turned 18 and started to

study in Belgrade that she had her first contact

with Croats from Serbia. Jovana stressed, “This

was too late.” Young people from other parts of

former Yugoslavia had similar experiences and

reactions to Jovana. Amira, a young woman

from Bar (Montenegro), told us that,

“In Montenegro, Muslims are the minority and

I am a Muslim. I didn’t even see the difference

between Muslims and Christians. I didn’t

even think about that until I went to

secondary school and then I started to notice

these differences. Some teachers would

favour non-Muslim students, you would hear

mean comments from your classmates and

this is still going on even though it should

have stayed in the 90s.”

At this late moment, the young people from

former Yugoslavia have begun to realise how

strong an impact the wars have on their

communities and the relations between them.

Some inherited the narratives of victims or

heroes, but others have started to realise that

reconciliation is needed in their post-war or

post-conflict societies.

The legacy of the dictatorship of Enver Hoxha

continues to influence Albanian society, where

it remains very difficult to talk about their violent

past openly and critically. Afërdita from

Shkodra, who organised a RYCO youth

exchange, compared Albania and the post-

Yugoslav space,

“We both have a difficult past and we share the

need to deal with its consequences. We have

similar current challenges and many of them

are rooted in the legacies of the past. We have

common future aspirations. All this connects us

even more, as young people and as societies.”

55

In this context, young people in Albania are

also discovering this history step by step and

are developing approaches to deal with it when

talking with their parents, friends and others.

According to our research, it seems that young

people of the Western Balkans share common

fears and hopes when it comes to the idea of

reconciliation. All of them know something

about the recent violent past and they are

beginning to piece these facts, stories,

emotions and opinions together during their

adolescent years.

Family Memories and Remembrance:

“We don’t hate”

This brings us to the importance of family

memories, which develop within the frame of

the wider culture of remembrance but which

can also differ from the general collective

memory. Every community has its own

collective memory and yet neither the one nor

the other is monolithic. Nevertheless, within

these frameworks there are dominant

narratives of the past that are stored and

transmitted. These narratives tell us something

about why ‘we’ are bound in a community and

why ‘others’ are not part of it. They can tell us

that we are victims, while the other side is guilty,

evil and untrustworthy. They can explain the

world and they have the power to organise it, to

influence our way of thinking about it and our

actions toward it. They can have an integrating

or an emancipating effect but they can also

have a destructive effect. Therefore, it is of

great importance to know and to understand

the dominant collective memories in the

Western Balkans.

These culturally transmitted narratives also

form the collective memory of young people

today and hence their basic knowledge of the

history of their community lies in them.

However, these narratives of the wars or of ‘the

other’ do not provide a satisfactory explanation

of the situation before and in the aftermath of

these conflicts. They do not help young people

to understand why these wars happened and

why they have to resolve problems between

their community and ‘the other’.

The young people we spoke with often

recounted some stories that their parents or

grandparents had shared with them and it

became clear how strongly these stories

affected them. Sometimes they perceived their

relatives as war heroes or survivors, which

made it quite impossible for them to challenge

their family’s narrative. In relation to these

narratives about ‘the other’, the young people

from different parts of the Western Balkans

with whom we spoke were aware of the

existing conflicts but did not apply it to

themselves.

Elma, a young woman from Visoko, told us, “I

was never taught to hate. I can say I don’t

hate anybody. I live in this pretty messed up

place within this context where everybody

kind of hates everybody. Nobody knows

why, somebody just taught you that you

should do it.”

The young people we interviewed frequently

used the verb ‘to hate’. Hate is obviously a

criterion in the societies in which these young

people live, no matter which part of the

Western Balkans. Many young people share

the perception that ‘the others’ hate them and

at the same time they are convinced that they

do not hate anyone.

Books and articles sometimes present ‘ethnic

hatred’ as the main cause of wars, but the

younger generation denies this tendency as

does the recent scientific literature. Many

young people do not understand the origins of

the hatred that is present or why they should

have to hate people from other ethnic groups or

religions. Generally, they attribute responsibility

for everything that has happened since

the 1990s to the politicians. Yet although they

believe that ethnic hatred is too simple an

excuse they lack another explanation, which

leaves them feeling uncertain about the

reasons for the wars and crimes that took place

in the Western Balkans during the recent past.

56

Communication and

Non-Communication – We just want

'civilised conversations’

The young people have developed a remarkable

ability to communicate and share

sensitive topics such as the wars and conflicts

that occurred between 1991 and 2001 and the

responsibilities of their own community toward

‘the other’. No matter where they come from

within the Western Balkans, the young people

have a similar approach when reacting to

everyday situations where they are confronted

by the impact of past and how it effects the

present.

The young people have a system of

communication and non-communication that

allows them to talk and chat with family

members who have different opinions and with

members of ‘the other’ who have a similar

longing for a better future in this contested

space. In debates, the young people defend

their narratives but are always open to the

possibility of changing or adding to their

perspective. They started to have new

encounters and this system of communication

and non-communication improved over time

allowing them to find common ground in order

to avoid misunderstandings. The young people

continuously amend their nar ratives,

especially when they are confronted with new

pieces of this never-ending puzzle and when

they exchange their experiences with their

peers from within the Western Balkans.

This appears, for example, in Bekim’s story, a

young man from Pristina. He told us that the

situation during the 1990s was “really bad and

strange” and how engrained is his experience

as a member of a minority who remembers

“that kind of segregation.” After meeting his

peers and hearing their stories Bekim

considered himself “lucky” compared to those

who went through even worse experiences.

This is typically seen at exchange events, like

those supported by RYCO, and constitutes a

constant reframing of the narratives that

transmit stories from the past.

As Admir, a participant from Bosnia and

Herzegovina, put it, “I just want to hear other

opinions about all of it, like what they think

about the war, what was their perception of it,

how did they look at the others? I mean the

thing here, generally in the Balkans, is that

we just try to avoid that part because

everybody thinks they will fight about it. That

is why we fight about it. Nobody wants to

realistically talk about this and so every time

it is talked about it is usually a commemoration

about something. Then, of course,

you’re discussing about this genocide, this

bombing, this killing and it makes everybody

look bad. And they all take sides and then

nobody can realistically have an opinion

about it.”

All things considered, the young people

s h o w e d a c o m p l ex c o n s t r u c t i o n o f

remembrance strategies built on the collective

memory of their society or community and

transmitted by their families. They amend them

into a system of communication and noncommunication

in order to talk about difficult

topics such as the wars, the ethnic issues and

the current problems arising from the past.

They consistently developed it by exchanging

narratives.

Elisaveta, from North Macedonia, who

shared her experiences from one of the

RYCO funded exchange projects with us

pointed out, “At the project, the trainers

brought up really interesting topics that are

good for every one of us to know, to discuss

them, to create meaning for them. We were

talking about some basic things like gender,

discrimination, everything that we are facing

every day. It’s good that we have a chance to,

let’s say, work on it.”

RYCO funded youth exchange projects

provide specific opportunities for young

people to discover to explore and to negotiate

different and new perspectives of the past.

57

More generally, they offer a space that

otherwise would not exist in their societies

when it comes to dealing with the past.

A first step towards Reconciliation:

Empowering and connecting

young people

Today’s young people from the Western

Balkans are a smart and highly adaptable

generation. They know how to communicate

with their grandparents or parents, with

members of their community, with religious

representatives such as priests or imams and

with other persons about the past. Over the

years, these young people have created their

o w n n a r r a t i ve s a n d t h u s t h e i r o w n

remembrance culture. They have made the

past more comprehensible by assembling the

pieces of family memory, community memory

and of media channels.

At RYCO funded exchange programmes,

different narratives of the past are literally

assembled in one room. RYCO enables

impor tant communication as well as

confrontation in order to further the process of

reconciliation as well as the remembrance

culture of young people from Albania, Bosnia

and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia,

Montenegro, and Serbia.

On site at these exchange projects, we

witnessed young people not only questioning

their own narratives but also copying one

another’s strategies from their remembrance

culture. One has to acknowledge that for some

of the participants this was the first time that

they had heard the stories of ‘the other’ from

‘the other’.

In any event, the youth exchanges have the

potential to create a space in which a new

culture of remembrance can be developed

and discussed. Thus, they fulfil functions that

help stimulate the process of reconciliation

such as the empowerment of young people

and the organisation of a network that

connects the youth throughout the Western

Balkans.

Eva Tamara Asboth

is a historian and communication scientist.

She is a researcher and lecturer at the

University of Vienna and currently pursues a

research project in the field of Historical

Migration Studies.

58

youth


Programmatic

Excellence

When a group of nine enthusiasts (or RYCO

staff) met in July 2017 to start creating the first

RYCO Call for Project Proposals (or to start

designing programmatic instruments before

the programmatic framework was made) three

experts on the organisational development of

reconciliation focused organisations from the

PeaceNexus Foundation kept asking them why.

Many felt that asking about the purpose of

funding youth exchanges in the Western

Balkans was redundant, because they were

quite sure that by that time everybody engaged

in and with RYCO should have known the

answer. The process of setting the ground for

RYCO’s creation had already taken more than

two years and therefore many young people,

decision makers, experts and diplomats had in

one way or another reflected on the purpose of

RYCO. Then was not the time to pause to reflect

on the process but to design the first product

based on what we knew at that time. Yet the

experts did not stop until we had made it clear

whom we had in mind as our target groups and

what changes we wanted to achieve.

This is when we as a team started to create our

theory of change for youth and for the region,

but without a solid baseline study that could

help us to determine our starting point and

where we were heading. The team grew and

the first strategy was drafted in 2017 and 2018

in a consultative and evidence based manner.

Under the given circumstances, the evidence

base was limited to desk research using the

existing data regarding the RYCO priority

areas: youth mobility, exchange, participation

and ethnic distance. This was because

comprehensive research required considerable

and at that point unavailable funds,

human resources and time. Since the

imperative in the short-term was to provide

more opportunities for young people to meet

the Strategic Plan 2019-2021 was completed

without a proper baseline. A comprehensive

regional study on youth perceptions on peace

and security in the Western Balkans, implemented

with the support of the United Nations

Peacebuilding Fund (UNPBF), is rolling out as

I am writing and will be available to determine

the baseline values for the new strategy. Until

then, in order to do no harm and taking into

account and responding to our conflict

sensitive context we will continue to implement

different types of research aimed at ascertaining

what kind of youth programmes are

appealing to young people and how they

should be designed in order to have a positive

impact on their knowledge, values, attitudes

and culture of communication. The team from

the Franz Vranitzky Chair for European Studies

of the University of Vienna researched the

latter.

The most relevant actors in the region and

those engaged in the Berlin Process supported

RYCO as a political project. Several regional

projects were approved by and for RYCO. The

theory of change was becoming clearer and

was outlined in the Strategy, namely RYCO will

support youth engagement in bringing change

as well as civil society organisations and

schools that organise the process but also

those young people with fewest opportunities.

59

In order to achieve systemic change and to bring

the societies of the region closer, RYCO provides

young people with quality opportunities to

cooperate, exchange, learn and question their

worldviews and the inherited narratives. The

voluntary and professional workers who

accompany the young people in these

processes must ensure a safe learning

environment. Defining what a safe learning

environment looks like within our context and

keeping in mind diversity at the regional, national

and local/communal level in terms of ethnic,

religious, linguistic and cultural factors was done

thanks to monitoring visits to the RYCO local

branch offices and in a more

structured and focused manner

through a participatory

observation research project

that RYCO implemented in

2018. The latter was implemented

with the Crossborder

Factory and the Franco-

German Youth Office, with the

suppor t of the Ger man

Ministry of Foreign Affairs. An

interdisciplinary research

team composed of six

persons visited four projects

implemented through our first

grant scheme. They spent a

couple of days at a youth

exchange, observed the activities, held informal

conversations and interviews with the organisers

and the participants of the selected projects and

reported on how the topics of ‘remembrance’

and ‘reconciliation’ were tackled. As a result,

some of our initial hypotheses were confirmed

and some new questions arose. I will mention

only a few critical points specific to the youth

exchanges that arose through the research and

that required a sensitive approach, knowledge

and skills. When tackling a topic linked to the

past, how do you react to the emotions

expressed by the participants? How do you link

personal experiences to the collective

history/memory? How do you deal with traumatic

experiences related to war to which young

people are exposed through their family, society,

etc., even though they were born after the wars?

The purpose of this and other research

projects and the monitoring activities that we

have been implementing was and is to allow us

to avoid replication of the common ways of

granting and supporting the sector and instead

to question them and to open up new

perspectives. We ask young people about their

experiences during youth exchanges in order

to tailor our grant schemes to the needs of our

beneficiaries as well as to develop training and

educational tools that will serve to empower

project implementers to take a constructive

and sensitive approach to topics such as

history, memory, identity and culture.

Efforts in this regard have been

taking place since 2017 at the

level of the RYCO Contracting

Parties and since 2018 at the

regional level through several

trainings for our potential and

confirmed beneficiaries. These

were possible thanks to the

OSCE missions across the

region. In 2020, on the basis of

the experience and data

gathered over the past three

years and in partnership with

UNICEF and UNFPA Albania

and with the support of the

United Nations Peacebuilding

Fund, new educational resources were created

that will bring more quality and a unified

approach to the region when youth training

activists at the grassroots level, secondary

school teachers and other youth workers

implement their activities.

Capacity building and research imply

intertwined actions such as understanding,

creating, delivering, observing, reflecting,

learning, supporting, synchronising, correcting,

redesigning, keeping and dropping.

They are part of a lengthy process that is

fundamental to the aspirations of programmatic

excellence and meaningful change for

which RYCO stands.

Bojana Bulatović

RYCO Programme Manager

60

youth


“It takes a lot of effort,

strength and courage”

How and why Trainers and Organisers

engage in Youth Exchanges

Jovana was born in the 1980s in what was then

Yugoslavia. She grew up in a small town in times

of war and economic crisis. In her teenage years,

she would have liked to travel, to explore her

area, the whole region and even the entire world

but she could not. Since she had barely left her

hometown during her youth, she first became

aware of the ethnic and cultural diversity of her

own society when she went to study in the

capital. By joining a big student association at

her university she came into contact with civically

engaged peers and discovered the benefits of

volunteering: she met new people, created a

valuable network and developed organisational

and communication skills. When she started

working with marginalised communities at a

CSO, she realised that through her engagement

she could support people in need and contribute

to society as a whole.

Jovana made her first exchange experience

w hen her student association hosted

international students. She engaged with

young people from across Europe for the first

time and realised that they shared opinions and

thoughts, despite having very different life

circumstances. These encounters encouraged

her to travel. An international exchange

programme allowed her to go abroad and meet

her peers from all over Europe. Talking to her

friends back in her hometown, she realised that

mobility opportunities for young people from

rural areas who do not attend university were

very limited. She decided to change that and

organised international and regional youth

exchanges right there. In this way, she made

sure that the younger generation growing up in

her town can now do what she could not all

those years ago, namely to travel, host peers

from other places, exchange ideas with them

and experience cultural diversity early on in life.

Trainers and Organisers matter

Jovana’s story is just one of many. While all

organisers involved in RYCO funded projects

share the goal of connecting young people in

the Western Balkans, each of their stories is

unique. Trainers and organisers are a very

diverse group, including teachers, youth

workers and facilitators or project planners and

managers. They come from different professional

backgrounds such as social work,

psychology, peace and conflict studies, interreligious

dialogue, journalism, political

science, human rights law, linguistics,

architecture, IT or natural sciences and each of

them brings a distinct set of knowledge and

expertise to the projects.

The trainers and organisers we interviewed are

members of different generations. Some of

them had experienced Yugoslavia or the

socialist regime in Albania and others were

born in the 1990s in times of war and crisis,

while the youngest of them were children of the

post-war and post-socialist societies. They live

in different parts of the region and identify with

dif ferent ethnic, cultural and religious

communities. Some of them live and work in big

cities and others in small towns in rural areas.

61

Finding out more about how and why trainers

and organisers engage matters to us because

they are crucial both to RYCO as an institution

and to the participants of its youth exchange

programmes.

Trainers and Organisers are the

backbone of every Youth

Exchange

By implementing their youth exchange

programme, organisers implement RYCO's

mission on the ground. They not only reach

project participants but often engage with

their wider communities.

They are very important to participants of

youth exchanges because they shape their

exchange experiences and potentially their

future lives.

Paths to Engagement

Looking at the life stories of trainers and

organisers, we found that planning and

facilitating a youth exchange is often just one step

in a much longer engagement career. There are

different personal experiences that can lead to

and inform such a career, including experiencing

war, forced migration, economic hardship, a lack

of opportunities and discrimination.

Some trainers and organisers spoke of past

and current emotions arising from these

formative experiences, describing their sense

of being closed in or being left out of their

society or being angry at the current state in the

region. Others described family socialisation

towards inter-religious tolerance and altruistic

behaviour as influential on their later

engagement. Being passionate about a

specific social issue relevant to youth can also

motivate someone to begin a career as an

organiser. Furthermore, observing and hearing

about human and civil rights violations and the

marginalisation of others raised their political

awareness and subsequently led to organisers

becoming active in the youth exchange field.

Like Jovana, many trainers and organisers

participated in a youth exchange or a student

mobility programme when they were younger,

as both our quantitative survey and qualitative

study have shown. In some cases, this opened

a door directly to their professional engagement

in this field.

Participating in a youth exchange can hence

kick-start a career as a trainer and/or organiser.

However, there are of course many different

entrance points into the civil society sector in

general and youth exchanges in particular for

trainers and organisers.

These include the following:

• participation in a mobility programme,

youth exchange or training;

• local volunteerism or community engagement;

• engagement in a specific socially relevant

topic;

• political activism;

• personal contact with a CSO (e.g. receiving

support);

• friends who are engaged in this field.

Why Trainers and Organisers engage

As we have seen, personal experiences and

sociopolitical interests often lead to engagement

in youth exchange projects. In order to

understand why trainers and organisers are

active in this sector, we have to look at their

motivation and concrete goals.

“It’s wonderful to work with young

people.”

Organisers like engaging with (other) youth.

Many of them told us about the joy they feel

when interacting with participants in their

projects. Manjola, an organiser from Pristina,

62

told us that it is great to work with young people

because “every time they have such positive

energy to give.”

Psychologists like Richard M. Ryan and

Edward L. Deci call this intrinsic motivation and

define it as “doing an activity simply for the

enjoyment of the activity itself rather than its

instrumental value.”

Trainers and organisers also appreciate

working in a youth exchange project because it

allows them to travel, to meet new people from

different places, to network with colleagues

and to build valuable friendships across the

region.

“After each project my perspective

and my attitudes change.”

Davor, an organiser from Sarajevo explained,

engaging in a youth exchange is compelling

because every time organisers join an activity

they not only change the perspectives of the

young people they work with but revise their

own attitudes as well. Youth exchanges thus

provide learning opportunities for trainers and

organisers. They can gain knowledge about

the topics of the project, pick-up new

pedagogical methods from their colleagues

and learn about the lives and perspectives of

young people in the region. Organisers also

acquire new skills and build networks when

interacting with their partner CSOs and

regional institutions like RYCO. These are

important resources for their potential civic or

political engagement in the future.

“When you have a group you can

identify with it is much easier.”

RYCO funded projects allow organisers to work

together with like-minded people towards

common goals. Being part of a group of allies

can be empowering when organisers face

backlash in their own communities. Elma, an

organiser from Visoko, expressed this

sentiment, “In civil society you can try to do

something to access people but it takes a lot of

effort, strength and time and a lot of courage to

Trainers and organisers of RYCO youth exchanges also attend capacity building trainings

63

do it. I don’t see myself as a victim, but I see

myself as an outcast. … When there are people

like you and when you have a group you can

identify with it’s much easier to do what you

think is the right thing to do.”

Therefore, trainers and organisers partly

engage in youth exchange projects because

they find it enjoyable, interesting and

empowering. They like working with youth,

learning something new, connecting with

others and experiencing solidarity. However,

the strongest motivation organisers expressed

was improving society.

“I want to change society.”

In our interviews, trainers and organisers

identified a number of social and political

issues in their respective societies and the

region as a whole, among them were ongoing

conflict and distrust between different

communities. Our interview partner Davor told

us, “In the 1990s it was the actual war, but now

there is a passive invisible war. I am really angry

at this situation.”

He wants to change society so that his children

do not live in the same situation in which he

currently lives. Rather than give up and

become apathetic in the face of these

fundamental challenges he draws deep

motivation for his engagement from his

frustration with the current situation in the

Western Balkans. In our quantitative study, the

overwhelming majority of trainers and

organisers said that they wanted to make the

Western Balkan region more democratic, more

connected and more peaceful. However, they

aim to do so in different ways.

Discussion during a RYCO youth exchange project

64

Organisers expressed a responsibility to talk

about the past in order to create a better future.

They spoke of sharing their skills and

knowledge so that life in their hometowns can

improve. They fight for marginalised and

discriminated communities. They want to create

interesting learning environments for young

people and aim to be good hosts and to build

bridges in the region by bringing youth together.

Trainers and organisers thus highlighted

achieving something that not only benefits

themselves but others, namely young people

today, future generations, their respective

communities and societies and the Western

Balkans as a whole. Our analysis shows that

they are trying to facilitate change on two

interconnected levels. Firstly, they want to

reach young people as individuals by

supporting their personal growth. Secondly,

they are trying to make a difference in society

by heightening awareness of human rights,

stimulating active citizenship and striving for

peace and cooperation in the region.

Trainers and organisers want to reach young people on an

individual level by promoting their personal development through

the following means:

• challenging them to think critically,

• opening a space for them to share their experiences,

• creating interesting and fun learning experiences,

• enabling them to develop their teamwork and conflict solving

skills.

Trainers and organisers are trying to make a difference at the

social level by promoting human rights and active citizenship and

fostering peace and cooperation in the region. They aim at:

• empowering and encouraging participants to become active,

• disseminating information on the region and its history,

• sharing knowledge on human rights abuses and discrimination,

• challenging one-sided narratives about the past,

• fostering acceptance of/appreciation for cultural diversity,

• decreasing stereotypes and prejudice,

• showing young people in the region the issues they share,

• striving for equality by providing opportunities for marginalised

and rural youth,

• promoting a transfer of knowledge and skills from participants

to their peers after the projects.

65

Why we engage in Youth Exchange:

Voices of Trainers and Organisers

“That’s the aim of our project, to bring communities together. People from different places

exchanging views, exchanging opinions, cooperating with each other, going somewhere they have

not been before, reconciliation. Doing things that we as students could not imagine would become

a reality, but now as teachers we can give our contribution to the peace building process.”

Eljon Shiba

(Secondary school teacher from Vorë, Albania)

“We want to try to live together, to have a good life together, to try to cooperate and to move on

from the past, because you cannot change something if you do not move on. We can do it by

working together and starting to socialise with each other. To see that it’s not my fault, for

example, that I am Kosovan or their fault that they are Serbian. That’s what we want to make clear.”

(Organiser from Pristina, Kosovo)

“What we emphasise is dealing with the past. That’s a tricky question in this society, because

usually it’s ‘You’re born after the war, you cannot talk about the past, about the violence’. Some

of my participants were told that. It was before us but because of those things and because of

the things that happened since the 14th Century in these areas, we are having this situation

right now. So, I have the right and I have the responsibility to talk about the past.”

(Organiser from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina)

“I had the opportunity to participate in a number of youth exchanges and it made me think I

would like to do the same, but not in Belgrade. I would like to do the same thing for young people

in my hometown, because I think they also deserve the chance. I believe that if you do not share

the skills, the knowledge, the experience you gathered then the community where you live

cannot grow and cannot become better.”

Petar Đurović

(Youth worker from Leskovac, Serbia)

“We want to create a game on intercultural dialogue. The idea is for young people to learn

something through fun and creativity. So, you are not going to be able to tell that it is a lecture

but you will remember it. I think this will really bring young people to learn about the topic.”

Dea Zdravkovska

(Activist and youth worker from Skopje, North Macedonia)

“I want to fight for a better tomorrow. I want to show others that trans-people exist in this region,

that we will continue to exist and that we fight for our rights. I am fighting for the whole LGBT+

community to live without discrimination, without violence. Our overall objective is supporting our

community and making them stronger for this fight. The participants will share their knowledge

with other activists to build a network, a strong community. Active citizenship means to be the

change you want to see and we are just like that. We are the change we want to see tomorrow.”

Nikola Ilić

(Human rights activist from Mojkovac, Montenegro)

66

youth


“Somebody actually

believes in us”

How Trainers and Organisers Shape Participants' Exchange Experience

Trainers and organisers are essential to

participants of RYCO funded projects because

they influence their exchange experiences and

potentially their future lives. While all organisers

involved in such an exchange – from planner

and manager to facilitator – frame how

participants experience the project this is

especially true of the youth workers, teachers

and facilitators at the location during local and

regional meetings. A good relationship

between participants and organisers is key to a

fruitful exchange.

When we asked young people about how they

experienced their youth exchange the trainers

and organisers featured prominently and

positively in their responses.

Participants repeatedly expressed their

gratitude toward the trainers and organisers

and elaborated that they had contributed to a

positive youth exchange experience by

passing on their knowledge and experience, by

creating an open arena and safe space to

communicate, by providing emotional support,

by promoting and motivating young people and

by acting as role models for them.

advice

trainers good guys

friends motivating

someone you can look up to

concerned

emotional

open

mentors

important

knowledge

friendly

open minded

comforting

leaders

neutral

amazing

supportive

on the same wavelength

professors

respect

teachers

great

not strict

good people tutors

experienced

encouraging

Recurring vocabulary used by participants to describe trainers and organisers

67

Trainers and Organisers

pass on Knowledge and

Experience

As shown above, participants referred to

trainers and organisers as mentors, tutors,

teachers or professors. They reported learning

new information and gaining new perspectives

during their youth exchange project. The

participants perceived trainers and organisers

as wise and trustworthy sources of information.

Elisaveta, an 18-year old secondary school

pupil from Radoviš, expressed this view:

“They can explain everything. They can give their

opinion and whatever you ask they always answer.”

Learning in an informal environment was a new

and inspiring experience for many of the

participants. They told us about different,

creative settings such as games and

simulations that made them see the world

differently. The trainers and organisers share

information about the region and its history,

about human rights and discrimination, about

politics and the media. The participants learnt

about issues not usually discussed and were

able to ask questions that often are not

answered in school or at home.

The trainers and organisers not only pass on

their knowledge to the participants but also

their life experience. Participants viewed the

trainers and organisers as older and more

experienced and reported receiving valuable

advice from them. Some organisers shared

their own childhood memories of the wars of

the 1990s. Luka, a 17-year old participant from

Požarevac, found these stories difficult to hear,

but they also moved him and made him reflect

on what he had heard.

“Hearing the personal experiences of the war

time from the mentors and teachers who were

older and experienced it on another level; you

can hear it on TV or on the internet but when you

hear personal stories like that it’s different. It

keeps you thinking.”

The young people we interviewed expressed

great trust in eyewitness accounts of historical

events. Consequently, the autobiographical stories

that the trainers and organisers shared with them

can have a strong influence on their view of

history. When reflecting upon these memories, the

sharing of personal testimonies can help the

participants to develop a differentiated and multifaceted

understanding of the past.


Create Open Arenas and Safe

Spaces

Trainers and organisers listen to participants

and can help them to step out of their comfort

zone and make their voices heard. Una who is a

17-year old secondary school pupil from

Podgorica felt this way.

“They weren’t so strict about the agenda as

much as they were concerned about our feelings

and our thoughts and for our voices to be heard.”

Creating these open arenas and safe spaces

for participants both during and outside of the

planned sessions is also important to the

trainers and organisers. It allows young people

to discuss topics that matter to them but which

might be difficult to talk about with their

teachers, colleagues, friends or family

members at home, because of a lack of

interest, willingness or inability to engage in

such conversations.

These difficult talks could centre on experiences

of discrimination, violence or loss in young

peoples’ families or communities but could

also include controversial historical and

political topics. It was important to the

participants that the organisers and trainers

moderated and mediated without taking sides,

especially during heated debates. In this way,

the young people felt that their opinions were

heard and respected.

A non-restrictive yet mediated setting for

participants to exchange their own views and

stories also enables them to learn from each

other and not just from the organisers. This

direct exchange between peers does not just

happen during moderated sessions but during

the breaks or in the evening when the

participants talk to each other, build trust and

often form lasting friendships.

68

Trainers and Organisers provide

Emotional support

In our interviews, the young people described

the trainers and organisers as open, friendly

and comforting. They said that the trainers and

organisers were able to express their own

feelings and give emotional support to

participants when needed. The participants

also reported that they could talk to the

organisers when they felt uncomfortable or

bothered during an exchange.

We asked the young people about their most

emotional moments during their exchange and

this frequently related to the accounts of the

wars of the 1990s, which moved, irritated and

saddened them.

Darija, an 18-year old participant from Sombor

told us about such an instance when she

became overwhelmed whilst listening to and

discussing the recent violent past.

“It gets really emotional, but we don’t get angry

at each other we get angry at the meaninglessness

of it all. The trainers were really supportive

and I think they were crying too. That was

comforting, it was like ‘I can hold on to them and

I can cry too’.”

In this case, the young woman felt better

because the trainers and organisers took her

seriously and shared her emotions. This is

essential given the fact that the violence that

occurred in the Western Balkans during the

1990s remains a taboo subject in many families

as well as in schools. When participants are

confronted possibly for the first time with the

details of the atrocities that took place during

these wars the organisers act as a strong

emotional safety net for them.


Motivate and Promote Young

People

The participants described the trainers and

organisers as encouraging and as “getting the

best out of people.” They felt motivated to make

a change in the world because the organisers

believed in them. Una from Podgorica shared

this view.

Trainers and organisers of RYCO youth exchanges

69

“Our tutors are the ones that motivate us the

most and they are the ones to tell us that it’s for

us to make a change for us, for them and for our

kids and for the future generations. So, I don’t

know the exact word for it but it filled me with joy

to know that somebody actually believes in us.”

The representative Youth Study conducted by

the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in 2018 shows that

young people in the Western Balkans felt that

their voices were not heard and that their

interests were not represented sufficiently

within the political systems in their societies.

This can lead to a lack of interest and

engagement or even a wish to emigrate.

Having someone outside of their family believe

in them and see them as potential change

makers can be a very empowering experience

for the participants of exchanges and can lead

to their further engagement. Some young

people even reported that the trainers and

organisers supported and promoted them

beyond the RYCO funded project by

encouraging and directly assisting them in

becoming young leaders and youth exchange

organisers.

Trainers and Organisers are

Role Models

Finally, the young people described the

trainers and organisers as “somebody [they]

can look up to.” Organisers serve as role

models for the participants through their

actions, by showing them that they can make a

difference in society and that regional

cooperation is possible in the Western Balkans.

Linda who is a 22-year old university student

from Pristina reflected this sentiment.

“When I see the president of my CSO with the

president of some CSO from Serbia having

good relations that’s also good for me, because

I know that I won’t have any problems.”

Trusting in their local youth workers, teachers

and in the organisers they meet can help young

people to feel safe and confident enough to

travel to different places, interact with

participants from other communities and it can

encourage them to build bridges. The fact that

organisers are role models has great potential

for making the region more connected and

peaceful. Yet this comes with great

responsibility, because what trainers and

organisers say and do during a youth

exchange has an influence on the participants.

Some of the young people expressed a great

willingness to adopt the opinions, notions and

views of the world expressed by the

organisers. Therefore, it is important that

organisers empower young people to think for

themselves and to assess the world around

them critically. These are vital skills for people

who desire to be active citizens who address

prejudice and question one-sided narratives

about the past.

Looking at the role of the trainers and

organisers from the participants’ perspective

shows us that their engagement means a lot to

the young people and that they are an essential

asset to RYCO and its success. The teams of

organisers that implement youth exchange

projects help young people to learn new things,

meet new friends and feel safe but at the same

time they challenge, encourage and inspire

them to create a better region.

Julia Anna Schranz

holds degrees in history and international

development. She researches and teaches at

the University of Vienna and is currently

working on her dissertation in the field of

contemporary history.

70

youth


Committed Organisers

and Trainers

The success of RYCO supported projects depends to a large extent on the project trainers and

organisers that come from all over the Western Balkans. They create the spaces for young people

to engage in intercultural learning on the topics of peace, reconciliation, youth empowerment and

activism. We have collected testimonials where youth trainers and project organisers share their

impressions and reflect on the activities they implemented.

“It was very nice to see how youngsters from all over the region found

ways and created project ideas on how to cooperate with each other

and how to develop the region in a sustainable way. They were excited

about this cooperation and I felt satisfied that we had made it possible

for young people to get to know each other. The Western Balkan youth

are the luckiest people of the region. They have huge potential.”

“Given that in our project we had three groups coming from different

backgrounds, teachers, youth workers and youth, it was a bit difficult

to gather everyone to get to know each other and open up freely. Then

the magic of education and training is revealed, because as soon as

we got to learn and engage together there were no tensions that

could be felt in the groups and everyone was interacting with each

other despite where they were coming from.”

Oltiana Rama from Tirana in Albania

Samel Kruja from Shkodër in Albania

“The youth from the Western Balkans are shy and quiet in the

beginning, sometimes afraid of something new and different, but

after a while of getting to know each other and they become talkative,

temperamental and they open up their souls where they accept the

other as their closest one.”

Albin Softić from Tešanj in Bosnia and Herzegovina

“I was fascinated by the fact that young people were so aware of their

position in society, the things that are provided for them and the things

that are taken away, but the thing that fascinated me was how loud

and verbal they are. My opinion is that the older generations, which I

belong to, were not taught to talk about injustice or to stand up and to

fight for themselves, at least not on the scale to which young people

do today. That brings me joy.”

Vildana Delalić-Elezović from Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina

71

“Working with RYCO has been a very good experience considering

the importance of the values that RYCO promote. This project has

helped me have very good cooperation with different communities

from different places in the region. Considering that it is quite

important to break the prejudices between the communities that live

in the Western Balkans, I have noticed that only such initiatives will

enable young people to have a better future.”

Kadri Gashi from Pristina in Kosovo

“It makes me feel very optimistic to see more and more young people

from the region aware of their past and open to hearing about

different stories and to approach one another with understanding

and respect. The young people in the Western Balkans have way

more things in common than things that set them apart. Bringing

youth together, either physically or virtually, to participate in different

activities and discuss common issues reminds them about the things

they have in common.”

Dea Dedi from Pristina in Kosovo

“I have had many challenging jobs throughout my career, but conducting

the ‘Rewind to the Future’ project is definitely the most specific

experience of all. Not because of the scope or complexity of the work

but because of the emotional connotations that this initiative has for me

as well as the deep insights I gained whilst dealing with relations

between the neighbours in the region. I have learned more about these

relationships through this project than through my entire life experience.”

Anđela Nikčević from Nikšic in Montenegro

“It is important that young people have common themes, interests

and empathise with each other. In addition, it is always important to

have someone who will provide them with space, materials and help

by giving them knowledge and experience. The same goes for

coaches and organisers, it is important to be aware of the common

goal: a better society.”

Nikola Ilić from Mojkovac in Montenegro

“I can honestly say that RYCO surprised me with its existence, it is an

institutional mechanism meant to unite the region’s youth. My

attention was always peaked when older generations reminisced

about cooperation between the scout organisations in the region.

Their experiences left me with a desire to revive that story. However, I

have to admit that I lacked motivation and reassurance. Besides

presenting the road to re-collaboration, RYCO believed in and

supported this idea which has now become reality.”

Snezana Jankovic from Skopje in North Macedonia

72

“Young people from the region need to understand that all of them will progress

if they start cooperating with each other on the regional level. Europe is built on

tolerance, understanding and mutual respect and if young people accept and

practice that in daily life then they will be one big step closer to an integrated

European community. Youth workers, trainers and civil society activists have an

essential role in bringing those values closer to young people as well as

nurturing unity and mutual understanding.”

Dragan Atanasov from Skopje in North Macedonia

“Although I have been working in the education of young people for a

long time, through formal and informal programmes, I am always

moved by their insights into how similar their attitudes, fears and

emotions are to those of youth from other cultures. This

acknowledgment is what we strive for – lasting peace and living in a

friendly environment in which differences are perceived as what

enriches communities rather than divides them into ‘us’ and ‘them’.”

Časlav Ninković from Belgrade in Serbia

“Youth are the same everywhere, ready to learn and have friends on

every spot of the world. Our task is to direct them and teach them that

it is important to, with an open heart, enrich their life with new friends,

because life gives us back only what we give to others.”

Dragana Popović from Jagodina in Serbia

Trainers and organisers: participants of RYCO's regional capacity building training

73

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RYCO's Projects,

Development

and Partners

79

youth


Diverse approaches

One of the core elements of RYCO’s work is the

financial support that it provides to civil society

organisations and schools in the region that are

getting connected by implementing projects

that empower and network youth in the Western

Balkans. However, since its beginning, RYCO

has known that the provision of financial

support or funding alone will not achieve the

desired impact. There has to be a holistic

approach and diverse tools in place as well as

methods and interventions that enhance

regional youth cooperation and exchange.

It is for this reason that RYCO in addition to and

within grant making offers a variety of

possibilities for support, such as mentorship,

training and capacity building activities, the

production of manuals and training material as

well as networking opportunities for young

people, civil society organisations, schools and

teachers, policymakers and media representatives

from the Western Balkans. These

opportunities allow youth and youth workers in

the region to travel and meet, to get to know

each other, share ideas and experiences,

create the necessary space for further

cooperation and to strengthen their knowledge

and skills successfully.

Moreover, by providing different kinds of

support and being constantly present at the

local level with six RYCO local branch offices in

the Western Balkans, RYCO is much more than

a donor, it is a partner and a friend.

RYCO values the opportunity of exploring new

and dynamic topics and fields of work as

innovative approaches that can better shape its

mission of peacebuilding, intercultural

learning and regional youth cooperation. Until

now, several projects and initiatives supported

by RYCO have sought to integrate innovative,

diverse and compelling approaches to meet

the present challenges and offer better

solutions for the future of the region.

Among these different approaches, RYCO also

found the field of volunteering and volunteer

exchanges as a useful way of dealing with

intercultural learning and connecting youth in

the Western Balkans (ROUTE WB6 project).

Another interesting field is social entrepreneurship

where we support young people to

create business models that make social

impact through regional cooperation (RISE

project). Both initiatives are part of multi-year

partnerships.

In addition, projects such as 'Supporting the

Western Balkan's Collective Leadership on

Reconciliation: Building Capacity and

Momentum for RYCO' supported by the United

Nations Peacebuilding Fund and realised in

partnership with the United Nations family in

the region, and 'Enhancing Youth Cooperation

and Youth Exchange in the WB6' supported by

the European Union, are building upon RYCO's

experience in grant-making and offering more

youth participatory initiatives and approaches.

The current year (2020) should finish with the

creation of a new RYCO youth friendly digital

tool for promoting different opportunities for

young people in the region. Supported by the

Federal Republic of Germany, the digital tool

will promote inspiring stories, insights and

good practice from the Western Balkans in the

fields of regional cooperation and youth

80

engagement. This project also places focus on

cooperation with the media and young

journalists who are seen as important future

partners and multipliers of the values and

mission of RYCO.

On its journey, RYCO has extended its scope of

work and impact beyond the Western Balkans

and Europe. It joined the 'Western Balkans

Cooperation Initiative' of the Ministry of Foreign

Affairs of Japan and its MIRAI programme. The

“Western Balkans Meet Japan: A Bridge into

the Future” is a successful youth exchange

programme that promotes mutual understanding

and reconciliation through intellectual

and cultural exchange, and builds a basis for

future friendship and cooperation between

Japan and the Western Balkans as well as the

region.

Co-financed by the European Union and the

German Federal Ministry for Economic

Cooperation and Development and implemented

by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für

Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in

close cooperation with RYCO, the Western

Balkans School Exchange Scheme project is

planned to start on 1 December 2020. This

action aims to increase skills and knowledge of

young people in the Western Balkans by

enhancing education systems and promoting

regional cooperation through strengthening the

capacities of RYCO and establishing a regional

school exchange scheme.

Committed to being a game changer in the

region, RYCO supports and implements

undertakings that foster diversity and inclusion

for all youth of the Western Balkans.


RYCO Director of Programmes

Moments from RYCO's diverse projects

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youth

Regional Incubator

for Social Entrepreneurship (RISE)


The Regional Incubator for Social Entrepreneurs or RISE, which is co-funded by the French

Agency for Development and RYCO, aims to enrich the social entrepreneurship ecosystem in the

Western Balkans and enable young people to develop social innovative solutions. Thus, RISE

contributes to reconciliation, cooperation and mobility. It also enables young people to develop

innovative solutions in order to address the challenges that their communities are facing. A

consortium composed of RYCO, GROUPE SOS Pulse, the South East European Youth Network,

Institut Français and the Franco-German Youth Office monitor the project, which is implemented

by six local incubators.

The project focuses on promoting and strengthening social entrepreneurship in the Western

Balkans, strengthening the capacities of the social entrepreneurship ecosystem and raising

awareness about social entrepreneurship opportunities for young people, key actors and

stakeholders of social economy.

,,

The RISE project believes that youth of the Western Balkans

are talented, full of innovative ideas and eager to achieve

them. That is why we want to support social business ideas

that will make the region a better place. RISE focuses on cooperation,

exchange of ideas and peer learning. We believe

that by bringing youth together we can learn, grow, and make

a change. Social entrepreneurship is a great tool to empower

the change makers in the region and bring them to action.

RISE creates a regional network of RISErs, young social

entrepreneurs, and supports them in making their ideas a

reality. Let's work together and make better societies grow.

Ardita Bonatti

Project Coordinator

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ROUTE WB6


YOUTHCULTURALCENTER-BITOLA

NORTH MACEDONIA

The ROUTE WB6 project is supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and is

implemented by RYCO in partnership with six local organisations: Beyond Barriers, the South East

European Youth Network, Lens, the Youth Cultural Centre Bitola, the Association for Democratic

Prosperity (Zid) and Young Researchers of Serbia.

The success of this project will be marked by its innovative outcomes. ROUTE WB6 seeks to

contribute to a policy reform on volunteerism that will promote an enabling environment for the

development of opportunities for volunteers and increase the number of young people in the

region who volunteer.

Moreover, the project will establish the Regional Volunteer Service that will serve as the regional

resource centre for volunteerism, collect resources and coordinate the work of the national

volunteer services all over the region. The key purpose is to make a regional volunteerism practice

available, to ensure regional advocacy efforts to improve policy on volunteerism and to promote

cross-border volunteerism for peace and reconciliation. In addition, ROUTE WB6 aims to provide

capacity building to civil society organisations and youth beneficiaries as well as to monitor and

evaluate other similar programmes. The newly designed regional programme will be scaled up

through the first round of RYCO grants for volunteerism planned for 2021, which will consist of

exchanges with a focus on community engagement and educational components that will

enhance reconciliation and intercultural dialogue.

,,

We are very proud to design and launch the first regional

volunteering programme created by the volunteering

community in the region. RYCO and the partners are putting a

lot of efforts into creating and advocating for the regional

policy foundation and volunteering service, expecting to

reimagine volunteering in the region in 2021.

Ines Bulajić

Project Coordinator

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youth

Supporting the Western Balkan's


Collective Leadership on Reconciliation:

Building capacity and momentum for RYCO

Implemented in partnership between RYCO, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP),

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), and with

the financial support of the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, this project aims to foster social

cohesion and reconciliation among youth in the Western Balkan region. It also aims to strengthen

RYCO's capacities as a regionally owned mechanism that promotes mobility, diversity, active

citizenship and intercultural learning.

Through the project, a strong network of organisations, secondary schools, youth and youth

workers is being built. Youth led networks, cross-border exchanges and workshops are the key

tools of the project for bringing change to the region by sharing knowledge and awareness on the

issues of peace building and reconciliation. With a focus on hard to reach youth, the project is

successfully enhancing youth engagement and empowerment.

,,

The project has enabled RYCO not only to develop and

consolidate as an institution, but, more importantly, it has

created tools for RYCO to effect change through its

programming and grant-making. It provided direct

opportunities for youth and those working with them to make

an impact in their local communities. A tremendous

investment in the region, the project invested in a teachers

pool of excellence. It developed a teacher toolkit on

intercultural dialogue, peacebuilding, reconciliation and

dealing with the past as well as enabled more than 2000

young people to participate in over 40 projects focused on

these topics. Finally, it is supporting a group of youth coming

from diverse and vulnerable backgrounds in becoming

trainers in peacebuilding and engaging youth in designing a

first ever comparable regional research on youth perceptions

on peace and security in the Western Balkans.

Vladica Jovanović

Project Leader

84

youth

Enhancing Youth Cooperation


and Youth Exchange in the WB6

The Enhancing Youth Cooperation and Youth Exchange in the WB6 project, supported by the

European Union, aims to create a more enabling environment and new opportunities for young

people to travel and explore the Western Balkan as well as to cooperate on shared projects in

various fields.

The project builds upon RYCO's previous experience in grant-making and innovates it by making it

more youth-participatory. It involves young people in informing the priorities of RYCO's work and

increases their awareness on opportunities for youth participation across the region. Moreover, the

project supports youth organisations in enhancing their capacities in youth work. Recognising that

youth mobility provides a multitude of benefits at the individual and social levels, this project strives

to better inform young people about mobility opportunities and benefits of exchanges through the

organisation of events and campaigns, and the production of an Awareness Raising Strategy on

youth mobility.

,,

RYCO’s well established cooperation with the European

Commission is continuing through the project Enhancing

Youth Cooperation and Youth Exchange in the WB6. While the

project is designed to support RYCO’s core business of grant

making, through the fourth Open Call for Projects Proposals,

the project also complements RYCO’s work and mission by

delivering innovative promotional activities, impactful

programmes for young people and capacity building

activities for the staff of the Secretariat and the local branch

offices.

Denis Piplaš

Project Coordinator

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youth


A well organised Institution

Since it became operational in 2017, RYCO has grown considerably, with higher budgets and an

increasing number of projects.

2017 2020

RYCO had thirteen employees in 2017 while this number had grown to thirty staff members by

2019 and less than a year from then in 2020 RYCO has fifty employees. This fast growing phase

required an immediate reaction in terms of the improvement of the internal processes. As outlined

in our Strategic Plan 2019-2021, in order to become a model of institutional and organisational

excellence RYCO must constantly invest in organisational development and strengthening.

,,

,,

RYCO is working on its organisational development, because

by improving the effectiveness of our services we believe it

will contribute to achieving RYCO’s goals.

Rudina Lula

Director of Operations

We are constantly in parallel process of supporting young

people of the Western Balkans and working on our internal

development to be able to do the first task better and better.

However, RYCO Programme should not only be efficient and

good managed, but the challenge is how to be also youthfriendly,

creative, motivational and co-designed together with

young people.


Director of Programmes

86

One of the core objectives of RYCO is to become a stable sustainable efficient and accountable

organisation that will have structures and systems in place in order to develop and implement high

impact and high scale projects for young people in the Western Balkans.

In order to reach this objective, RYCO is undergoing a phase of solid organisational development

that includes the following intensive processes planned for completion over the course of 2020:

- RYCO’s structure is organised into two departments Programmes and Operations, which

have been fully functional since the beginning of 2020.

- New positions in the Department of Operations include a procurement specialist, a legal

expert and a senior human resources officer.

- From having one sole grant officer, RYCO is in the process of shifting to a future Grant Making

Unit. This is part of the process of developing new grant making concepts and guidelines,

together with the engagement of external experts with the support of the European Union.

- The development of the human resources policy takes place alongside the development of

a set of internal procedures, which are supported by the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund

and the PeaceNexus Foundation.

- A risk assessment policy and catalogue are under development with the support of the

United Nations Peacebuilding Fund.

- Led by the Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator, the first Monitoring and Evaluation

Framework is being developed as the nucleus of the future RYCO Research, Evaluation

andLearning Unit, with the support of the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund and the

PeaceNexus.

- The concept for the first IT platform is being established as part of the internal system for

project and financial management, with the support of the United Nations Peacebuilding

Fund. The plan is that it will be fully developed in 2021.

- The development of the first communication strategy is taking pace thanks to the support

provided by the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund.

- Further development of capacity building and mentorship as crosscutting activities within the

RYCO programme is also underway and is seen as an important process for meeting the

organisation’s objectives.

- Last but not the least, the first phase of the registration of the RYCO local branch offices in the

six Contracting Parties is being undertaken as part of the process of legal analysis, with the

support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.

87

,,

,,

I am convinced that our region is a prosperous region, rich in

cultural heritage and diversity that deserves a future free of

violence, hatred and conflict. As a father of three, I am committed

to create a better future and to provide a chance for young people

from our region. A chance where they will be able to benefit and

contribute, where they do not need to migrate to enjoy a better life

and a chance for long-term and lasting peace, where the Western

Balkan youth can feel and behave like their European peers.

Besnik Vasolli, Programme Manager

RYCO started its path with very ambitious plans to make a valuable

contribution by altering the common prejudices in the Western

Balkans and enhancing youth empowerment by supporting

projects that would pave the way to the common goal of integration

and collaboration in the region. Being a part of RYCO does not only

complete me professionally but it also pleases me to be a member

of such a gratifying project, which gives a chance to help young

people to change their perspective and build a better region

through engagement, decision-making and being tolerant citizens.

Working for RYCO is more than a job. It is indeed a privilege and

responsibility. We are finally able to shape and to contribute to our

common future and make a real change in the region. What

specifically moves me is the moments of true friendship created

among the Western Balkan youth who are meeting for the first

time during RYCO supported projects. Such an emotional

connection makes me so proud and convinces me that we are on

the right track.

Nikola Ristić, Communication and Visibility Officer

Daniela Qyra, Finance Manager

I believe that RYCO is providing a unique opportunity to youth in

the region and especially to young people who otherwise would

not have a chance to meet each other and interact in a safe

environment. By working at RYCO, I am provided with a unique

opportunity to do meaningful work by contributing toward helping

the youth of the region to be one step closer to each other.

Lorena Elezi, Grants Officer

,,

,,

88

,,

,,

It has always been my intrinsic motivation that regional

cooperation is the right thing to do for our region, since ten years

ago. Although applying that personally, nothing provides more

impact than a joint regional office for youth cooperation. Today,

nothing keeps me more motivated than working for RYCO on

monitoring and evaluation. To show the results of the hard work of

an amazing team, doing the right thing in the right way all over the

Western Balkans for a better region that starts with youth.

Matilda Karçanaj, Monitoring and Evaluation Coordinator

RYCO stands for regional youth mobility, cooperation, sharing

ideas and learning from each other based on the values of

coexistence, tolerance and respect. I strongly believe in such

values and my purpose, as the Senior Human Resources Officer, is

to contribute to enabling RYCO to achieve its mission and become

a role model of youth exchange and cooperation. There is nothing

more fulfilling than knowing that our contribution to the region

makes a significant difference. From the Human Resources

perspective, people are the greatest asset and my aim is to support

RYCO put in place the right processes and operating model for

sustainable growth and an impact that matters.

Valmira Vejuka, Senior Human Resources Officer

RYCO offers a fulfilling working environment that is truly

international and multicultural. This gives me satisfaction as it

allows me to get to know different cultures as well as to work with

young people from all over the Western Balkan region.

Additionally, as the Legal Officer, I have the opportunity to

practice and enhance my professional skills within my field of

expertise on a daily basis.

Klevis Limaj, Senior Legal Officer

Working at RYCO is such a great experience. As a fast growing

organisation, RYCO’s pace is dynamic and offers you a great

opportunity to test your skills and knowledge but also gives you

the possibility to work in a multicultural environment that is

inspirational. As the Senior Procurement Officer, I have got a

chance to use my knowledge to contribute to a better region

together with my fellow colleagues.

Marsela Bakuli, Senior Procurement Officer

,,

,,

89

youth

in Decision-making processes


Youth Participation

Serving as a youth representatives on the RYCO

Governing Board offers a chance to make your

voice heard in relation to issues that matter to us

all and to contribute directly to the decisionmaking

processes that help shape responses

to such issues. Such a chance is proof that

effective youth participation only happens

when young people are treated as equals and

have a place at the decision-making table.

The governing system at RYCO embodies a

shared responsibility and equal say in decisionmaking

as we jointly discuss and take decisions

together with the Western Balkan ministers. This

co-management system of governing proves

that it is possible to hear young people's voices

equally to those of the officials and to take our

perspectives into consideration, especially

when youth issues are at stake.

Our engagement as youth representatives in

RYCO involves a great deal of preparation,

intensive processes and shared discussions with

a focus on youth-oriented initiatives and activities.

But most importantly, it is an experience where

we learn from each other, identify best practices,

share lessons learned and work constantly and

tirelessly to reach our goals.

It is clear to us that young people are the

backbone of our society. They are its present

and its future. It is equally clear that none of the

desired changes and progress is achievable

without our active involvement and participation.

Moreover, we cannot allow political

agendas to disregard our interests within public

policymaking. We share the belief that youth

participation is both a responsibility and a right.

If we want our societies to thrive and enjoy

democratic development, European integration

and social and economic prosperity then we

need to take action and lead the change as

opposed to giving in to a sense of

hopelessness and simply waiting for change to

happen by itself.

It is when we are provided with coherent and

timely information that we become aware of the

existing challenges and opportunities and get

motivated to participate, to raise our concerns,

and to contribute to better decisions and

outcomes that can be made.

However, it is not always easy for us and the

youth in the Western Balkans to stand up and

lead the change. Our active engagement and

independent cooperation as youth representatives

is sometimes hindered by the political

situation in the region, alongside the lack of

inclusiveness and diversity that we also

witness. There is a need for more support and

more cooperation to be strengthened at all

levels - local, national and regional.

Moreover, all youth in the Western Balkan

region face the same challenges. We are often

confronted with distor ted and negative

narratives, prejudices, stereotypes, media

influences and youth issues being put at the

bottom of the political agenda. On top of that,

the current COVID-19 pandemic has impacted

the way we engage and interact with one

another within and across borders.

To address these challenges, we know that it is

important to have more inclusive approaches in

decision-making that involve youth from diverse

backgrounds, marginalised groups, more

90

policy implementation and action rather than

talking, more positive narratives that focus on

opportunities and solutions and more unity and

togetherness.

Even though we face constant and various

obstacles, we are ready, eager and open to solve

them. We will keep working to change things, to

improve by learning from each other and having

common interests in mind. That is what holds us

together and helps us solve the common

challenges with unified forces and approaches.

Our fragile region needs its progressive youth

to step up and engage in policy and decisionmaking

processes, to advocate for the best

interest of their peers, as this might prove to be

the only way to bring positive social change and

to move the region toward a more resilient and

opportunity-rich future. Young people should

contribute and play a key role in peacebuilding,

reconciliation and cooperation in the region,

whereas politicians and stakeholders should

realise that it is crucial to allow young people to

assume their corresponding responsibility and

necessary leadership roles.

We are often perceived as the future of our

societies but we are foremost of the present,

because how we act today affects the world we

will be living in tomorrow. It is up to us to build a

better future through our shared commitment to

cooperation and through our persistence and

participation in policy and decision-making.

Every day should serve as a chance for the

youth of the Western Balkans to take matters

into their own hands and become agents of

change.

We hope that our cooperation as Youth

Representatives in the RYCO Governing Board

and our friendship as young people of the

Western Balkans serve as an inspiring example

to every young person, to every policymaker,

and to everyone in the region and beyond. By

being united, engaged and committed to

honest cooperation, we can lead the change to

a better tomorrow.

Our region needs youth participation, unity and

cooperation in today's challenging times now

more than ever.

Françeska

Muço

Youth

Representative

of Albania

Edis

Papashtica

Youth

Representative

of Kosovo

Andrea

Mićanović

Youth

Representative

of Montenegro

Vladimir

Gjorgjevski

Youth

Representative

of North

Macedonia

Marko

Kostić

Youth

Representative

of Serbia

91

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Inspiring Advisory

Board Members

The RYCO Advisory Board is comprised of experts on the thematic issues addressed by RYCO,

including representatives of the donor community, civil society, international organisations and

other relevant institutions. They conduct research and assessments and make recommendations

on issues within the scope of the mandate and activities of RYCO.

We asked some of the members of the first Advisory Board to tell us why they consider RYCO’s

work important.

Tobias Bütow, Secretary General of the Franco-German

Youth Office and a member of the first RYCO Advisory Board.

RYCO is writing history. It represents a success story for

young people all over Europe, bringing forward regional

cooperation in the Western Balkans after years of conflicts

and violence. It is together that we master the 21st Century

and its shared challenges, risks and opportunities. France

and Germany jointly founded the FGYO after two World Wars.

Today, both countries jointly strengthen the European Union

in times of climate change and the Corona crisis. RYCO

enables young people to experience this European way of

life, fostering understanding, intercultural learning and

cooperation and turning the Western Balkans into a better

region on its way toward the European Union.

Photo by Jennifer Sanchez

Antje Rothemund, Head of the Youth Department, Council of

Europe, and a member of the first RYCO Advisory Board.

“People must learn to hate and if they can learn to hate they

can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the

human heart than its opposite.” The words of Nelson Mandela.

While it is taken for granted that every child and every person

must learn to read, to write and to count, the learning involved

in becoming an empathetic human being and a responsible

citizen is less obvious to pin down. Throughout my European

journey in promoting human rights and democracy with and

to young people, I have seen the power of the experience

offered by multilateral youth exchanges, intercultural

dialogue and youth cooperation and of the personal

encounters of young people from different backgrounds. It is

92

about opening up eyes, hearts and minds to discover the

different realities of your neighbours and of Europe and the

world. A young organisation itself, RYCO has given ample

proof that it can live up to its promise to promote the spirit of

reconciliation and cooperation between the youth in the

region, which is a hopeful and convincing start for RYCO’s

ambitious and noble long-term mission. The Council of

Europe youth sector congratulates RYCO and looks forward

to the next decades.

Elida Nuri, Advocacy and Communication Analyst at UNFPA

Albania and a member of the first RYCO Advisory Board.

I believe in RYCO’s mission and I believe that it will

accomplish its goal, because I trust in the energy and

commitment of young people in the Western Balkans that

this institution serves and engages. In the last couple of

years, I have seen RYCO like a newborn baby growing and

becoming stronger. I hope it continues to pursuit it’s very

impor tant mission of peacebuilding and conflict

transformation for and with young people for the benefit of a

peaceful, accepting and inclusive region where every young

person’s potential is fulfilled. I wish RYCO every success on a

challenging but very rewarding road ahead.

Ivan Đurić, Programme Director, Youth Initiative for Human

Rights, member of the first RYCO Advisory Board

RYCO was established by the six governments of the Western

Balkan as an example of forward looking policies, the

ambition of true and long lasting cooperation and the need for

regional reconciliation. Although the founding governments

and our societies in the region have strayed from that path

many times in the previous years, I am happy and proud to

see that RYCO is strongly committed to building new

relationships among citizens and bridging the gap between

the societies still very much burdened by war legacy.

Andrea Ugrinoska, member of the first RYCO Advisory

Board.

When RYCO was starting, I could not have imagined it would

become such a strong regional force with which to be

reckoned. Every day I believe more and more in the potential

this cooperation carries and I am so excited to have been

part of the first Advisory Board. I cannot wait to see RYCO

reaching new heights and creating spaces for reconciliation

where we have previously witnessed violence and despair.

93

Frank Hentke, member of the first RYCO Advisory Board.

When I was appointed to the Advisory Board of RYCO, I

felt it was a great honour. Because it is one of the very few

overarching projects that have been successfully set up

in the region. Promoting cooperation and coexistence

among young people in the region is a profoundly

necessary and important task for the whole of Europe.

Because, especially in times of growing hatred and the

political inability to unite the Balkans, such good

examples can be worked out and lived. I would still like

more involvement of less privileged young people from

disadvantaged areas in the region together with their

topics and their language.

Teuta Hoxha Jahaj was a member of the first RYCO

Advisory Board.

Without RYCO, our countries would turn into politicians’

chess and young people into spectators. RYCO has the

potential to change mentalities forever by becoming a

catalyst for critical thought about the past and

collaboration for the future.

Miloš Blagojević was a member of the first RYCO

Advisory Board.

Today, working together is difficult and especially with

other young people with different mind maps. There are a

lot of obstacles around us and, in some cases, we are not

aware of them, we cannot see them. For me, RYCO is a

light, helping us and young people see better, to look

through, have open minds and make working together

easier.

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A

youth

better region starts with

Partnerships

Interviews are usually one-on-one conversations but not this one. Since RYCO’s work is characterised

by multiple partnerships we could not avoid talking to more than one person. In this group interview,

we asked our partners and donors how they see RYCO and its work as well as its future.

RYCO: Why do you consider RYCO a strategic partner?

Genoveva Ruiz Calavera, Director for the Western Balkans at the

European Commission Directorate General for European Neighbourhood

Policy and Enlargement Negotiations: Reconciliation and

cooperation are the essence of the European project and

indispensable for the Western Balkans’ European path. RYCO plays

a strategic role by building trust, dialogue and cooperation

between young people of the Western Balkans. I am confident that

with RYCO’s help, the youth of the Western Balkans will lead the way

to overcoming divisions that result from a difficult past and will help

the region look towards the future.

RYCO: In your experience and through your partnership with

RYCO, what are its most evident results thus far?

Susanne Schütz, Director for South-East Europe, Turkey and the EFTA

States, German Federal Foreign Office, and former German

Ambassador to Albania: RYCO is one of the great and very concrete

achievements of the Western Balkan countries from the Berlin Process.

Thanks to RYCO, already thousands of youth in the region have met

their peers in their neighbouring countries, got to know each other

better and built friendships. RYCO thus makes an important contribution

to good neighbourly relations and the region and to reconciliation in the

region. This is an invaluable investment in the future, as our experience

with the Franco-German Youth Office has shown.

RYCO: What attracts you to the mission and values of RYCO?

Christina Vasak, Former French Ambassador to Albania: From day

one in Paris, the raison d'être of RYCO, with the help of the Franco-

German Youth Office, has been to foster regional cooperation

throughout the Balkans thanks to the youth. RYCO is a hyphen

between young people who are more or less ignorant of one

another, in spite or because of a tragic past and its susceptibility to

prejudice and fake news. Devising and implementing common

projects in various fields is a simple, albeit ambitious, way to

overcome barriers from Tirana or other capitals and places, to build

bridges and contribute little by little to the essence of the European

Union, i.e. integration, in other words ‘e pluribus unum’.

95

RYCO: Why are you supporting RYCO?

Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk, Secretary of State for Europe, Polish

Community Abroad, Public and Cultural Diplomacy, Ministry of

Foreign Affairs of Poland: The establishment of RYCO is one of the

most notable achievements of the Berlin Process. The young

people in the Western Balkans should be considered as an

important stakeholder in the discussions about the region’s difficult

historical legacy, which we in Poland understand very well, as well

as about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. Assisting

RYCO is our investment in the future of the Western Balkans, in our

common European future. That is why it has been such an important

part of the Polish Presidency of the Berlin Process.

RYCO: What do you consider the biggest achievement of RYCO

thus far?

Maryse Daviet, Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro: The

biggest achievement of RYCO is its proper existence. RYCO has in

its short existence/history managed to gather representatives of

governments and young people of the Western Balkans countries

regardless of their ethnicity and religious or cultural beliefs and to

build up a process of regional coordination and perspective. RYCO

is the best investment for the future of the region and the people of

this region.

RYCO: Do you envision continuous partnership with RYCO in other

projects and initiatives and if so what kind?

Filip Radunović, Sector Fund Manager of the GIZ Open Regional

Fund for SEE - Promotion of EU integration: RYCO, as one of the

youngest regional organisations in the Western Balkans, deserves

even more attention since it works from its very beginning on one of

the most important fundaments of a European future of the region:

youth exchange and mobility. By increasing and steadily

developing these, we are not only contributing to overcoming

conflicts and prejudices from the past but actively supporting the

much needed regional reconciliation process. Creating a common

understanding of the recent joint history among youth is another

important aspect worth working on. Therefore, there is a lot of

space for future joint activities and new programmes.

96

RYCO: What do you think RYCO will achieve in the Western Balkans

in the long term?

Brian James Williams, Former United Nations Resident Coordinator in

Albania: I believe that decades from now people will look back on the

RYCO experience and mark it as formative for the creation of a new

generation of Balkan leaders. The cohort of young people touched

by the RYCO magic are a group of future leaders who will be proud of

their cultures, cognizant of their collective histories – achievements

and tragedies both – and who put forth a vision that goes beyond

narrow nationalism, replaced with one that will allow collective

investment in a shared, prosperous future. RYCO’s early investment in

building bridges across the region is transformative because of the

seeds that it is planting for a sustainable peaceful future.

RYCO: What do you find most challenging for the work of RYCO in

the region and how do you think it can be strengthened through

partnerships and collaborations?

Mario Mažić, Programme Advisor at the PeaceNexus Foundation:

RYCO is an organisation that came into being as a result of both the

demand from civil society and from the advancement in relations

among the Western Balkans six. This means that RYCO is met with

immense expectations from its environment, which is a great challenge

in itself. Navigating those expectations can certainly be strengthened

through partnerships and collaborations as long as partners

understand that RYCO is a young but rapidly growing and developing

organisation and as long as there is a high level of alignment in terms

of their focus on contributing to reconciliation and regional mobility.

RYCO: What do you hope to see RYCO doing in the Western

Balkans in terms of regional reconciliation and youth cooperation in

the next five years?

Kristin Melsom, Director of the Section for South East Europe,

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway: Norway is pleased to have

supported the launch of ROUTE WB6, which aims to reduce social

and ethnic distance among young people in the Western Balkans

through promotion of cross-border volunteering. Norway would like

to see RYCO play a role in strengthening cooperation and

stimulating mutual understanding between young people in the

Western Balkans. In this way, RYCO will also contribute to promote

peace, justice and inclusive societies.

97

youth


Friends of RYCO

To achieve our mission and goals and to

contribute more to achieving positive change in

the region in addition to establishing a solid

network of partners and donors RYCO has also

created a strong network of friends. Their

support inspires and enables us to make a

wider and better impact. We are honoured to

have friends that believe in RYCO’s journey and

that share the same vision for the region. Our

journey would not have been the same without

their help.

One of the friends of RYCO is Frank Morawietz,

a person well informed about developments in

the Western Balkans. As someone with a long

track record of bringing young people from all

across Europe together, he was one of the

members of the working group entrusted with

the important role of laying the foundations of

RYCO.

We asked Frank how he became a friend of

RYCO, what inspires him to keep working with

the organisation, if he is planning to deepen his

cooperation with RYCO and finally what

impresses him the most about RYCO’s vision

for youth empowerment and cooperation in the

Western Balkans.

RYCO: How did your journey with RYCO

begin?

Frank Morawietz: The idea of founding a

regional youth organisation had been

discussed for many years. The experiences of

the Franco-German reconciliation process and

the work of the Franco-German Youth Office

(FGYO) have also been a constant source of

inspiration. After the governments agreed at

the Vienna Summit of the Berlin Process held in

2015 to create a joint regional youth

organisation and to entrust FGYO with its

coordination, we formed a multilateral working

group of civil society and government

representatives from the Western Balkans (two

representatives per participant). It was a

privilege for me to support this group as a

m e m b e r o f t h e t h r e e - m e m b e r Jo i n t

Coordination team.

This working group became the heart of the

development of RYCO. A group that did not

know or trust each other at the beginning grew

together in half a year to form a team that

discussed the vision, mission and all details of

the structure of a possible future regional youth

organisation. It learned to ‘think along’ the

interests of the neighbours, to negotiate

compromises and to find solutions that were in

the interest of the young people and the region.

The work of the 12 members of the working

group laid the important foundation for RYCO

and at the same time was a political example

and encouragement for the possibilities of

cross-border cooperation in the region. The

more successful this group was the more

governments of the region, embassies of the

EU Member States involved in the Berlin

Process and also individuals supported this

wonderful idea, which many had initially viewed

with great scepticism and reluctance.

98

RYCO: What inspired you to look into the work

and mission of RYCO?

Frank Morawietz: First and foremost, I was

personally motivated by the work and

competence of my colleagues from the

Western Balkans, a region where FGYO has

now been active for 20 years. Since the very

beginning, working with them has been a

pleasure. They are very competent, energetic,

open-minded, curious and dynamic and I think

rarely in my life have I learned so much as in

these projects with our partners from the

Western Balkans.

Then, from my multi-year work experience in the

context of Franco-German relations, I am

deeply convinced that young citizens must

have the opportunity to meet their peer

neighbours from across national and linguistic

borders, to get to know them, to form their own

image of other cultures and to question stereotypes

and accepted certainties. This encounter

across the border also offers a chance to see

the perception of one’s own culture(s) in a more

differentiated way and to learn to think and act

regionally and European wide.

Moreover, reconciliation cannot be ‘decided’

within the framework of government treaties; it

will only work if young citizens in particular are

involved in a broad diverse and sincere

dialogue and become the vehicle and motor of

reconciliation through their own experiences,

views and very personal encounters with young

people from their neighbourhood.

Photo by Caro Kadatz

During the Second World War, my father fought

as a Wehrmacht soldier in France. If I as

someone from the next generation am working

today with my French colleagues, being friends,

learning a lot from French culture and

resources it is because we had a chance to get

to know and appreciate our neighbours, to

discover the language and measure the

differences that were always changing. To look

at our own cultures with an outside view, but

also learning to see with the eyes of others and

to understand the richness of this ability and to

work together on European ideas. This

successful Franco-German experience of

99

overcoming hereditary enmity and becoming

mutually respectful and curious partners is an

experience that belongs to all Europeans.

Dialogue between young people, getting to

know each other and themselves better and

developing mutual respect, encouraging

cooperation across borders is also RYCO’s

mission and being able to contribute to it has

been and remains a wonderful experience.

RYCO: Do you plan to become more involved

with RYCO and if so in what kind of

projects/activities?

Frank Morawietz: Yes, I would like to continue

and to deepen this cooperation with RYCO. I

would like to contribute to strengthening the

regional dialogue of young citizens also to

strengthen the dialogue with young citizens

from France and Germany, to offer young

people time and space in projects, to

strengthen regional and European thinking. It is

also high time that the voice of the young

citizens of the Western Balkans is heard in the

dialogue on the future of the European idea

and on the future of European integration, just

as the voice of young people from the

European Union is heard.

Together with our colleagues from the Youth

Initiative for Human Rights in Belgrade and with

the support of FGYO and the Crossborder

Factory we have founded ‘Friends of RYCO’ to

make our contribution from outside RYCO to

ensure that it and the encounters of young

people continue to grow, so that such important

issues as intercultural competence and

dealing with history have a permanent place in

RYCO activities.

I also think it is very important that the

cooperation in the Governing Board of RYCO,

the highest decision-making body of RYCO,

consisting of six youth representatives and six

youth ministers, is characterised by trust, a

regional spirit and thinking and that they are

encouraged again and again in their

responsibility for RYCO and set an example of

regional thinking and acting. RYCO is a beacon

of regional cooperation in the region but this is

a constant and long-learning process, as the

example of the reconciliation between France

and Germany showed us.

Finally, it is important to keep not only the

governments but also the parliaments regularly

well informed about RYCO’s activities and to

maintain a close dialogue. After all, the

parliaments have ratified the Agreement on the

Establishment of RYCO.

RYCO: What impresses you the most about

RYCO’s vision for youth empowerment and

cooperation in the Western Balkans?

Frank Morawietz: Firstly, I am impressed by the

RYCO team coming from all over the Western

Balkans working together at the Head Office in

Tirana and in the local branch offices. Working

together in such a team is a challenge that

should not be underestimated.

Then, RYCO’s work with the young people and

the partner organisations is also always

forward looking and it sets new standards. This

also means constantly questioning this work

and reacting to new challenges. Since the

projects and the RYCO team are growing very

fast, I believe it will be an important challenge

for RYCO and the Governing Board to not only

maintain the political spirit of RYCO from the

founding days but to develop it further.

Many young people in the Western Balkans are

curious and committed. They want to find their

place and have a future in their societies, in the

region and in Europe. They want to help shape

the future and live in societies in which the rule

of law and democratic rights are not just on

paper. They want an economic perspective.

They want to be free to decide how their

mobility looks like and not to decide this under

economic, political or social pressure. This can

only succeed if young citizens can play a

concrete role in shaping their societies. It can

only succeed if they do so in a regional and

European way of thinking and cooperating

across borders. RYCO offers important

strengthening, encouragement and support

here, if this regional and European esprit can

be further strengthened.

100

youth

What lays


ahead of us

101

youth


The Way Forward

Dear Reader,

We are so happy to see that you enjoyed your time reading this publication and hope that we

managed to offer you a great overview of the RYCO story. Moreover, we believe that you also

became inspired and motivated to keep up your great work of bringing the Western Balkans closer

together, especially our youth.

RYCO strongly believes that change is only possible through cooperation and joint endeavours.

We remain open to new partnerships, synergies and ideas because all of our efforts would be

futile without your support.

If you are one of the representatives of the six Western Balkan governments then we would like to

commend you for your commitment and contribution to the work of RYCO but also the work that you

have done in this region to make it a place where youth wish to stay, cooperate and create a better

tomorrow.

If you are among the great RYCO partners then we would like to take this opportunity to thank you

for your invaluable support in making our programmes even more impactful and our organisational

growth even stronger.

If we know each other through the implementation of one of the numerous RYCO supported youth

exchanges then we would like to encourage you to continue with your important work on making

our youth more empowered and bringing them closer together. Moreover, if you are a young

individual then we invite you to keep following our work and to join us in making a positive change in

the Western Balkans. We cannot do it without you.

Finally, if you are a member of the RYCO team then please rest assured that your contribution to

this region is already there. In time, when we start to see the benefits of a peaceful and more

connected region, you will be proud to witness the results of the work that you have done.

You must be wondering what next steps we envision and whole-heartedly believe in for the region.

These are simple to assume yet hard to complete. The next steps are to enhance our cooperation

and to work jointly and tirelessly together even when politics and external challenges push us

back. We believe that these four years of RYCO are yet more proof that things can move forward

when you are dedicated and committed to achieving your goals together with your partners.

Let us be clear, the RYCO success story is not about RYCO, it is about all of you being engaged and

involved in our work. That is why we want to broaden and deepen our partnerships with each one

of you: our six governments, partners, donors and supporters, beneficiaries, young people and

each member of our team. Together with you, we can be role models and the inspiration for so

many people in the Western Balkans and even beyond. Let us grasp this opportunity and not miss

the chance to make this region flourish in peace and prosperity.

…and don't forget one thing - the better region already started with YOUth!

Yours ever,

Đuro Blanuša and Fatos Mustafa

RYCO Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General

102

103

Let us be clear, the RYCO

success story is not about RYCO,

it is about all of you being

engaged and involved in our

work. Together with you, we could

be the role models and inspiration

for so many people in the

Western Balkans and even

beyond.

IMPRESSUM

Disclaimers

This publication is a joint endeavour of the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO),

University of Vienna, Sigmund Freud University Vienna and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für

Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, ORF Promotion of EU-Integration, on behalf

of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Its

content is the sole responsibility of the RYCO Secretariat and, in the case of signed articles

and quotes, the responsibility of the author(s). The opinions expressed in this publication

do not necessarily represent the views of the RYCO Governing Board, RYCO Advisory

Board, University of Vienna, Sigmund Freud University Vienna, GIZ or BMZ.

If not indicated differently, the photographs and graphic elements featured in this

publication are the intellectual property of the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO).

In the case of individual portraits, if not indicated differently, the photographs are from

individuals' personal/institutional archives.

Printing and design of this publication was financed by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für

Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for

Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Publisher

Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO)

Rruga Skënderbej 8/2/2, Tirana, Albania

office@rycowb.org

www.rycowb.org

Authors

RYCO Secretariat: Đuro Blanuša, Fatos Mustafa, Jan Zlatan Kulenović, Rudina Lula,

Bojana Bulatović, Nikola Ristić and Dea Elmasllari

Youth Representatives in the RYCO Governing Board: Françeska Muço, Edis Papashtica,

Andrea Mićanović, Vladimir Gjorgjevski and Marko Kostić

Former Youth Representatives in the RYCO Governing Board: Milica Škiljević, Dimitrije

Jovićević, Arianit Jashari, Danijela Topić and Dafina Peci

University of Vienna: Dr Michaela Griesbeck, Dr Eva Tamara Asboth, Julia Anna Schranz

BA BA MA

Sigmund Freud University Vienna: Aisha Futura Tüchler BA Msc

Crossborder Factory: Nicolas Moll

Scientific Research

Franz Vranitzky Chair for European Studies of the University of Vienna and the Faculty of

Psychology at the Sigmund Freud University Vienna

Design

Almir Kurt, Boram doo, Sarajevo

Proofreading

Christopher Hughes

Print

Optigraf d.o.o., Sarajevo

104

ISBN 978-9928-4505-2-4

Circulation:

1500

All rights reserved

© Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO)

Tirana, Albania

November 2020

CIP Katalogimi në botim BK Tiranë

Regional Youth Cooperation Office

A better region starts with youth / Regional Youth Cooperation Office.

– Tiranë : Zyra Rajonale për Bashkëpunim Rinor, 2020

104 f. : me foto ; 28 cm.

ISBN 978-9928-4505-2-4

1.Të rinj 2.Organizata 3.Sociologjia 4.Planifikimi strategjik

5.Ballkani Perëndimor

316.346.32 -053.6(497)

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RYCO Publication: A Better Region Starts with YOUth (2020)

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