Discussing the role of the youth of Western Balkans in contribution to sustainability goals we should first define which countries are considered Western Balkans. The group consists of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Montenegro, Kosovo and
Serbia. Young people from these countries are engaging in environmental protection within the frames of youth exchange projects.
One of the examples is Regional Youth Cooperation Office who organized in 2021 a project called #3forECO which strengthened cross-border cooperation among youth and educational institutions in the field of ecology and environmental protection. It also raised awareness on the importance of environmental sustainability and protection through youth engagement in cross-border activities.
In the article published by International Organization for Migration it is said that one of the factors of migration of Bosnia and Herzegovina youth is the pollution of air in the cities.
This is why a program “Bosnia & Herzegovina: Engaging Youth in Environmentally and Socio-Economically Sustainable Initiatives” was created.
The goal was to address the socio-economic factors that contribute to youth dissatisfaction in BiH communities. IOM supported young people to participate in environmental preservation and improvement activities through initiatives and community actions for fostering social cohesion and climate resilience. Through such programs Western Balkan youth can build international partnerships to work towards a common goal of the creation of a more sustainable future. Our project Fast Forward is also focused on networking and connecting people with similar interests in environmental rights. We strive to create fruitful collaborations which focus on a green change.
As one of the journalists of an online portal Hajde! says, young people’s awareness of environmental problems in the Western Balkans is undoubtedly growing. However, insufficient knowledge of environmental problems leads to failed environmental protests. She mentions that due to the lack of results, the motivation for action decreases, so does the faith of young people that their voice is being heard. Not everyone is giving up though. We can observe protests organized by environmental activists, like the one in Belgrade, Serbia in 2021. Youth demanded clear air for a better future. Protests are a form of pressure on politicians to act upon the right to live in a safe and healthy environment. It is also a collective rising of environmental awareness in the Balkans as these actions get media coverage.
Recently, youth of Bosnia and Herzegovina have become more active too. Amar Kavdić, the founder of the “Let’s do it” movement from Tuzla, explains that so far 191,981 volunteers have participated in activities of cleaning illegal landfills and planting trees, and have altogether cleaned about 15,370 tons of waste and planted 475,716 trees. All of these examples show that the youth is ready to come together and work towards the global sustainability goals. This is exactly what our project Fast Forward is aiming for – providing tools for the young people from Western Balkans to further focus on the best practices for a sustainable future.
MORE ABOUT THE PROJECT
The project “Engage, connect and empower youth for a sustainable green future” is focused on two European Youth Goals: quality learning and sustainable green Europe. It aims at implementing a creative strategy in terms of capacity building for the new generation actually
facing the problems of tomorrow related to environment degradation, climate change, and sustainability issues.
The target group of the project is youth trainers/workers, organizations, young activists in Albania, local/national authorities, and citizens of Albania and Europe. The project will focus in bringing the EU practices and translate them into tangible tools for youth in Western Balkan in order to fast forward the green transition. The core of the project, capacity building, will be achieved through a critical number of activities, such as ToT, Youth exchanges, toolkits and manuals. These activities will spill over throughout non-formal learning providers
benefitting staff, youth, and key stakeholders in the process.
Overall, with this project Build Green Group will promote and improve capacity building for youth in important areas such as climate change awareness, environment digitalization, environmental justice, innovation & research, contribution to SDGs, and creation of fruitful
partnerships. The topic addressed and activities designed to make the project have a local, national, and EU impact, specifically in bringing EU practices in WB.