The Democracy for Development Institute (D4D) presented the Youth Participation Index during a conference. This index gives a full picture of the opportunities young people have in political, economic, and social areas, using 25 different indicators.
After sharing the main findings from the index, the event continued with a discussion. The panel included Muhamet Klinaku from the Employment Agency of Kosovo and Vedat Jashari from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. They shared their experiences and gave suggestions about how to better involve young people.
A main topic of the discussion was the Youth Guarantee—a program seen as a key way to help young people, especially in finding jobs.
Youth still have very little representation in politics. Among all the countries studied, only Kosovo had deputy ministers under age 30, and only North Macedonia and Serbia had mayors under 30.
Muhamet Klinaku said it’s very important for young people to get more involved in issues like jobs and personal growth. The goal of the program is for every young person who registers at the Employment Office to get a job offer within four months. He encouraged young people to register so they can get real opportunities. The Employment Agency runs the program, but young people must first go to the Employment Office. He also said that the new Youth Law has made it easier to collect data. Now, thanks to the Civil Registry, the agency can also identify those receiving social assistance and better target support.
One big challenge, though, is the need to train local staff to better support the program.
Vedat Jashari stressed that young people need to be involved in creating the Youth Guarantee program. He said youth—especially those from rural areas, marginalized communities, and young women—helped shape the program with their feedback. He also mentioned that many young people don’t trust institutions, and one of the Ministry’s goals is to better inform them about the opportunities and support programs available.
The project “Stronger Voices for Better Choices” is led by the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation, together with partner organizations.
