WESTERN BALKANS – Within the ROUTE WB6 project, a consolidation workshop focusing on the finalization of the Regional Volunteering Exchange Program took place online from 28 to 30 October. The program is being designed to serve as a key mechanism for youth mobility, volunteering and peacebuilding in the Western Balkans. It will contribute to experiential learning and enable young people to act as drivers of change and reconciliation in the region. WESTERN BALKANS – Within the ROUTE WB6 project, a consolidation workshop focusing on the finalization of the Regional Volunteering Exchange Program took place online from 28 to 30 October. The program is being designed to serve as a key mechanism for youth mobility, volunteering and peacebuilding in the Western Balkans. It will contribute to experiential learning and enable young people to act as drivers of change and reconciliation in the region.

During the three-day workshop, participants evaluated the three prototypes of the program and came up with solutions on how to effectively increase its impact as well as make the program accessible and effective for youth in the region.

The three prototypes of the volunteering projects include three-day programs, two-week programs and two-month programs. Each of them involves elements of intercultural learning, social cohesion, meaningful community volunteering and diverse volunteering activities. Furthermore, each of them is planned to be finalized in consultations with the volunteers from the region and their contribution will form an integral part of the program.

In conclusion to the three days of the workshop, RYCO Director of Programs Mr Jan Zlatan Kulenović took the opportunity to highlight key components and results of the workshop, and their relevance to the objectives of the program.

“This workshop was successful on several levels. The first one relates to its content and the possibility of creating an innovative program with impactful results. Moreover, its specific and clear methodology will also play a crucial role. Thirdly, the networking spaces for different people coming from different backgrounds and fields of expertise are an important added value,” Mr Kulenović stated.

The ROUTE WB6 project is envisaged to provide young people in the region with a meaningful volunteering experience that will contribute to their local and regional communities as well as help in building cohesion in the Western Balkans.

The Regional Volunteering Exchange Program will be one of the project’s key outcomes. It will provide a valuable volunteering experience to young people in the Western Balkans, in a manner that allows them to improve teamwork competencies, explore intercultural dimensions and tap into the volunteering potential for improving the stability and prosperity of their communities.

Implemented by a consortium led by RYCO in association with Beyond Barriers, South East European Youth Network, Lens, Youth Cultural Center Bitola, Association for Democratic Prosperity Zid and Young Researchers of Serbia, the project promotes cross-border long-term and short-term volunteering to strengthen regional reconciliation and intercultural dialogue.