PROJECT ID
- Finance Instrument: U.S. Embassy in North Macedonia
- Action Type: Youth peacebuilding, reconciliation, regional cooperation,
civic engagement
- Project Status: Completed
- Implementation Period: June 2022 – December 2022
- Funded by: U.S.
Embassy in North Macedonia
- Lead Organization: Youth Alliance – Krusevo
- Project partners: Civil society organizations and youth leaders from North
Macedonia, Serbia, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Main aim: To
empower young people to actively contribute to peacebuilding and
reconciliation processes in the Western Balkans through systemic thinking,
cross-border dialogue and youth-led solutions.
Project
Logic
IF young people from post-conflict
societies are provided with safe spaces for dialogue, practical tools for
systemic analysis and opportunities for cross-border cooperation, AND IF they
are enabled to co-create solutions and policy recommendations grounded in
shared realities, THEN they can become active drivers of resilient peace,
strengthen trust between divided communities, and contribute to long-term
regional cooperation in the Western Balkans.
Key Achievements
Youth engagement and
participation
- 173 applications received from four Western Balkan countries
- Participants aged 16–35 from diverse socio-economic and geographic
backgrounds
- Inclusion of youth from outside capital cities (55%+ from
non-capital areas in several countries)
- Strong representation of marginalized and diverse groups
High-quality project
delivery
- 94.1% of participants rated the conference with the highest grade
- 76.5% stated the event fully met their expectations
- 70.6% strongly agreed they benefited through new knowledge and
connections
Regional networking
and partnership creation
- 61.8% of participants developed partnerships as a result of the
project
- 70.5% stated they are contributing or plan to contribute to
follow-up initiatives
- Strengthened cooperation between YAK and regional partners (e.g.,
AKTIV Kosovo, Divac Foundation Serbia)
Systemic
peacebuilding innovation
- Creation of a comprehensive Resilient Peace System Map
identifying 8 fields of action: Reconciliation and Bilateral Process; Peace
and Human Development; Regional Governance; Inclusive Peace; Resilient
Response to Conflict; Trust and Local Owned Solutions; Human Rights and
Education; Social Cohesion and Youth Participation.
Visibility and
outreach
- 85 social media posts across platforms
- 35,679 social media reach
- Over 30 media articles published
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Main Results and Outputs
- Initial regional pilot meeting in Ohrid (June 2022)
- Youth Lens on Peace & Reconciliation Conference (November 2022)
- Resilient Peace System Map (published and disseminated)
- Youth Policy Brief on peace and reconciliation
- Digital shared working space for continued cooperation
- Media and social media campaign
- New youth-led project ideas developed (Youth SEE Peace, Youth Kult Lines, Youth Kult Zone)
Impact
On Young People
Participants gained
practical knowledge on reconciliation, systemic thinking and regional
cooperation.They developed deeper empathy toward neighboring communities and
challenged entrenched stereotypes through direct dialogue. Face-to-face
interaction humanized “the other side,” strengthening trust and collaborative
potential.
On Regional
Communities
The project created
ripple effects through knowledge transfer, peer-sharing and follow-up
collaborations.
Participants returned to their communities equipped with tools and new
perspectives to promote inclusive narratives and resilient cooperation.
On Stakeholders
Educational institutions, municipalities, youth workers and civil society actors were exposed to youth-driven solutions and systemic insights that can inform policy development and cooperation mechanisms.
KEY DOCUMENTS and esources
YOUTH MANIFESTO RESILIENT PEACE SYSTEM MAP
