Young people are the driving force of our society
The local association “Vila Zora” from Veles recently launched a project aimed at inclusive dialogue between youth and local authorities as a means of improving life and conditions in the community, while also improving youth participation and involvement in the creation of local policies and decisions.
For the needs of this project, was created an innovative online platform https://zeleni-moznosti.mk/
At the same time, young people, as well as all citizens in the municipality and beyond, can ask questions, share ideas, and participate in solving environmental challenges in the municipality. In this way, young people are encouraged to be leaders in the processes of improving the environment, and this platform will be a bridge between them and the local authorities.
Also, the website has an online form for reporting any environmental problem in the Municipality of Veles and thus contributes to a more ecological municipality.
Articles, information, news that are important for the environment and young people in the Balkans and Europe are also published.
The problem that needs to be addressed with the help of this project is the lack of active participation and communication between the youth and the local government in our community. Young people often face challenges and needs that are not adequately considered in the processes of creating policies and decisions, which results in insufficient satisfaction of their needs and lack of responsibility of the local government towards young people.
This problem is concretized in the lack of active dialogue and mechanisms for the participation of young people in the formation of policies and programs. The creators of this digital platform believe that it will build a youth dialogue and organize discussions and workshops, calls for small grants, etc. Using digital technology, the project will address the barriers to communication and participation of young people in the community, using innovative methods of dialogue.
The project has the potential to leave long-term impacts on youth participation and communication, which is in line with the priorities of the call for small grants to support inclusive youth policies and participation in problem-solving processes involving youth and the environment.
Students from the second year of “Dimitrija Chupovski” – Veles, Republic of North Macedonia