Summary of organization’s strategic orientation
The National Youth Council of Serbia is the highest independent representative body of youth in Serbia that gathers 111 yout-led and youth-oriented associations from all over Serbia, with the mission of advocating for the improvement of the position of young people in the country. KOMS is a platform through which young people and their associations, through an alliance, influence decision-makers to create, implement and monitor policies that affect the position of young people, through the inclusion of young people in all stages of decision-making and implementation, viewing them as equal partners. KOMS has been implementing its activities and advocacy initiatives since 2011 and is a full member of the European Youth Forum.
Summary of the supported project
With this project, KOMS plans to contribute to the improvement of the position of young people and the development of youth policy by advocating for a new mechanism of intersectoral cooperation – Youth Test, and establishing a system that will enable young people to influence decisions made not only in youth departments or youth-specific policies, but also in other sectors and policies that may influence them.
Project goal(s)
General goal: Strengthening the participatory democratic culture and the influence of young people on the improvement of policies that affect them.
Specific goal(s): 1. Increasing the effectiveness of the influence of young people and their organizations on changes in key public policies. 2. Increasing public and institutional awareness of the importance of active participation of youth organizations in development initiatives in all sectors.
Beneficiaries
Youth (aged 15 to 30); youth and for-youth organizations – member organizations of KOMS, student parliaments; local self-government units, institutions, public institutions: Government of the Republic of Serbia and its ministries.
Main activities
1. Creation of a guide for checking policies – Youth Test
1.1. Consultative process with young people, their associations, and other actors
1.2 Creation of the guide
2. Youth-testing policies and practical application of the Guide
2.1. Piloting the mechanism for the development of youth policies
2.1.1. Local consultations with young people
2.1.2. National consultation for the Youth Test pilot program
3. Spreading information about the Youth Test mechanism and advocating for its wider application
3.1. Advocacy campaign for young people on social networks
3.2. Advocacy campaign toward institutions/future users
