The two-day international Youth Conference on Community Engagement took place on 27th and 28th November at the Hotel Ambasador in Niš, bringing together young leaders, activists, experts, and representatives of organizations from Serbia, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Cyprus. The event was organized as part of the European project Youth4Development, supported by the EU under the CERV program.
The conference was officially opened by Snežana Andrić, President of Young Ambassadors, and Loreta Isak, Project Manager at the Center for Non-Profit Law (CLNR) from Romania. They presented the mission of the event: creating a space for dialogue, cooperation, and exchange of experiences among young people, while also showcasing the main results of the Youth4Development project.
The educational program began with the panel discussion Supporting European Youth Communities: Learning from Each Other, where European project partners spoke about strengthening youth networks, challenges in working with young people, and models of international cooperation. Recommendations from the Youth4Development project were highlighted as guidelines for the improvement of youth policies. This was followed by an online keynote by the Belgian organization Diesis Network, titled New European Bauhaus in Practice, presenting successful European examples of inclusive local development, green transition, and their application in youth initiatives. The program continued with the session Opportunities for Youth: Exchanges and Studying Abroad at EU Universities, delivered by Milena Kostić, Vice President of the Erasmus Student Network, and Teodora Milosavljević, an Erasmus+ exchange participant. They introduced participants to available scholarships, exchange application procedures, and the academic and professional benefits of international education. During the session Get Involved in Youth Initiatives: Projects by Young Ambassadors, Aleksandar Stamenković presented projects of Young Ambassadors and encouraged participants to engage in local initiatives and community development.
In the session Advocacy Matters: Youth Ideas for Development, young participants presented proposals focused on social inclusion, environmental protection, and innovative approaches to local engagement. The first day concluded with a plaque ceremony recognizing eight participants as Ambassadors for Social Inclusion and Environmental Protection.
The second day was out of the conference room, participants visited the Science and Technology Park Niš, exploring startups, innovation teams, and support models for young entrepreneurs, followed by a guided tour of the Niš Fortress. The day ended with a partners’ meeting to review results and plan future cooperation. The conference concluded with the message that young people are ambassadors of knowledge and key drivers of social development, and that international cooperation, open dialogue, and cross-sector networking form the foundation for building responsible, strong, and sustainable communities across Europe.