Peer and gender-based violence along with an unhealthy lifestyle and risk of radicalization remain a pressing problem in schools and juvenile correctional institutions in the Western Balkans, fuelled by gender stereotypes and social and cultural norms, and exacerbated by a challenging socio-economic context, with high unemployment and migration rates and political uncertainty.

Impact

The long-term objective is to contribute to creating positive and peaceful societies for young people in Serbia, Kosovo, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina that embrace and promote gender equality and non-violence.

Outcome

Gender-transformative life skills education was fostered to become an integral part of education programs at schools and juvenile correctional institutions.

Main Activities

• Trainings of trainers for teachers & peer educators on Program Y
• Development of Program Y guidelines for universities, and organization and delivery of workshops on Program Y for university students
• Development, design, translation and printing of textbooks on Program Y for high school students and Program Y manual for elementary and high schools
• Implementation of Program Y workshops and campaign activities in elementary and high schools
• Organization of regional Youth Summer Camps
• Development of an online course on Program Y for peer educators
• Signing MoU with youth correctional facilities
• Development of a manual on Program Y Plus for working with youth at risk in correctional facilities
• Capacity building for partner organisations on Program Y Plus
• Program Y Plus trainings for social welfare staff and workshops for youth at risk
• Establishment of Be a Man Clubs (BMC) and BMC activities for youth in correctional facilities
• Organization of workshops and campaign activities for youth in correctional facilities
• Meetings with coalition partners and task group members for strengthening the Future4Youth Movement for life skills education
• Capacity building on advocacy and movement building for coalition partners
• BMC and BMC alumni activities in the frame of the Future4Youth Movement
• Future4Youth Movement campaign development (slogans, visual and media applications)
• Implementation of advocacy and raising awareness activities
• Country level research (Situation Analysis) to inform the development of institutionalization strategies for gender transformative life skills education
• Advocacy meetings, and establishment and facilitation of working groups for the institutionalization of life skills education (institutionalization strategy development)
• Final Regional Conference with representatives of all target groups

Participants

The project works directly with 65,690 participants:

• 47,800 young people from ages 11 to 30 in elementary schools, high schools, universities, as well as youth in communities
• 500 high and elementary school teachers and education staff,
• 160 social welfare staff,
• at least 17,000 local stakeholders in mobilized communities,
• at least 30 representatives of seven local partner organizations, and
• at least 200 representatives of decision-making government institutions.