Regional Youth Cooperation Office - RYCO

23/09/2026

Today in Podgorica, the Western Balkans Youth Ministerial Meeting brought together ministers, institutions, embassies and regional and international partners to discuss the next steps for regional youth cooperation and stronger youth participation in decision-making. 🤝

Organised by RYCO and the Ministry of Sports and Youth of Montenegro as part of Montenegro’s 2026 Chairmanship of the Berlin Process, the meeting brought the recommendations developed by young people at the Western Balkans Youth Forum in Budva to the table with decision-makers.

As RYCO marks 10 years, the meeting also advanced RYCOncile – RYCO Youth Trust Fund, a new mechanism designed to support youth initiatives and strengthen regional cooperation, mobility, inclusion and trust-building.

📍From Budva to Podgorica – and the journey of youth recommendations continues.

The meeting was also supported through the multi-donor Western Balkans School Exchange Scheme, funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and jointly implemented by RYCO and GIZ.

Read more in the article below 👇🏼

Podgorica, 23 September 2026 – The Western Balkans Youth Ministerial Meeting, held within the framework of the Berlin Process, brought together ministers and representatives of institutions responsible for youth from across the region, alongside representatives of embassies, regional and internati...

21/09/2026

On this International Day of Peace, we celebrate the young people and communities across the Western Balkans who keep showing up.

At RYCO, we believe investing in peace means investing in young people: their ideas, their participation and their ability to shape the communities they live in.

For everyone, everywhere, every day. 🕊️

14/09/2026

Call for Participation 📢

The Local Branch Office in Albania, in collaboration with FES in Albania invites motivated young professionals from Albania’s CSO sector to join a three-day capacity building training in Albania.

❗ 12-14 October 2026
❗ Registration deadline: October 4, 2026

This training will bring together 15 young professionals working in civil society to strengthen their hashtag skills, with a particular focus on regional hashtag , hashtag , and hashtag .

🔗 Complete the short online registration form here: https://shorturl.at/gnWe1

🔗 Read more here: www.rycowb.org/call-for-participation-capacity-building-training-in-tirana/

The Local Branch Office in Albania, in collaboration with Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Tirana (FES), invites motivated young professionals from Albania’s CSO sector to join a three-day capacity building training in Albania. Dates: 13-15 October 2026 Location: Albania Registration deadline: October

08/09/2026

🏆 The 2026 Volunteerism of the Year Awards are open for applications and nominations, to recognize individuals, businesses, diaspora representatives, public figures, and volunteers with life-changing contributions who have brought positive change to the community.

📅 Nominations are open until 25 October 2026.

🔗 Click the link below to nominate yourself or someone you know! TOKA

https://toka-ks.org/en/nominations-for-the-2026-volunteerism-awards-are-now-open/

02/09/2026

Ready to turn sport into skills, connections and positive change? 🤝

Applications are now open for the 2nd Youth Summer School, taking place from 14–18 September 2026 in Dojran.

Under the theme “Sport for Development,” the Summer School will bring together 60 young people aged 15–29 from across North Macedonia to learn, exchange ideas and explore how sport can strengthen teamwork, inclusion and personal development.

📅 Apply by 6 September 2026

Learn more and access the application form through the official call.

The Ministry of Social Policy, Demography and Youth, in cooperation with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO), is inviting young people to apply for the 2nd National Youth Summer School. The Summer School will take plac

02/09/2026

The 7th RYCOnnecting YOUth Open Call is officially in motion! ✨

The journey began in Zenica, where young people from Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia and Serbia came together for the Regional Youth Camp of Atlas of Unspoken Emotions: Mapping Dialogue in Post-Conflict Societies.

They talked about the past their generation inherited, challenged prejudices and found connection in shared experiences. By the end of the camp, they had created 12 original artworks—and laid the foundations for the Atlas of Unspoken Emotions, a tool that will help more young people start conversations that are often avoided.

Because sometimes, what connects us most is what we struggle to say. 💬

📍 The following activity received support through RYCO’s recently launched Open Call for CSO project proposals named RYCOnnecting You(th).

01/09/2026

YPS 101 is back: meet Pillar 3—Prevention. 👀

It’s about spotting the signs, listening to young people and taking action before harm has time to grow.

Because acting early? Always a better move.

📍 This activity is supported through the RYCOgnizing YPS granting scheme, supported by German Cooperation and implemented by RYCO.

31/08/2026

Good ideas need the right tools to grow. 💡

For the 9th year in a row, RYCO Serbia, with the support of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, brought together 15 civil society representatives for a four-day training on advancing the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda.

From meaningful youth participation to project design, budgeting and pitching, participants gained practical tools to turn ideas into initiatives that put young people at the centre of peacebuilding.

📖 Take a look at the full article for more insights from the training

VRNJAČKA BANJA— The RYCO Local Branch Office in Serbia, with the support of the OSCE Mission to Serbia, organized for the ninth year in a row a capacity-building training, aimed at strengthening civil society organisations’ capacities to develop and implement projects advancing the Youth, Peace...

28/08/2026

🧩