Regional Youth Cooperation Office - RYCO

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

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26/08/2026

Young people are turning the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda into action! ✨

Through the RYCOgnizing YPS Open Call, our grantee Građanska alijansa brought young people, institutions, and civil society together to strengthen youth participation, intercultural dialogue, and peacebuilding.

At a consultative meeting in Podgorica, participants explored how young people can become active partners in decision-making and peacebuilding. The meeting also marked the signing of a coalition for the implementation of the YPS Agenda and a Memorandum of Cooperation, strengthening collaboration for safer, more inclusive, and peaceful communities.

Meanwhile, 20 high school students from Plav and Herceg Novi came together through an exchange between the two communities. Through workshops, discussions, and cultural visits, they challenged prejudices, learned from one another, and built new friendships.

Because peace grows when young people have the space to connect, participate, and shape their communities together. 💬🤝

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

25/08/2026

Can you feel it too? 🎒

21/08/2026

🇪🇺 To EU or not EU? It’s time for young people to join the conversation.

RYCO, in partnership with the Austrian Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs, invites young people from across the WB6 to apply for “Experience Enlargement: The Youth Dialogue at WB6.”

Selected participants will take part in a four-day programme in Vienna, from 1–4 November 2026, exchanging perspectives on EU enlargement, youth participation and the future of the region.

📅 Apply by 1 September 2026
🔗 Learn more and submit your application: https://lnkd.in/e9qMGnvW

19/08/2026

Kinda chic to look back and realise how much can begin with one connection. ✨

Through the 6th RYCOnnecting YOUth Open Call, 13 regional projects brought together 381 young participants across the region. The projects created space for trust-building, meaningful participation, restorative practices, environmental engagement, creativity, reflection on the past, and new regional connections.

Different ideas. Different approaches. One shared belief: young people can help shape more connected and peaceful societies.

Now, a new chapter begins with the grantees of the 7th Open Call and we are more than ready to see where their ideas take us next. 👀

18/08/2026

The training may be over, but the work is moving forward. 🎯

In Bečej, young people are continuing to build on the knowledge, ideas and conversations developed through the training.

Through , our grantee Krovna organizacija mladih Srbije is supporting them in taking the next step, turning learning into concrete local action and creating more space for meaningful youth participation.

Because youth-led peacebuilding is not just about discussing change. It is about creating the conditions for young people to make it happen. 🤝

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