Youth empowerment enabling prospects – YEEP 2

Overall objective: The project focuses on improved employment prospects and active participation in the labor market of vulnerable and disadvantage youth in the municipality of Gjilan.

Project goals:

• To address the needs of young people who grow up in alternative care and families confronted with socio-economic exclusion;
• To improve current conditions pertaining to youth empowerment, employment prospects and active participation in the labor market of vulnerable youth;
• To achieve synergies in the delivery of services to the benefit of young people directly or through local actors to use a comprehensive, holistic and effective methodology in their work with young people at risk;
• To increase social and personal skills for socio-economic integration of vulnerable young people (at least 40% female)
• To increase political decision-makers’ awareness of the needs of vulnerable youth, in order to formulate and implement support strategies for the socio-economic integration of vulnerable youth;
• To promote the advocacy capacities of young people and their rights to socio-economic integration and employment, in order to create a positive and supportive environment in which young people can prosper, exchange experiences and interact socially;
• To combat youth unemployment by implementing concrete actions and developing recommendations for actions, shared with decision-makers.

Project results:

• 5 companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for mentoring, coaching and training young people to promote their employment;
• 72 young people actively participated in life and work skills training sessions;
• 72 young people, 50% of them females, professionalized and ready for the labour market;
• 30% of young people benefit from practical work/internship;
• 30% of young people are employed;
• Draft recommendation on how local institutions can support vulnerable people;
• Engaging young people in addressing their unemployment problems and supporting underrepresented youth.