Written by Gjorgji Ristov, Young European Ambassador

What happens when students from all three high schools in a small Macedonian town sit down with their mayor, without speeches or podiums, and just talk? Kavadarci gave the answer on 7 April 2026: a new kind of participatory democracy, a direct pipeline from youth ideas to the municipal budget, and a model that the whole region can follow.As a Young European Ambassador, I have always believed that meaningful youth participation is not about listening to young people once a year – it is about giving them a real seat at the table where budgets are decided. That is why, on 7 April 2026, I organised the “Youth Incubator: From Idea to Municipal Budget 2027” forum in Kavadarci, North Macedonia. The event brought together 22 young participants, 18 students from all three high schools in Kavadarci (SOU “Gjorče Petrov”, SU “Dobri Daskalov”, and SOU “Kiro Spandžov – Brko”) and 4 representatives from local youth NGOs. We divided them into seven mixed teams, breaking the usual school boundaries so that students who normally never work together had to collaborate.

Three themes, seven teams, one goal. The young people worked on three thematic areas inspired by the EU Youth Strategy 2019-2027 and the EU Youth Check: Digital and smart municipality, green mobility and urban development, youth infrastructure and culture. Each team developed concrete proposals, from bicycle lanes with LED lights embedded in the asphalt, to smart benches with solar-powered USB chargers, and a digital platform called “Kavadarci Smart City” where citizens can report problems and vote on youth projects. Under green mobility, students specifically proposed introducing electric tricycles and electric scooters as a sustainable and accessible way for young people to move around the city.

The most powerful moment was not a formal presentation. It was the coffee break. During that time, the 18 students sat down informally with the Mayor of Kavadarci, Mitko Janchev. No prepared speeches, no microphones. Just young people explaining their ideas directly to the person who signs the budget, and the Mayor listening, asking questions, and giving instant feedback. For many students, it was the first time they felt that their voice actually mattered. “This is not just a national reference. This is an international reference. A small town with a big idea.” – I said that at the closing, and I truly believe it.

So, what happens next? The ideas generated during the forum will now be reviewed by the Local Youth Council of Kavadarci. The best proposals will be developed into a formal project proposal with a realistic budget, to be submitted to the Municipality by November 2026 for inclusion in the 2027 budget. A working group composed of mentors, students, and youth council members will continue the work in the coming months.

Kavadarci is a town of about 40,000 people. It is not the capital, nor a big regional centre. But on 7 April 2026, it became one of the first municipalities in the Western Balkans to implement a structured, guaranteed path from youth ideas to an actual budget line. This is the essence of the EU Youth Strategy, making young people “architects of their own lives”, applied at the local level.

The event also directly implements North Macedonia’s Law on Youth Participation and Youth Policies (Official Gazette No. 10/2020), which requires municipalities to allocate at least 0.1% of their budget to youth activities. According to 2024 monitoring reports by the National Youth Council of North Macedonia, only nine municipalities complied with this legal minimum. Kavadarci now has a chance to become a positive example.

Acknowledgements:

This initiative would not have been possible without the support of the Young European Ambassadors (YEA) network, the European Union, and the WeBalkans programme. I also extend my deepest gratitude to the Municipality of Kavadarci, Mayor Mitko Janchev, Director Zoran Milevski of SOU “Dobri Daskalov”, all the mentors and professors, and, most of all, the 22 young people who showed that age is not a barrier to shaping the future of your community.