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Superschools Youth Camp 2026 brings together over 100 young people in Zlatibor under the 4th Open Call

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in Stories.

As part of the 4th Open Call of the Superschools programme, the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) brought together more than 100 young people from across the Western Balkans for the Superschools Youth Camp 2026, held in Zlatibor from 14 to 19 May.  

Building on five years of Superschools and a decade of RYCO’s work in fostering regional cooperation, the Youth Camp served as a vibrant space where young people could connect , develop essential life skills, and experience firsthand the power of intercultural dialogue and cooperation. From the very first day, participants were immersed in a welcoming and inclusive environment, engaging in structured activities designed to help them get to know each other, build trust, and establish a strong sense of group belonging, setting the tone for a week centered around collaboration and shared experiences.  

Throughout the programme, the Youth Camp combined interactive workshops with experiential learning, placing a strong focus on teamwork, communication, and problem-solving. Through a series of group-building sessions, participants worked together on practical challenges that strengthened cooperation, improved active listening, and fostered mutual trust, while daily reflection sessions provided space to process experiences, share insights, and deepen learning.  

Reflecting on the programme, Teodora Vučković, a student from Montenegro, said: 

“Superschools is a great opportunity to meet new people, have a good time, connect with others, and create new experiences.” 

Echoing this spirit, Gabriela Gjoreska student from North Macedonia added: 

“Superschools gives young people the chance to step outside their everyday environment, take on new challenges, and learn from peers with different perspectives. It is a space where friendships are built through shared experiences, and where young people can grow, connect, and better understand one another.” 

A key highlight of the camp was the combination of Adventure Park challenges and Sports for Development (S4D) activities, where participants were encouraged to step out of their comfort zones, test their limits, build resilience, and rely on one another to complete both individual and group tasks, reinforcing a strong sense of solidarity and collective achievement.  

In parallel, the programme placed a strong emphasis on values-driven learning through dedicated RYCO thematic workshops focusing on identity and intercultural understanding, where participants explored diversity, reflected on their own perspectives, and engaged in meaningful discussions on shared values and coexistence in the region.  

For Noara Isufi from Albania, this sense of connection became one of the most meaningful outcomes of the programme: 

“Superschools helped me find a new family. It truly helped me connect with people whom I didn’t think I would ever connect with. So now I could positively say that I have three sisters”

The Youth Camp reached its peak on 18 May with the Superschools Regional Education Conference, which brought together participants, educators, and stakeholders to reflect on the achievements of the programme and discuss its future impact, providing a platform for young voices to be heard and for experiences from the exchanges to be shared more broadly across the region. The camp concluded with evaluation sessions, certificate distribution, and a collective farewell, marking not just the end of a programme, but the beginning of lasting connections and continued collaboration among participants, who return to their communities as ambassadors of dialogue, cooperation, and positive change. As part of the 4th Open Call of Superschools, this Youth Camp once again reaffirmed the programme’s role in building bridges between young people and contributing to a more connected, inclusive, and cooperative Western Balkans. 

About the Superschools program  

“Superschools” is a program for school exchanges in the Western Balkans. Its objectives are to support peacebuilding, reconciliation, and intercultural learning and dialogue among schools, students, and their communities. The program is part of the multi-donor project “Western Balkans School Exchange Scheme,” co-financed by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) together with the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO). 

Albania one step closer to the EU after meeting fundamentals benchmarks

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in News.

Albania has reached a defining milestone on its path to EU membership. At the eighth meeting of the Accession Conference, held under the Cyprus presidency of the Council of the EU, Member States confirmed that the country has, overall, met the interim benchmarks for Cluster 1: Fundamentals, covering the functioning of democratic institutions, public administration reform, the rule of law chapters and economic criteria.

The decision means Albania becomes the second candidate country, after Montenegro, to meet the interim rule of law benchmarks. With this step, the EU and Albania are now in a position to start closing negotiating chapters, opening a new, more demanding phase of the accession process focused on implementation, solid track records and lasting results.

“Today’s milestone for Albania confirms the fulfilment of the interim benchmarks for the fundamentals cluster. It demonstrates the country’s commitment to further advance its path towards EU membership,” said Marilena Raouna, Deputy Minister for European affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, speaking on behalf of the presidency. “Enlargement is a geopolitical necessity for the EU and a top priority for the Cyprus presidency. It is a merit-based process, in which determined reforms lead to concrete progress towards accession.”

European Commissioner for Enlargement Marta Kos described the moment as the result of more than a decade of work by Albania and its people. “Albania adopted laws to protect fundamental rights and vulnerable groups. It strengthened the right to a fair trial. It vetted hundreds of judges and prosecutors. It built new judicial institutions to reduce political influence in the justice system,” she said. “It’s a moment to celebrate. But it is also a moment for Albania to double down on reforms, involve all political forces, listen to civil society and deliver changes that matter to people’s daily lives. A big step forward. And now, back to work.”

Today’s meeting builds on the opening of all negotiating clusters with Albania, concluded with the cluster on Resources, agriculture and cohesion on 17 November 2025. The EU has also set benchmarks for the provisional closure of the chapters under cluster 1, and the Accession Conference will return to this cluster at an appropriate moment. Monitoring of Albania’s alignment with and implementation of the EU acquis and European standards will continue throughout the negotiations.

About the cluster system

Under the revised methodology for accession negotiations introduced in 2020, negotiating chapters are organised into six thematic clusters: Fundamentals; Internal market; Competitiveness and inclusive growth; Green agenda and sustainable connectivity; Resources, agriculture and cohesion; and External relations. The fundamentals cluster is the first to be opened and the last to be closed, and progress under this cluster determines the overall pace of negotiations, making today’s confirmation a particularly significant signal of Albania’s momentum on its European path.

Education for the EU market: Digital communication is not self-promotion but a tool

Written by WeBalkans on . Posted in Stories.

The vast European Union market is open to everyone, primarily to young people with knowledge and ideas from member states, but also from candidate countries, and in this context EU institutions support education and empowerment, particularly of young people. With EU support and in cooperation with Jasna Pejović, Director of DigitalBee and Flourish, the Europe House in Montenegro organised the workshop “Career Skills for the Future of Europe” as part of the broader educational programme for young people and start-up businesses entitled “Digital Communication, LinkedIn and EU Opportunities”.

“The programme has been designed as a practical educational cycle that introduces young people to how the modern EU ecosystem functions – from projects and mobility opportunities to start-up initiatives and international partnerships. Many participants emphasise that the programme helped them define their professional goals more clearly and improve the way they present themselves in an international environment,” says Ana Barada from Europe House Montenegro. She explains that the focus of the training is on skills that are essential for professional development in the European context, but which are often not part of formal education: digital communication and clear presentation of ideas, building professional identity and credibility, strategic use of LinkedIn, content marketing and communicating values and projects, networking and initiating cooperation in an international environment, and understanding how EU organisations select partners and projects.

The Europe House Montenegro programme consists of four interconnected workshops combining theory, practical exercises and work on concrete examples, while the acquired skills enable young people to present their ideas and initiatives in a way that is relevant and understandable within the EU context. Although these topics may seem familiar, the implementation of this series of workshops highlights the difference between the everyday use of digital tools and their professional application.

Among other things, participants in this programme learn how to clearly articulate their professional story, how to build a high-quality and authentic LinkedIn profile, how to create content that builds trust and visibility, and how to establish first contact with EU partners and organisations,” Barada emphasises, adding that the workshops are part of the regular format of free educational events at Europe House called “Chat Thursdays at Europe House” which aims to bring relevant topics closer to young people and the wider public through an interactive approach. She notes that the lecturers are experts in digital communication, work on EU projects and the development of the start-up ecosystem, with practical experience in international cooperation. Participants in the training sessions are primarily young people – students, young professionals, entrepreneurs and all those wishing to develop their skills and better understand EU opportunities – who apply through a public call announced on social media, with selection made on a “first come, first served” basis.

Workshop leader Jasna Pejović, Director of DigitalBee and Flourish, says that particular emphasis was placed on LinkedIn as a tool important for professional visibility, networking and opening up new opportunities.

“It was important for me to present digital communication not as ‘self-promotion’, but as a tool for building trust, credibility and professional development. My goal was for the workshop to be practical, modern and useful to young people who are at the beginning of their careers or building their professional path, and that is precisely why I focused on how to use LinkedIn to present more clearly who they are, what interests them, what they are building and in which direction they want to develop,” says Pejović. She explains that she prepared the workshop based on her own long-term professional experience in digital transformation, leadership and entrepreneurship as the founder of the start-up Flourish and as someone who actively builds a professional presence and community on LinkedIn, while she also drew information and inspiration from many years of teaching experience in Marketing and Digital Marketing, from working with students and young professionals, and from a very concrete understanding of how professional visibility, networking and trust-building function today in the digital and international context.

“What I noticed was that many arrived feeling that they lacked sufficient experience or that they ‘had nothing to say’, especially when it comes to LinkedIn and professional communication. During the workshops, this changed significantly – they began to recognise that they too, whether students, young professionals, representatives of the NGO sector, entrepreneurs or start-up founders, have valuable stories, experiences and development paths that they can communicate effectively and authentically. There were many questions, much interaction and very strong engagement, which for me was the best indication that the topics were relevant and well chosen,” Pejović explains.

Barada says that participants were highly satisfied and left the workshops with concrete results such as improved LinkedIn profiles.

“Many highlighted that the programme helped them define their professional goals more clearly and improve the way they present themselves in an international environment,” Barada explains, adding that participants in the workshops gained practical and applicable knowledge, a better understanding of EU projects and opportunities, and greater confidence in professional communication.

Alongside free educational opportunities such as this one organised by Europe House in Montenegro, employment services in many EU countries and candidate countries offer vouchers for free education in this field.