Young European Ambassadors from North Macedonia Arena Shumenkovska, Filip Milenkoski and Gent Salihi participated in this year’s edition of the Prespa Forum Dialogue which was organised from 16 to 18 June in Ohrid. Their participation included the panel discussion titled “Western Balkans Next Generation”. Young European Ambassador, Irena Shumenkovska, elaborated on issues of concern to young people such as greater inclusion in decision-making, and the struggle for jobs and opportunities.

The Prespa Forum Dialogue is a platform created by the Government of the Republic of North Macedonia to enable countries, leaders, organisations, and citizens to build long-term relationships and strengthen partnerships. This year’s event brought together high level representatives from the Western Balkans, the  and other countries.

The YEA platform is a creative network of young activists from across the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia). YEAs come from different backgrounds, yet they all share a common vision: the Western Balkans united in diversity. They learn about each other and the EU together, pursue creative projects, acquire new skills, connect via social media, and organise inspiring events – always driven by the idea that activism in youth is the most powerful force of social change.

The aims of the network are: to share EU values; to raise awareness about the EU’s cooperation with its Western Balkan partners; to showcase the tangible results of this cooperation; to contribute to policy dialogue on various topics; and to help increase civic activism.