In Bitola, North Macedonia, a small project has sparked big change, proving that when young people are invited to participate not just as beneficiaries but as decision-makers, communities shift.

The Youth Cultural Centre of Bitola set out on a six-month journey to bring the national Law on Youth Participation to life at the local level. While the law looked good on paper, the reality was different: more than three-quarters of young people in the country reported feeling excluded from decision-making.

This project aimed to close that gap, not with big slogans, but with focused, meaningful action. The team knew that a functioning youth centre required more than just a space. It needed a voice, visibility, and political will.

So, they got to work.

The project began with a creative digital campaign to introduce the Youth Centre as a vibrant, open, and youth-led space. Through social media storytelling, it reached over 15,000 young people in Bitola, many of whom had never heard of the centre before. The message was clear: this is your place, and your voice matters.

Next came two youth forums—one consultative and one public—where dozens of young people, including high school students, unemployed young people, and those at social risk, gathered to co-design the Youth Centre’s 2024 work programme. These workshops were moments of empowerment, where young people had direct influence on the policies and programmes that shaped their lives.

At the same time, the project team engaged the municipal administration. Through a series of meetings and structured training, they helped local officials understand their responsibilities under national law. While raising awareness about officials’ legal obligations, they also built trust, showing the value of a strong Youth Centre and presenting the young people as partners, not as a burden.

The breakthrough moment came when the municipality increased its financial support for the Youth Centre by more than 30% for the upcoming year — a concrete sign that the message had landed.

“We’ve been working in youth development for over two decades, but this time we saw real change happen,” says Aleksandar Todorovski, Project Coordinator at the Youth Cultural Centre.

“We didn’t just promote the law — we practised it. And in doing so, we proved that young people can co-lead their communities, if institutions are willing to listen.”

This project may have been small in scale and budget, but its impact was outsized. It deepened trust between civil society and local institutions. It showed that when youth spaces are respected, funded, and truly inclusive, they become platforms for real leadership.

For Aleksandar and his team, the project was more than a grant — it was a turning point.

“Our youth centre became more visible, more trusted, and more active. But more importantly, it became more owned by the young people themselves.”