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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Great importance of establishing youth centres at local level

Novi Sad, 12 August 2022

Prime Minister Ana Brnabic participated today together with Mayor of Novi Sad Milos Vucevic in a working meeting of the delegations from Nis, Mionica, Sombor and Subotica, held on the occasion of marking the International Youth Day.

During the meeting at the OPENS Youth Centre in Novi Sad, Brnabic pointed out that young people need spaces where they can work and create, saying that they must have systematic communication with local self-governments and government representatives.

Novi Sad is an example of what all this should look like, she said, expressing her gratitude to Mayor Vucevic and the OPENS organisation for accepting the invitation to share their experiences and knowledge with other local governments throughout Serbia.

The Prime Minister pointed to the fact that 86 percent of local governments do not have youth centres, adding that another problem they face is providing all the young people with a first job.

We tried to change things, we launched the "My First Salary" programme, in which we invested RSD 2 billion. So far, 47 percent of young people from that programme have found employment, the Prime Minister said, adding that the Draft National Strategy for Youth has been completed.

Vucevic said that it is no coincidence that a whole series of events on the occasion of Youth Day are taking place in Novi Sad, recalling that since 2015, when that city first applied for the title of European Youth Capital, a lot of work has been done in that field.

During 2019, we were the European Youth Capital. We reconstructed Chinatown, and today it is a creative district. We had the support of the non-governmental sector, but also the personal support of the Prime Minister. We will share everything we know with our friends from Nis, Subotica, Sombor and Mionica, said Vucevic.

At the meeting, the steps taken to establish youth centres in other cities of Serbia were presented and the projects for the renovation of facilities that have been identified as prospective youth centres in these cities.