YOUTH CAPITAL IN BERLIN: CHANCES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

In Berlin, European Youth Capital Novi Sad presented the opportunities for young people in 2019, as well as global and European dimension of this title. This is the fifth European centre in which the City of young people opened the door to dozens of foreign ambassadors, representatives of German parliament, international youth organisations and diplomatic corps. The reception was organised at the Embassy of the Republic of Serbia in Berlin.

“First of all, we have to develop economy. More and more domestic companies and start-ups should give the opportunity to young people to prove themselves because today, the crucial thing is to be opened to future projects, which is digitalization and IT industry. Such prestigious titles which Novi Sad has received at the same time provide the city with great opportunities, but are also a responsibility to present the City and the entire country in good light”, Dušan Crnogorčević, the Ambassador of Serbia in Berlin, says.

The idea of the presentation to embassies and diplomatic corps of European cities is to create the space for networking and partnership with organisations and institutions from Berlin, as well as to inform the wider community about the activities of Novi Sad in 2019. The receptions organised by European Youth Capital Novi Sad, with the support of the City of Novi Sad and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at the youth centres across Europe come at the moment when the Council of Europe is announcing almost complete decrease of the budget intended for young people in Europe.

“These receptions have double significance. Our people abroad understand the context in which we present everything we do and they can help with finding the partners for achieving the programs implemented and be a bridge between us and the French partners. We also think that it is important for the diaspora to know what is happening in Novi Sad and how we are improving. The OPENS2019 project is our project for the future. By our example, we want to help the development and improvement of the conditions of life for young people in the entire country in this and all following years”, Vukašin Grozdanović, OPENS Coordinator says.

All of that is not sustainable unless you think in the long run and as each program is self-sustainable regardless of donors. The current law about young people which is in force in the Republic of Serbia is not functional according to the opinion of many, since that it is only declarative and requires improvements to which the sustainability of the project could contribute. According to Darko Stanić, the State Secretary for Youth and Sport, Novi Sad is the pioneer of youth policy in Serbia and it provides the good model for the entire republic.

“The development of youth policy in Serbia is in the interest of everyone. Whether the Law on Youth will be this year, it is hard to tell but for the short time that I am at the position of the State Secretary for Youth, I am sure that the entire Ministry is in every sense dedicated to the development of the youth policy in Serbia”, Stanić adds.

The idea of these receptions is to introduce Europe with the most important projects of Novi Sad, and to send the invitation for the visit to the City which is the holder of two prestigious European titles in the year of young people.
The following stops at the European road of OPENS in June are Prague and Moscow.