On 4th September 15 young people successfully completed the one-day advanced training dedicated to youth on Youth Advocacy, implemented by the Center for Education and Development-CED with the support of the National Youth Council of Macedonia and USAID. Main goal of the program is to train youth how to design an advocacy campaign and advocate for a local problem in Tetovo. This way we're raising awareness and creating new generation who will be determined to advocate for the issue we face as youth.

In this dull period, the community is more and more passivized and dedicated in the situations put up by Covid-19. In that situation, leaders are required to share the values of an active community. Young people, due to their nature and spirit, are the most effective in that. The point of this training was to create leaders and initiatives that can inspire further action in society, through the process of advocacy.

The group was well established with young people that were previously active in society, and other projects. They were engaged and active in the interactive exercises, as well as the theory. The differences of the group, served better as an opportunity in building the team spirit, than as a difficulty.

We discussed the main frame of advocacy, the forms in which advocacy can occur, or can be deployed. We continued with institutions of advocacy, trough the youth can practice deploying their needs. We passed the question about why we need youth advocacy, where we discussed the socio-political contributions of youth advocacy in society. We covered the dangers of advocacy, on which they would have to watch out.

After that, we focused on activities and ideas of the group creating and designing their advocacy campaigns. We covered the required steps of designing the campaign. The whole training was filled with interactive activities, discussions and debates regarding the topic of the training.

The ideas that came out of the group, were set to be established and developed in concrete ideas in a future meeting with us. In that interim period, they have to develop the ideas by our facilitation.

The Covid-19 protocols, were a challenge, but were well established as a rule, and respected by everyone, so that everyone’s health was not endangered.

Due to the spirit of the group, I expect that they will produce and establish many advocacy campaigns that will inspire on determination and activism, many other members of their generations and society. (Riste/Blendi)