The Ministry of education in Montenegro took several measures aiming to support various forms of “learning to participate” from an early age through formal education and non-formal learning. Strategy for Civic education in Primary and Secondary Schools in Montenegro 2007-2010 https://www.gov.me/dokumenta/f5d55e37-f3d7-42ff-8747-8ff58704fcc7 , introduces the school subjects (such as: Civic education and Media Literacy) in the formal education system in Montenegro, that cover the topic of participation to a high degree, and stipulates additional measures such as teachers training.
 

Various projects of NGOs, which enhance learning to participate among students at all educational levels, have been funded by various governmental funds for NGOs. For example, the Directorate for Youth and Sports (now Ministry of Sports and Youth) has financed participation projects for university and high-school students, while one of the main criteria for all projects financially supported was youth participation. Moreover, DYS has implemented a number of trainings, conferences and round tables for organized youth on the topic of youth participation. Yet, when it comes to development of quality assurance/quality guidelines for non-formal learning and provision of educators’ support (the possibilities offered to teachers, trainers, non-formal education workers and youth workers for continuous training and certification related to the development of social and civic competences) much more needs to be done in the future. 
 

Since 2014 the DYS has also started opening youth clubs and youth centers. A youth club/center is a place where NGOs practice youth work-related activities and the place where young people can improve their social skills, non-formal education, leisure time, culture and get information about various topics. As previously mentioned, there are 11 youth clubs and one youth center currently functioning in Montenegro.
 

Within the open calls of 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 the Ministry of Sports and Youth has financed a great number of projects which were linked to youth participation through non-formal learning.
Both the Law on Youth and the Youth Strategy define youth work, namely: “Youth work represents the activities that are organized with youth and for youth, and are based on non-formal education, in accordance with their needs and possibilities.” Even though the definition of youth worker is not given in the law, its explanation is covered by the National Youth Strategy.
 

However, youth work is not a recognized profession in Montenegro, that is, there is no occupational standard.
 

The NGO Forum MNE in co-operation with the Centre for Vocational Education (Ministry of Education) has completed the process of recognition of the vocation of youth activist (on a European level equal to youth leader) which will significantly contribute to the professionalization of youth work and enhance youth services at both national and local level. Additionally, it will provide an opportunity for young people who have no university education to be engaged in youth work in a responsible and professional manner. The vocation of youth activists was accredited by the Ministry of Education in March 2017, while a programme for the first generation of youth activists (15 participants) started in September 2017 and is financed by the Ministry of Sports and Youth. In 2018 the ministry also financed the programme for the second generation of youth activists (15 participants). The programme consists of three trainings and three months of practice together with three exams, after which all the participants shall gain the youth activist occupation certificate. Standards of the youth activist occupation have also been adopted.
• Democracy Workshops “Barbara Prammer” https://www.skupstina.me/en/citizens/education-centre/democracy-workshops
One example of unique and sustainable educational practice is this educational programme implemented by the Parliament of Montenegro with the goal of encouraging interest among children and the young in politics and democratic processes. The programme was launched in October 2012, with the help of the Parliament of Austria, financial support of the ERSTE Foundation and professional and technical implementation by the NGO Forum MNE (Forum Youth and Informal Education). In June 2014, the parliament took over the implementation of the programme using its own capacities. Apart from the Parliament of Austria, the Parliament of Montenegro is the only parliament which implements this or a similar kind of programme for children and the young. To date, the programme has gathered more than 21 000 participants.
 

The programme is envisaged as a programme of informal civic education for students of primary schools. The workshops are implemented on three subjects: “Democracy and Parliament”, “European Union” and “Human Rights”, within which they learn about parliamentary democracy, adoption and implementation of laws, active citizens, values and history of the European Union, and universal principles translated into the human rights and the rights of the child. Through various interactive activities and in a manner adapted to their age, and with the help of selected and specially trained teachers/trainers, the children and the young aged from 8 to 15 are discovering how democracy functions using creative methods, which imply practical and experiential learning. Within the workshops on the subject “Democracy and Parliament”, workshop participants have the opportunity to visit the building of the parliament and find out on the spot how laws are adopted, and often to watch the sittings live from the citizens’ box. Within the programme, students have the opportunity to meet and converse with the members of the Parliament of Montenegro and other foreign and domestic officials, and to get answers from them regarding the subject of the workshop they are attending, as well as regarding the duties they are performing. The students transfer the acquired knowledge and experiences into newspapers, video or radio features, which they can watch or listen to at the very end of the workshop, and which are later published on the children’s parliamentary website ( www.demokratskeradionice.me). At the end of every cycle of workshops, in a ceremonial event, the participants (the representatives of the schools that participated in that cycle) are presented with certificates.