On this page

1. Reducing obstacles to young people's access to culture

2. Disseminating information on cultural opportunities

3. Knowledge of cultural heritage amongst young people

Reducing obstacles to young people's access to culture

Access to culture remains a priority in national youth and cultural policy. The former National Strategy for Development of Culture 2018–2022 emphasised decentralisation of cultural content and equal opportunities for participation. A new cultural strategy is being drafted, but has not yet been adopted (November 2025).

The National Youth Strategy 2023–2027 highlights several key challenges:

• limited access to cultural spaces for young creators,
• low youth participation in cultural policy-making,
• unequal availability of cultural content outside Skopje,
• financial barriers for participation.
   

To address these issues, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism continues to support cultural projects led by municipalities, cultural institutions, CSOs and independent cultural actors. Many events—particularly outdoor festivals, youth theatre, art exhibitions, creative workshops and film screenings—are free or low-cost, enabling participation of young people with fewer opportunities.

In recent years, project funding has increasingly targeted the independent cultural scene and youth-led cultural initiatives, encouraging new spaces for contemporary art, alternative culture and digital cultural production.

Several municipalities also run summer cultural programmes (“Cultural Summer”) with concerts, films, exhibitions and theatre adapted for diverse audiences. These programmes play an important role in decentralising culture and create opportunities for youth participation in smaller and rural communities.

Disseminating information on cultural opportunities

There is still no nationwide information system dedicated to youth access to cultural opportunities. Information is distributed through a combination of institutional and independent sources:

• social media pages of municipalities, museums, theatres and youth centres

• official websites of cultural institutions

• online cultural platforms, such as reborn.mk, time.mk/nastani, and cooltura.mk, which aggregate event information
   

Cultural institutions increasingly use youth-friendly communication formats, including short video announcements, livestreams and online booking. Many municipal youth centres also promote local cultural opportunities through Instagram and TikTok, encouraging peer-to-peer outreach.

Public calls for festivals, volunteering programmes, artist residencies and youth cultural projects are regularly shared through the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, independent cultural organisations and international cultural networks.

Knowledge of cultural heritage amongst young people

Introducing cultural heritage to young people remains a long-term priority. National and local institutions organise workshops, educational programmes, guided visits and youth exhibitions to promote heritage in an accessible way.

The Directorate for Protection of Cultural Heritage collaborates with schools, municipalities and museums to involve children and young people in heritage learning through:

• interactive educational lessons and museum workshops,

• volunteer and internship programmes,

• youth-led cultural heritage projects,

• open days and free-of-charge visits.
  
   

Many museums have introduced inclusive and accessible programmes for young people with disabilities, including adapted educational materials and guided tours.

Cultural heritage activities are also promoted through international initiatives, such as European Heritage Days and small-scale youth programmes focused on archaeological sites, monuments and traditional crafts.

These efforts aim to empower young people not only as visitors, but also as active contributors to cultural life.