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EACEA National Policies Platform
Serbia

Serbia

10. Youth work

10.2 Administration and governance of youth work

Last update: 28 November 2023
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  1. Governance
  2. Cross-sectoral cooperation

Governance

Main actors

As described in more details in Chapter 1.4 Youth policy decision-making, at state level the Ministry of Tourism Youth together with its Youth Council provides the overall support to youth work through, among other things, implementation of national policies and the preparation and implementation of a national youth strategy, action plans and programmes, as well as through public calls for project funding through which programmes that support youth work can be supported.  

The National Association of Youth Workers (NAPOR) is one of the major actors in the professionalism of the non-governmental youth sector in Serbia. As a vocational and representative union of 68 organisations, whose mission is to create and develop conditions for quality assurance and recognition of youth work to develop the potential of young people and youth workers who contribute to the well-being of the local community and society. NAPOR conducts training for youth workers and awards their certification, adding to the recognition of youth workers as professionals.

Local Youth Offices - bodies at the local level, within local municipalities, responsible for coordination of local youth policies in all areas relevant to young people, and in accordance with the specific needs of their local communities.

Since 2014, the Foundation Tempus has been responsible for implementing the education component of the Еrasmus+ programme for education, youth and sport. Following the beginning of preparatory measures for Serbia’s full participation in this programme in July 2016, the Foundation Tempus also became responsible for the youth component of this programme, providing support to projects related to youth work and youth workers.

General distribution of responsibilities

Coordination mechanisms and intersectoral coordination is achieved through the bodies of self-governing local communities responsible for implementing the public interest in the youth sector at a local level.

Provincial Youth Council stimulate and coordinate activities related to the development and implementation of youth policy and propose measures for their improvement at the level of Autonomous Province of Vojvodina (APV). Provincial Youth Council is established and coordinated by the Provincial Secretariat for Sports and Youth.

Local Youth Councils are holders of youth work and youth policy, and the entities of public interest in the youth sector at the local level.

Local Youth Offices are seen as the main drivers of youth work at the local level. Level of support for youth work varies from municipality to municipality.

National Association of Local Youth Offices mediates between Local Youth Offices on one side and public authorities and civil society on the other. It was established to network, exchange experiences and good practices of Local Youth Offices, provide ongoing support to the local coordinators and to provide additional resources for the work of Local Youth Offices to ensure the quality of youth policy at the local level in cooperation with local and national partners, institutions and organizations, competent ministries and other bodies dealing with youth policy.

Cross-sectoral cooperation

The description of the cross-sectoral cooperation between the main public actors is given in Chapter 1.5 Cross-sectoral approach with other ministries.