YouthSEC: When young people take the lead in building safer communities
BY eatech
YouthSEC: When young people take the lead in building safer communities
February 24, 2026
Our participant from Bečej, Dunja, said: “We have ideas on how to make our community safer and better, but we need support to turn them into reality. Through this project, KOMS gave us exactly that.”
It all started with the YouthSEC Academy in Novi Sad, where young participants explored topics that might sound “big” - peace, security, human rights, public policies - but are actually part of everyday life. Through the training, they also developed practical skills: how to lead dialogue, advocate for change, and make their voices heard. The Academy expanded into local trainings in Sombor, Bečej and Niš, gathering nearly 50 young people who familiarized themselves with the localization of the UN Youth, Peace and Security Agenda.
But that was just the beginning. After returning to their communities, young people started exploring what really matters to their peers - how safe they feel, whether they face discrimination, and how much opportunity they have to participate in decision-making. Based on this, local youth groups were formed in Sombor, Bečej, and Niš, launching their own initiatives. These are essential for the journey of young people involved in the project, since they give them the space and opportunity to design activities that matter to them, and their communities, all on their own – with the support and mentorship of KOMS.
Additionally, through Youth Peace Dialogues, young people sat at the same table with representatives of local institutions and openly discussed the challenges they had identified, from hate speech to the lack of space for youth in decision-making processes. These dialogues are part of a larger process led by KOMS – gathering input from youth and decision-makers and converting it into actionable, evidence-based policy proposals to enhance how we implement the YPS Agenda on the local level.
To wrap it all up, at the National YouthSEC Forum in Belgrade, our participants will have the chance to gather, meet their peers from other local communities and the region and present their ideas, results, and recommendations in the field of peace, security and active citizenship, clearly showing that they are not just the “future,” but the present that is already driving change.
Author: Maša Vračar - Program Coordinator – National Youth Council Serbia
Regional Youth Cooperation Office
RYCO is an intergovernmental organization that stewards and promotes regional and intercultural cooperation of young people within and among Western Balkans societies. RYCO’s programs focus on creating opportunities for young people to engage in activities that build mutual understanding and reconciliation in the civic, social, educational, cultural, and sports domains. RYCO initiates and participates in policymaking and advocates for reform. It supports the development of a political and social environment that empowers and facilitates youth exchange.RYCOgnizing YPS
RYCOgnizing YPS is a RYCO granting scheme dedicated to supporting Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in the Western Balkans that work with youth to advance the Youth, Peace, and Security (YPS) agenda. This initiative empowers CSOs to scale up ** youth-led initiatives** through actions focused on the five YPS pillars: Participation, Protection, Prevention, Partnerships, and Disengagement and Reintegration.The scheme places a strong emphasis on supporting youth-led and youth-responsive projects that bring tangible, localized impact at the municipal level, particularly by enhancing youth security and engagement in governance and policy-making processes.
