Three days of learning, connection and community: the 6th EYC Educo Camp

Young people are not merely users of opportunities created for them by institutions and organisations - they should be active participants in shaping them.

This idea was at the heart of the sixth edition of the international EYC Educo Camp, which brought together more than 35 young people from Montenegro and the region at Ivanova Korita from 12 to 14 August for three days of learning, exchanging experiences, making new connections, and reflecting together on the skills, opportunities and participation mechanisms young people need in a rapidly changing world.

This year’s Camp was held under the slogan “Future Ready: Skills, Opportunities and Youth Participation in a Changing World”, with the aim of providing young people with a space to develop practical knowledge and skills, while also giving them the opportunity to openly discuss what kind of opportunities they want, how they want to participate in their communities, and what institutions, the youth sector and other partners can do to ensure that their voices have a real impact.

On the first day, following an interactive participant introduction session, Future Ready Starts Here, a panel discussion titled “From Local Communities to National Policies: Who Creates Opportunities for Young People?” opened a conversation about the extent to which the place where young people live affects the opportunities available to them, and how local and national levels can work together to contribute to more balanced development of youth policies and services.

The discussion featured Dejana Dizdar, Secretary of the Secretariat for Education, Sports and Youth of the Capital of Cetinje; Bogdan Malavrazić, youth activist and lawyer; and Katarina Vukadinović, Coordinator of the Budva Youth Club. The panel was moderated by Kristina Janković, Project Manager at the NGO Centre for Youth Education.

The programme continued with the workshop “From Idea to Impact - Youth Participation That Makes a Difference”, led by youth participation expert Aida Perović. The session explored how young people can turn ideas, motivation and a desire for change into concrete action within their communities.

A special place in this year’s programme was reserved for the Future EYC Lab, an interactive focus group during which young people directly contributed to shaping the future of the European Youth Card programme in Montenegro. Working in smaller groups and rotating between thematic tables, participants discussed discounts and benefits, digital communication, new EYC content and activities, as well as ways in which EYC could create even more opportunities for meaningful youth participation in decision-making processes. At the end of the session, participants presented their ideas and recommendations for the further development of the programme.

The second day also focused on youth leadership, youth work, digital opportunities, financial literacy and career development.

The workshop “Youth Leadership of the Future: Skills That Change Communities” was led by Bojana Lalatovićfrom RYCO Montenegro, while Lidija Brnović, a consultant specialising in the development of inclusive public policies, engaged participants in a discussion on the role of youth work in building the society of the future.

The session “Digitally Ready: How Technology and the Online Space Are Changing Opportunities for Young People”, led by Tamara Džuver from One, explored digital habits, new technologies and the ways in which the opportunities available to young people are evolving.

Financial literacy and security were at the centre of the workshop “Frendi for a Safer Financial Future”, led by Kristina Drašković and Marina Vojinović from NLB Banka. The final educational session, “Career Roadmap: Recognise Your Potential and Plan Your Next Step”, delivered as part of the Coca-Cola Youth Support & EYC Knowledge Caravan initiative with Slavko Kovačević, co-founder of DeepMark, focused on recognising personal potential and planning the next steps in education and professional development.

This year, as always, EYC Educo Camp was about much more than workshops and discussions. The time between sessions and the evenings were reserved for sports and social games, informal gatherings and connecting young people from different backgrounds. One of the most memorable moments of this year’s Camp was also created by coming together to watch the meteor shower under the clear skies of Ivanova Korita.

The Camp concluded with a ceremony awarding certificates of participation, accompanied by the message that the end of the programme does not mean the end of the ideas, connections and collaborations that emerged over these three days.

The sixth edition of EYC Educo Camp once again demonstrated how important it is to create spaces where young people are not merely an audience, but active participants - people whose opinions are heard, whose ideas are developed, and who work together with institutions, organisations and partners to create new opportunities for their generation.

This August, we leave Ivanova Korita with new connections, ideas and plans - and with another generation of young people ready for whatever comes next.

This event was organised by the project team of the NGO Centre for Youth Education, as part of the European Youth Card (EYC) programme in Montenegro, with the support of the European House and the Delegation of the European Union to Montenegro, Elektroprivreda Crne Gore and the European Youth Card Association (EYCA).

The European Youth Card (EYC) programme in Montenegro is implemented by the NGO Centre for Youth Education, under the general patronage of the Ministry of Sports and Youth and with the support of the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation.