Panel Discussion: Youth Well-being in Focus: Health, Housing, Culture

The regional conference brought together young people, policymakers, civil society representatives, experts, and other stakeholders from across the Western Balkans to present the priorities and challenges faced by youth in the European integration process, to foster mutual understanding, and to highlight examples of good practice from the Western Balkans and the European Union. Discussions focused on public policy, advancing reforms, and shaping a common European future.

The goal of the conference was to amplify the voice of young people at local, national, regional, and European levels, encouraging dialogue on reforms that affect the younger generation.

Key topics were explored through five panel discussions: A Bridge to Europe – Western Balkan Youth in Reform Processes; Youth Employment in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: The Youth Guarantee in the Western Balkans – Challenges and Opportunities; Youth Well-being in Focus: Health, Housing, Culture; Young People in the Digital Landscape: Safety, Trust, and Resilience; Youth and Nature: A Partnership for a Sustainable Green Future.

NGO Info-centre was host of the panel “Youth well-being:  Health, Housing, Culture” was held on Wednesday, November 19, 2025, from 10:15 to 11:30, at Skopje Studio in h. Solun.

Biljana Dukovska from Macedonian Anti-Poverty Platform, in the role of the panel facilitator, directed the discussion towards ensuring that the youth dialogue is inclusive and supported by mechanisms that will enable meaningful participation of young people in the processes. She appealed for the dialogue to take place in parallel at the level of policy making and the implementation of activities that bring good practices to have an effect in the everyday lives of young people.

First panelist was Lejla Mehmedi, representative from Ministry of Social Policy, Demography and Youth of North Macedonia. She highlighted that institutions should create policies with young people not just for them and explains institutional frameworks existing in North Macedonia. In her address, she emphasized that as an institution, they recognize the necessity of forming youth structures, support a cross-sectoral approach that is particularly important in social housing, and work to build trust among young people related to culture.

Dragana Karovska from HERA-Health Education and Research Association, North Macedonia was focused on youth health. She was determined that youth must have access to integrated, friendly, community-based services free of charge, that mental services should be systematically given and in continuity. Developing prevention programs and destigmatisation of processes is something that needs to be done very fast, she said. With appeal, marginalized and vulnerable groups need to have access to information as services, and it is ending time to implement all the recommendations by all stakeholders she finish her part.

Nadica Skeparoska, Master of Science in Clinical Psychology, Certified Psychotherapist in Transactional Analysis, North Macedonia put more attention on mental health among young people, speaking as a practitioner. Private practice is overbooked and many young people in need could not get support she said and continues to explain the need for more trained personnel to work with young people, need bigger capacities and more provided free help for youth. At the end she connected this topic with housing that might be a trigger, same as domestic violence, migration, bullying, poverty and education related stress.

Rreze Duli, RDA North from Kosovo focus more on housing that is old and not suitable for youth, but she shares good initiative of building 4000 apartments just for young people and young couples. She expresses concern about huge migration of young people and needs to have more deep analysis how to prevent that, and finish with limited budgets for culture that are not very supporting and motivating for youth.

Katarina Vučković, Expert in Youth Work and Leadership from Bosnia and Herzegovina was very thorough in outlining the connection between social and economic security of youth, how it contributes to migration and how it affects youth housing. She reiterated the commitment to the need to create free and safe spaces for youth in the form of local youth centers or clubs depending on the possibilities, to allow young people to be informed up close and to provide them with the opportunity to participate. Finally, she said that – Culture is regional identity and needs full attention.

Vukašin Grozdanović, OPENS, Serbia was very clear and precise. His opinion is that we need to change our approach of advocating for youth well-being and if we want to be heard we need to contextualize economic values. By his opinion that is most familiar for policy makers and will provide us space for future development of ideas.

Doralda Tanellari, Sociologist and Project Coordinator, Albania repeat many of previously mentioned issues, but she emphasizes that supported housing for people with mental health problems should not be forgotten. She compares EU investments in programs related to housing and conclude that in Albanian contexts funding and resources are insufficient.

Presentation of the project „Red Lines” by Teodora Mileska from Informal Group Red Lines, supported within the RYDE project close this panel. With her presentation, she reminded that menstruation in our communities is still shrouded in shame and silence, and many young people do not have access to education, menstrual products, and a supportive environment.

The conference was held as part of the project “Regional Youth Dialogue for Europe – RYDE” (2023–2026), supported by the European Union.

Photos from the event on 18 November 2025:

Photos from the event on 19 November 2025: