Future for Youth Movement

Young Men Initiative
Declaration of the Future for Youth Movement (Future4Youth) 

The Future for Youth Movement (Future4Youth), gathered around the Young Men Initiative (YMI), aims to bring together different voices in society – parents, teachers and other citizens interested in the same goal: addressing the issues of violence prevention, gender equality, life skills and health education in schools across the Balkans. 

We want to team up with all well-meaning and dedicated individuals, organizations and institutions that think similarly as we do – especially young people and their parents, teachers, peer educators, sports and social workers, as well as pedagogues, psychologists, activists and members of academia who share the same values and vision on how to achieve a better, fairer and more equal society. 

THE CHANGE WE WANT TO SEE: 

• Life skills education programs such as Program Y are becoming a mandatory part of the official school program throughout the Western Balkans region.  
• The Future4Youth platform acts as a resource center for education in the field of life skills and joint action at the local, national and regional level.  
• Society is empowered in the long term to act as an actor in violence prevention, gender equality, acquisition of life skills and health education in schools.  
• Attitudes and behaviors among young people in the Balkans are changing.  

* * * * 

Young Men Initiative (YMI) is a regional platform of organizations, gathered around CARE International Balkans. It started as a project in 2006 and is being implemented in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia, Kosovo* and Albania. It is aimed at young people in the region with the objective of building their knowledge and attitudes regarding gender equality, healthy lifestyles and reducing the level of all types of violence. So far, over 100,000 high school students from 130 communities have participated in life skills education programs implemented by CARE in cooperation with local partners – youth organizations from the region: Status M – Zagreb, Center E8 – Belgrade, Smart Kolektiv – Belgrade, Association XY –  Sarajevo, Perpetuum Mobile Institute – Banja Luka, Youth Power – Mostar, Sinergija – North Mitrovica, SIT – Center for Counseling, Social Services and Research and YMCA – Pristina and Act for Society from Tirana. 

Program Y methodology relies on the prevention of violence and social problems, gender equality, human rights, health education and the promotion of personal and social growth as a key component of life skills education in schools. Our approach is based on addressing gender inequalities and promoting healthy lifestyles in such a way as to enable boys and girls and young men and women to fully realize their potential on the path to maturity.  

• CARE and partners have introduced program Y methodology in schools across the region and received accreditation by relevant ministries of education in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo*.  
• Students participating in Program Y show positive changes in attitudes towards gender-based violence and interpersonal violence among young people.  
• Our regional research from june 2019 showed that more than 90% of people think life skills education is essential for young people and are ready to support it. Violence prevention and promotion of nonviolent communication has been seen as the most important issues that need to be addressed and as something that special attention should be paid to. 

If you want life skills education programs such as Program Y to become a mandatory part of the official school curriculum across the Western Balkans region – support the Future for Youth and sign the DECLARATION: