• 2025-07-21

POLITEIA SCHOOL: Shaping a Generation of Changemakers in the Western Balkans

Regional Youth Dialogue for Europe - RYDE

What does it mean to truly make a difference? In our new promo video for Politeia School for Youth Participation, former participants share how this unique experience shaped their understanding of activism, leadership, and regional cooperation. Through personal stories and reflections, they reveal how Politeia became more than just a school - it became a turning point in their journey toward building more democratic, inclusive, and resilient societies across the Western Balkans.

“At Politeia, we learned about human rights and civil liberties, civil society, the European Union, democracy, tolerance, reforms, and activism. The very format of the school - this combination of lectures, workshops, teamwork, and then discussions in plenary sessions - was something new and stimulating for us”, said Ivan Kuzmanović, a participant of the first Politeia school in 1998.

“The Politea Summer School for Regional Youth Participation was a truly enlightening experience for me, both on a personal but also on a professional level. It was truly enlightening to get the chance to interact not only with my fellow peers, but also with institutional representatives as well as fellow workers within the NGO sector to hear about the best practices and frameworks when it comes to youth participation as well as trust building into institutions from the Western Balkans”, said Teodora Danilović, a participant of Politeia 2023.

Listen to what others have to say in the video and don’t miss out on your opportunity to be a part of Politeia 2025!

The application deadline is July 31, 2025.

Read more here.

This video was created by the Academy for Democratic Development (ADD) as part of the Regional Youth Dialogue for Europe (RYDE) project, funded by the European Union.

The Regional Youth Dialogue for Europe (RYDE) Project is implementing by the Center for Democracy Foundation (CDF), Belgrade (as project coordinator) and partner organizations: Academy of European Integration and Negotiations from Tirana (AIEN); Kosovo Stability Initiative from Pristina (IKS); Association Network of Progressive Initiatives from Sarajevo (NPI); NGO Info Center from Skopje (NGO IC); Regional Academy for Democratic Development from Novi Sad (ADD); Youth Act Center from Tirana (YA). The project is funded by the European Union.

Regional Youth Dialogue for Europe – RYDE