Dear EDYN Members,
Are you interested in grassroots activism, strategic communication with high-level decision-makers and EU representatives, and in becoming a leader for change in your community? Would you like to learn how to run an advocacy campaign but don’t know how to build a cross-partisan coalition, reach out to key stakeholders, and make your voice heard? Are you based in Albania, Montenegro or North Macedonia?
Then we warmly invite you to apply to our open call for our three-day-long trainings on youth-led advocacy!
KEY INFORMATION
- Dates:
- Montenegro training: Thursday 16- Sunday 19 April (with arrivals on Thursday evening and departures in the early afternoon on Sunday)
- Albania training: Thursday 23 – Sunday 26 April (with arrivals on Thursday evening and departures in the early afternoon on Sunday)
- North Macedonia training: Thursday 30 – Sunday May 3 (with arrivals on Thursday evening and departures in the early afternoon on Sunday)
- Locations: Budva, Montenegro; Durres, Albania; and Strumica, North Macedonia
- Application deadline: Sunday February 15th, 23:59 (CET) (application forms below)
- Eligibility: EDYN members based in Albania, Montenegro, and North Macedonia willing and able to commit to both the training and the follow-up advocacy campaign
- Costs: All costs (travel, accommodation, meals, etc.) will be covered by EDYN HQ
If you have any questions, please contact Ms Carlotta Serioli (EDYN HQ’s Deputy Director) at
[email protected].
WHY APPLY?
Selected participants will gain practical skills and hands-on experience in youth leadership, strategic communication, campaign planning and management, stakeholder engagement, and cross-partisan coalition-building.
The training will be conducted by an experienced expert in the field of youth advocacy, strategic communication, and grassroots leadership.
To ground the lessons learned in practical, real-life advocacy issues related to the region, the trainer will utilize the Western Balkans’ EU enlargement and integration process as an example of issue-based advocacy.
Following the training, participants will work with fellow members of their EDYN chapter who took part in the training to lead an advocacy campaign on their country’s EU enlargement process. This will include outreach to national decision-makers, lawmakers, EU Delegations, and other relevant stakeholders.
Throughout the campaign, participants will receive ongoing support from the trainer and EDYN HQ, including guidance on campaign design, messaging, and implementation.
This is not a one-off training, but a hands-on learning and leadership opportunity. Successful applicants will:
- Gain practical advocacy experience;
- Build relationships with key national and EU-level decision-makers;
- Enhance their leadership and strategic communication skills;
- Position themselves as credible changemakers within their community committed to democratic resilience and open societies;
- Build a strong national and regional network of peers, partners, and decision-makers.
These trainings and advocacy campaigns are part of EDYN’s project called “A Future Within Reach: From Disenchantment to Dialogue on EU Integration”,
funded by the Open Society Foundations Western Balkans.
Please note: following the training, all participants are expected to contribute to their chapter’s advocacy campaign on youth’s role in EU enlargement. Participants who fail to do so will be banned from accessing any EDYN opportunities (study visits, conferences, trainings, networking opportunities, etc.) for two years.
👉 How to Apply
In order to apply, please fill out this short application form (you can only apply to the training taking place in your country chapter):
