The importance of youth involvement in the relevant regional process was trigger for development the idea to build up an institutional mechanism for bringing young people from North Macedonia and Greece together and giving them a unique opportunity to collaborate and getting know each other.  The key aim is to foster cooperation among young people from North Macedonia and Greece by creating a bilateral youth cooperation office. Core of the idea was based on findings gathered through national activities of both partners before and after Prespa agreement. Hereby, we have recognized the urgent need to engage youth in dialogue on actual issues by creating concrete actions for shaping the future of South East Europe in the form of youth offices in North Macedonia and Greece giving young people an opportunity to cooperate for a common future. Youth Alliance – Krusevo  has a mandate role from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of North Macedonia to facilitate the process of creating of bilateral youth offices for cooperation in both countries. The process will open space for sharing good working and innovative practices in the field of youth reconciliation.

Preparatory meetings (Skopje and Thessaloniki) of the core team and facilitation team members which aimed to settle the steps of action and implementation.

Fundraising activities for the next phases of the process for establishment of the bilateral youth cooperation offices

The cultural kickoff event brought together 220 young people from both countries in order to meet each other and learn from each other. The main aim of the event was cultural exchange and promotion of importance of the collaboration between the young people from these two neighboring counters in the spirit of reconciliation and building good neighboring relations as a precondition of EU integrative process of our country.  The event itself comprised multiple sessions by providing an encouraging environment for young people and all stakeholders to connect with the initiative and further engage directly with it.

Visits, consultations and presentation of the idea for the bilateral youth cooperation offices to national governmental institutions, municipalities, relevant international organizations.

Study visits to organizations, similar structures and projects in EU countries and regions (Germany, France, Poland etc.) will be organized in order to review their structure, functioning, financing, striving of collection of good practices

Conduction of research in order to gather data and to understand the current opinions of young people about the bilateral cooperation

Based on the results of the research and activities we will produce a draft of policies and actions, a document that will be sent to the two Ministries of Foreign Affairs (The Republic of North Macedonia and Republic of Greece). This draft of policies and actions will be the base for presenting the idea to all the supporters of the bilateral cooperation between the two countries, as well as the supporters of the EU integration processes of the region.

Creation of the cooperation team consisting of relevant governmental representatives, members of the parliaments, and representatives from relevant youth organizations from both countries. The main role of the cooperation team will be the operationalization of the process for establishing these offices in the both countries. In this period a working plan of the cooperation team will be created. The mandate of the cooperation team will end with the establishment of the bilateral youth cooperation office.

Operationalization phase or the second phase of the process is representing the precondition for the successful implementation of the next phases is the process to be based on joint policies and enabling legal frameworks which will set minimum standards and define the roles and responsibilities within legal framework. During this phase we will create the legal framework and operational documents guided by the international legal experts in direct collaboration with facilitation and cooperation team.

The cooperation team together with facilitation team will have the task of preparing a draft strategic plan, draft action plan, draft annual program and a draft joint declaration for establishing the bilateral youth cooperation office based on the results of the conducted activities in the previous phases. This phase will also include national consultations in both countries by involving all relevant stakeholders. The purpose of national consultations is to ensure visibility of the process and to gain leverage in the public discourse.

The process will be cycled with establishment of the bilateral youth cooperation offices and the operational bodies that will be inter-governmental body for connecting young people from both countries based on the spirit of reconciliation and building good neighborly relations.