About the Project
Youth under 24 years of age comprise 42% of Kosovo’s population. Youth unemployment is high, with 52% of youth without jobs and 30% of the economy informal. Brimming with ambition and the desire to fully integrate into the global economy while frustrated with the opportunities available to them, youth will play a key role in determining both the political and economic future of Kosovo.
The USAID-funded Kosovo Up To Youth project works with Kosovo’s youth aged 16-24 that are vulnerable to social exclusion, mobilizing and empowering them to effect positive change. The project targets marginalized youth, particularly those under-served by current and past youth-focused initiatives grappling with unaddressed stress and trauma, or vulnerable to developing risky behaviors. Taking a “Positive Youth Development” lens, the program works to build the assets and agency of youth, enabling youth to contribute to and play leadership roles in their communities, build and support networks and an enabling environment for positive youth development.
Working as a sub-contractor to Global Communities from 2019 to 2024, LINC leads Up To Youth’s third objective: Developing, building and supporting resilience partners in fostering an environment for youth to engage in a positive and meaningful way. This includes the formation of Youth Learning Networks, conducting participatory resilience network assessments, action planning for resilience network strengthening, and national-level learning activities.
-By LINC