The Youth Leadership Network project is concerned with identifying the reasons for the low level of civic participation of young people in the border region, identifying the necessary knowledge and skills that will help to overcome them, and promoting civic participation and training of young people who are public opinion leaders.

The aim is for young people to pass on the acquired knowledge and skills to other members of their community and to contribute to positive changes in it. In the period from January to May 2021, a study of official documents in the period 2014-2020 was conducted, which outlines the inclusion of young people in civil society and opportunities to promote their participation in public life.

It seeks data on the level of youth participation in decision-making and policy formulation and will identify the problems that are a prerequisite for the low level of youth participation in civil society. In order to identify the problems that lead to their low level of activity, 4 focus groups were conducted in Bulgaria (Vidin, Montana, Vratsa, Sofia region) and 3 focus groups in Bosilegrad, Vranje and Targovishte, Serbia.

Based on the results of the documentary research and focus groups, it was determined what knowledge and skills are needed to solve the identified problems, and the package of knowledge and skills will be in the focus of training of young people. Based on the analysis of the documents and the results of the focus groups, a matrix of issues related to the civic participation of young people was prepared, which will be used to identify the topics included in the Program for active participation of citizens. A report on local and national youth policies and their results 2014-2017 in Bulgaria and Serbia was prepared from the study and analysis of the focus groups.