On 4 and 6 of September, the EYF visited the “Regional Pride Academy” in Belgrade, Serbia, an international one-off youth cooperation activity implemented by Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR) Serbia.

The four-day residential training brought together 21 young people from across the Western Balkans and the regional network of YIHR. Many of the participants are active in Pride organising or human rights activism in their countries. The interactive sessions provided a space for expert input, peer learning and collaboration, allowing participants to share their experiences and learn from the different approaches of activism, campaigning and advocacy taken across the region. The programme explored gender and LGBTI rights, the Pride movement in the Balkans, advocacy, creative communication and community organising. Participants also worked together on the “Pride Volunteer Playbook”, a practical resource to support Pride organisers across the region, and will implement follow-up campaigns after the training.

Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR) is a regional network of non-governmental organisations with programmes in Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo*. Founded in 2003, YIHR works to promote justice, accountability, equality, freedom, democracy and peace.

The activity was supported by the European Youth Foundation through a grant for a one-off international youth cooperation activity.