The project Rely on youth is financed by the European Union, and implemented by the Macedonian Development Foundation for Enterprises (MDEF) in partnership with Rural Coalition, Junior Achievement Macedonia and ELIT – Association of Women Managers.

The overall objective of the project is improved life quality in local communities belonging to the Pelagonija, Polog, Southwest and Northeast planning regions by encouraging and increasing youth activism and volunteerism.

Specific objectives of the project are increased youth capacities for organized action in the local communities belonging to the Northeast, Pelagonija, Polog and Southwest planning regions by providing them technical support through trainings, mentorship and financial support for realization of their ideas. The project will support actions aiming on innovation in the local communities and actions that improve the prosperity and the social economy on the local level. The project envisages cooperation with rural municipalities to establish and support the work of local youth councils.

The project foresees the following outputs:

• Identified models for inclusion of young people in the process of providing services to the rural population in the direction of social and economic empowerment of rural communities.
• Created a specialized training program for active action of young people and women in the rural community;
• At least 150 rural youth and women with developed capacities and skills for active involvement in the community as service providers or founders of social enterprises.
• Established Local Youth Council in at least 3 rural municipalities;
• Established at least 5 rural youth clubs with developed capacities for youth activism and creation of socio-economic initiatives in rural communities;
• Financially supported minimum 10 socio-economic initiatives of local youth clubs and councils with strengthened organizational capacity to implement the initiatives;
• Promoted positive examples and best practices of successful local youth actions through social media.

The project was launched in February 2022 and has a duration of 24 months.