The Youth Dialogue Program Serbia – Kosovo, has emerged from the initiative of young people from Serbia and Kosovo at the beginning of 2005, with the aim of reviving the interrupted cooperation between young Serbs and Albanians after the conflicts in 1999.

The first significant steps towards the establishment of this initiative were taken in February 2005, during an encounter between students from the University of Pristina on the one side and students from the University in Novi Sad, on the other. On that occasion, the primary framework was established on which to build towards the normalization of relations, restoration of trust and reconciliation among young people from Serbia and Kosovo. The youth organizations engaged in this process were: ELSA (The European Law Students Association) from Novi Sad and BIRD (The Balkan Institute for Research and Development) from Pristina. This cooperation was successfully initiated with support from the Centre for Regionalism from Novi Sad and Civil Dialogue Kosovo-Serbia.

As this is necessarily a lengthy process, investment in youth involvement is a decidedly constructive approach. Furthermore, the fact the founding initiative came from groups of young people, their first-hand knowledge of the problems facing young people can be readily applied in re-establishing mutual cooperation.

Since 2005, over five hundred young people from Serbia and Kosovo have participated in our programs. ELSA and BIRD organized several international conferences together. 

Working towards strengthening this program, an agreement has been reached on founding the Youth Dialogue Program Serbia – Kosovo, aimed at creating an institutional framework for the realization of the program of dialogue among young people of Serbia and Kosovo.

Field of our activities:

• Dialogue among young Serbs, Albanians, Roma, Gorani, Bosniaks
• Dialogue among youth from Serbia and Kosovo
• Interethnic Dialogue within Kosovo and Serbia
• Human Rights and Democracy
• Rule of Law
• Advocacy for Minorities Rights
• International and Regional Cooperation
• Promotion of Euro – Atlantic Integration