The project overall GOAL is to enhance cooperation between the cross-border regions of Greece, North Macedonia, and Bulgaria by supporting online networking and cooperation between representatives of different sectors (youth, education, business) with a focus on addressing youth unemployment and providing young people access to the new opportunities developing their employability and entrepreneurial competences. Specific OBJECTIVES: -Creating ONLINE NETWORKING PLATFORM enhancing networking, cooperation between the representatives of different sectors and enabling young people from cross-border regions to look for and to access new opportunities -Raising AWARENESS of the representatives of different sectors on the possibilities of online networking and cooperation in the cross-border regions -EQUIPPING young people with information on the possibilities of upgrading their competencies by subscribing to the platform.
A high rate of unemployment, particularly among young people, an absence of opportunities for youth to engage in the community and seek personal and professional growth, and a lack of cross-sector collaboration among youth sector representatives, educational institutions, local governments, and businesses affected the cross-border areas between North Macedonia, Greece, and Bulgaria. The COVID-19 pandemic deeply impacted these areas and brought with it a number of challenges, including a shortage of high-quality youth activities and digital tools that would have allowed youth organisations and other actors representing these areas to collaborate. Given that all initiatives aimed at fostering cross-border collaboration invest in infrastructure rather than in the regions' human capital, the brain drain of young people from the cross-border region to Western European countries or their capital cities is not surprising. Before applying the project based on existing analysis, we identified the needs for transforming ways of networking and cooperation, data for young people in the cross-border regions and strengthening the role of youth organizations for socio-economic development of these regions.