SEEYN - South Eastern European Youth Network

Since 1999 SEEYN has worked in strengthening the Advocacy initiatives, Youth Mobility and the Network itself. All previously mentioned subcomponents emerged as clear priorities for the network members. Different approaches and strategies have been considered and fulfilled in order to reach the objectives of the program. After four years of intensive work within the subcomponents’ framework, we have reached the following results:

• Developed, expanded transparent and strong Network
• Developed strong, efficient and responsive Secretariat
• Developed cooperation with a wide range of partners
• Enabled SEEYN members to undertake advocacy actions
• Completed decent number of visible advocacy and outreach actions
• Organized more than 50 work –camps
• Exchanged more than 60 long- and mid-term volunteers
• Built capacity on several topics through trainings and experience including work-camp’s leader capacities

SEEYN also serves as an incubator for some members in the sense that by joining the network they strengthen their capacities and outreach. It is broadly recognized within the network that members benefit at different levels from a membership. At a personal level, members exchange information, gain personal experience and establish regional and international contacts. This is also transferred to their organizations or in regional work as capacity building, a stronger impact and outreach locally and regionally when organising joint activities. Members also achieve international contacts and reputation, inclusion in programme and activities and, of course, financial benefits.
The experience from the previous years has shown that regional volunteer exchange and work camps - besides promoting the values of voluntarism, intercultural co-operation and learning - also bring forward political issues of limited youth mobility and access to visa on one hand, and on the other hand, prove as an important instrument in confronting unemployment as well as prejudice in the region.
Previously defined activities, with the aim of promoting voluntarism and intercultural learning and co-operation, have four years later also proved to have become strategic tools for obtaining necessary experiences for youth in order to find access to the labour market.