Belgrade - On March 17, 2017 the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation with the support of USAID, a U.S. government agency marked the closure of the Divac Youth Fund project at the “Youth in Charge” Conference. The Divac Youth Fund is a two-year project empowering youth to advocate for local resource mobilization and youth participation in local policy development.

Speaking at the conference, USAID Mission Director, Ms. Azza El-Abd said that USAID makes youth around the world a priority in their development work. “In Serbia, as in many countries where USAID works, young people face difficult challenges. Projects such as the Divac Youth Fund help youth rise above those challenges and provide us clear evidence that youth are a great, often untapped resource in their communities”.

The project is based on a partnership model whereby local businesses, individuals, and municipalities work together to identify community problems, develop solutions, and fund community activities. Approximately 60 percent of the project is funded through matching funds (in-kind or cash contributions).

Through this project, more than 10,000 youth have organized and worked with 11 municipalities (Aranđelovac, Blace, Kanjiža, Lazarevac, Obrenovac, Prijepolje, Vladičin Han, Vlasotince, and Vršac) on a wide range of community initiatives. The initiatives include renovating more than 300 school-based scientific workshops, sport facilities, theaters, playgrounds, open space gyms, and other activities that focus on culture, sports, health, education and activism

“We are proud to see what young people are able to do when given just a little incentive and support. Making progress in their lives, they change the lives of the whole community”, said President of the Managing Board of Divac Foundation, Ana Divac. The Foundation will continue to empower local youth organizations to ensure sustainability of youth activism in their communities.