On Tuesday, 31 March 2009, USAID’s Economic Security program will sign Memoranda of Understanding with mayors of seven Vojvodina municipalities – Ada, Čoka, Bečej, Bački Petrovac, Bačka Topola, Kula and Senta – to cooperate on strengthening the capacities of newly established Local Youth Offices to address issues of youth employment and entrepreneurship.
The agreements will be signed between Mr. Michael Pillsbury, Economic Security Program, and mayors of the seven municipalities in Bačka Topola. Mayor of Bačka Topola municipality, Mr. Attila Babi, will host the event.
The signing of the MoU between the Belgrade municipalities and USAID’s program will formalize their mutual collaboration to support Youth Offices in these municipalities. USAID is committed to youth in Serbia and has developed activities that will complement and build on the National Youth Strategy and the Ministry’s strategic plan for youth, adopted by the Government of Serbia last year. This mutual commitment was formalized by signing a MoU between U.S. Ambassador Cameron Munter and Minister of Youth and Sport Mrs. Snežana Samardžić-Marković, earlier this year on support to Local Youth Offices in Serbia. The aim of this combined effort is to improve the entrepreneurship and employment marketable skills of Serbia’s young people so they can more successfully enter the work force or start their own businesses.
Many students in Serbia lack access to practical educational opportunities. USAID’s Economic Security program seeks to address this by equipping Serbian youth with the specialized skills required by employers, through support to the Junior Achievement program and other entrepreneurship training programs for youth. These activities are in line with the objectives of the National Youth Strategy to create employment, self-employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for young people in Serbia.
Journalists interested in attending the event are kindly invited to be at Bačka Topola Municipal Buidling, M.Tita 38, on Tuesday, 31 March, 11.45 a.m