On Wednesday, 11 March 2009, USAID’s Economic Security program will sign Memoranda of Understanding with mayors of six municipalities of Raški and Moravički districts on strengthening the capacities of the newly established Local Youth Offices and on the start of the student participation phase of the Junior Achievement program in high schools for the 2008/2009 academic year.
The agreements will be signed between Mr. Michael Pillsbury, Economic Security Program Director, and mayors of Arilje, Čajetina, Ivanjica, Nova Varoš, Priboj and Prijepolje, as well as a representative from the Junior Achievement Serbia program.
The signing of the MoU between the municipalities and the Economic Security program will formalize mutual collaboration to support Youth Offices and the Junior Achievement program. Five high schools and at least 100 students will be involved in the JA program in the two districts during spring 2009. USAID is committed to youth in Serbia and has developed activities that will complement and build on the National Youth Strategy that was adopted by the Government of Serbia last year. The aim of these efforts is to improve the entrepreneurship and employment market 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 Junior Achievement activities and other entrepreneurship training programs targeting 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 the Court building, 52 Svetog Ahilija, Arilje, on Wednesday, 11 March, at 9.45 a.m.