Youth Centers Development Program
The Youth Centers development program for the years 2017-2022
The Youth Centers development program for the years 2017-2022 aimed to strengthen institutional capacities in order to develop and expand the territory of youth services, so as to increase the number of young beneficiaries and achieve the following objectives:
increasing the level of civic activism of young people, including among young people with limited opportunities;
strengthening local youth councils;
diversification of young people's methods of access to information;
development of outreach services;
intensification of measures to promote a healthy lifestyle among young people;
expanding non-formal education services.
The program for the development of youth centers for the years 2017-2022 was implemented in the administrative-territorial units of the Republic of Moldova where the local public authorities of the second level assumed the commitment to develop and expand the territorial coverage of services for young people.
Beneficiaries:
The program is intended for youth centers, public institutions constituted by local public authorities of level I and II, including private non-commercial institutions, public associations and foundations, which, in cooperation with local public authorities of level II, will provide youth services at the level district/municipal or at the level of community groups.
Program Components
professional development of human resources within youth centers.
support for the development of the technical-material base of youth centers.
support for the development of the district/municipal grant program for competitive financing of youth initiatives/projects of youth organizations and youth initiative groups.
Component I of the program was implemented by the Ministry of Education and Research in cooperation with development partners: the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA Moldova) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
In this context, on 19.12.2017, the Co-financing Agreement was signed between MECC and UNFPA regarding the approval of the program "Common Fund for the development of youth services, including for the most vulnerable", until 2022 (Common Fund), and from 15.11.2018 he joined the Common Fund The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) by signing a Co-financing Agreement with UNFPA Moldova through the project "Strengthening participation and civic involvement among young people in Moldova".
Within the Common Fund, it was possible to mobilize approximately 3 million $, secured by the financial contribution of the above-mentioned partners. The Common Fund, as a component of the Youth Centers Development Program 2022, contributed to: the institutional development of Youth Centers; professional development of employees (youth workers) of these institutions; increasing the quality of the programs/services offered by the Youth Centers and their role in the community, including in the relationship with the school; as well as increasing the level of participation and civic engagement of young people at the community level.
The partnership regarding the development of Youth Centers and increasing the participation and civic involvement of young people has been extended until 2026 through of the Common Fund for the empowerment of young people from the Republic of Moldova of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Education and Research (MEC) and the National Agency for the Development of Youth Programs and Activities (ANDPAT), Memorandum of collaboration signed on of March 6, 2023.
