BootCamp has brought together young people from Kosovo and Montenegro

With the financial support of the cross-border programme IPA II, the partners of the project “SESEY” have organized a five-day training which aimed on supporting young people from the border area between Montenegro – Kosovo on the development of start-ups, in exchange of ideas as well as on creating opportunities to connect with their peers.

The participants had also the opportunity to strengthen and expand their knowledge on designing the ideas by turning them into prototypes and initiatives that could address the needs of the community and the young people. The participants continued to benefit from this activity and have learned how to utilize technology in order to develop ideas and have become more familiar with the concepts of “crowd-funding”.

The so called activity “BootCamp” was held simultaneously in both sides of the border, in Kosovo and Montenegro, one in Peja and the other in Ulcinj.

Technology and the internet have exceeded the barriers to organizing the event – despite the challenges of the recent days with the COVID-19 situation that is facing the society in both countries. So, in these circumstances, participants met virtually their colleagues across the border. On the other hand, our mentors provided participants with the necessary support through sharing information and guidance needed for the prototyping process and for articulating of the ideas.

The activity was realized during the month of July (10 – 14) and is as a continuation of the i2 Space program which is part of the “SESEY” project.

Furthermore, the spaces for ideas and innovation “i2 Space” are socially innovative spaces, with an online extension, where people share their interests in technology, have meetings and work on their projects and learning from each other. One such space is located in Peja and the other in Podgorica.

Through the “SESEY” project a dynamic community is being created in the border area between Kosovo – Montenegro, where young people from six municipalities Peja, Istog, Deçan, Podgorica, Rozaje and Berane are beneficiaries of the program and will be encouraged to exchange ideas, knowledge and skills.

This activity is organized within the project “Self-Employment and Social Entrepreneurship for Youth – SESEY” and is implemented by LENS, Association for Democratic Prosperity – ADP-Zid, Liberal Democrat Center, and Creative Skills Center.  The project is supported through the cross-border cooperation program IPA II Montenegro – Kosovo 2014 -2020, funded by the European Union.

The project aims to improve access to the labor market for the youth on this area and will encourage socially vulnerable groups to participate in society. Furthermore, young people have the unique opportunity to benefit from skills, competencies, interethnic exchange of ideas about innovative social practices and to participate in the digital economy sector.

This project is funded by the IPA II Cross-Border Cooperation Program, Montenegro – Kosovo 2014-2020 of the European Union.

The article was created with the financial support of the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of LENS and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.