In the past few months, 500 participants from across the 6 countries of the Balkan region (Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Croatia, North Macedonia, and Greece) were invited to explore and reimagine public spaces in their communities. Through a set of workshops, site visits, and inclusive design trainings, the activities aimed to foster civic participation, amplify youth voices, and uncover local challenges and opportunities. 

Designing Change: Youth-Led Placemaking Tailored to Local Voices

Depending on the local context and needs, each country hosted its own series of events tailored to local needs, resources, and social contexts. Participants varied from across the countries, engaging students from local universities and schools, youth from remote communities, youth with intellectual disabilities (PwID), and young women. The workshops followed a shared methodology that included introductory sessions on placemaking, participatory design activities, and collective ideation of improvements for selected public spaces. In many cases, field visits and brainstorming sessions were followed by the formulation of concrete proposals with creative facilitation and a potential of funding the local solutions developed by the youth. Local stakeholders, such as municipalities, schools, and NGOs, were involved.

One Vision, Many Voices: Youth-Driven Placemaking Across Six Countries

Despite differing contexts, all participating countries shared a common goal: to empower young people to shape the spaces they inhabit and build a more inclusive and engaged society:

• In Bulgaria, youth in Vratsa, Haskovo, and Plovdiv generated actionable low-cost ideas around the local communities (youth centers, residential areas), involving the elements of physical recreation and socialization. 
• In Romania, students from several educational institutions in Suceava proposed revitalising underused public spaces with the focus on greening, civic participation, physical activity, personal development and social interaction.
• In Serbia, political unrest limited youth engagement in the activities, however, trainings were held in Belgrade with youth from the local communities. Additionally, ministries, faculties and health institutions working with the youth were introduced to the term placemaking and to the goals of the project.
• In Croatia, the workshops involved young women from Zagreb, young people with intellectual disabilities from Trogir, and students from Osijek addressed the issues of inclusivity in public spaces and how they can be better shaped for the youth.
• In North Macedonia, young students from Skopje identified public spaces for improvement and elaborated plans for interventions through youth engagement. For all participants, this was their first encounter with the placemaking concept.
• In Greece, discussions centered on gender and urban inequality, sparking new perspectives on feminist urbanism among youth. Local students from Thessaloniki and young women from Athens connected their observations to real-life challenges of the areas and proposed practical solutions for improvement. 

The project activities revealed that, regardless of previous experience or socio-political context, young people across the region are eager to engage in shaping their environment. The initiative

successfully fostered creativity, dialogue, and collaboration, leaving behind both tangible project ideas and an intangible sense of empowerment. By supporting young voices and inclusive processes, the project laid the groundwork for long-term civic engagement and more equitable public spaces in the Balkans.

For most of the participants, this was their first encounter with the placemaking concept, as they explored the basic idea of youth engagement in public spaces and tried new tools of how they can shape spaces themselves. Additionally, some of the plans developed by the youth participants will be followed up during the practical stage of the project – placemaking interventions.

Initiated by BG Be Active and backed by dedicated partner organisations from five Balkan countries, Youth Placemaking Balkans is a youth movement designed to improve youth entrepreneurship and active citizenship in the democratic processes by providing them with the relevant civic skills through creating inclusive and engaging spaces for and by young people. 

Reach out to us today to discover how you can contribute to the project, participate in our activities, or get answers to any questions you may have. 

Together, we are  – #EmpoweringYouthandTransforming PublicSpaces.