Lens was the Kosovo partner in his regional project, and EU-funded operational grant implemented across the six Western Balkans countries and Turkey, aimed to build a strong and inclusive civil society capable of applying EU standards of participatory democracy and cooperating with governments on an equal partnership basis to shape public policies that ensure socio-economic security, inclusion, and youth participation in society.
Its specific objective was to strengthen civil society organizations in fostering regional cooperation, enhancing representative, and promoting political participation to advocate for effective reforms in employment policies that address the needs of youth at risk of marginalization according to their socio-economic background and living conditions. The project was implemented through a platform of CSO partners and networks from Montenegro (with ADP-Zid as the lead applicant), Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, and Turkey.
It produced regional policy intelligence and recommendations to drive youth employment reforms, fostered the application of social innovations for inclusion and employment inspired by EU practices, and strengthened civil society’s capacity to engage in broad dialogue with stakeholders at both national and regional levels while advocating for effective policy options and tools on youth employment and social inclusion.