Young people in Kumanovo like to party on weekends, but they also show their concern on social issues by joining workshops. On November 8th, 2014 such a workshop happened in the office of the Islamic Youth Forum , an NGO in Kumanovo. Led by Deniz Memedi, the 1-day workshop “Social rights are human rights 2” is part of the “Inclusion Express” campaign of the Y-E-N (Youth Express Network).

First things first – Y-E-N is a network of 27 organizations from 21 countries that work on local, regional and European level on promoting youth work and social inclusion. Deniz, together with a member from the CID Volunteer Club, attended a study visit in Budapest, and the workshop is the result of that visit. In the framework of the “Inclusion Express” campaign, it aims at raising awareness on the importance of social inclusion and the respect of social rights, as well as mobilizing and training activists to take over with local activities.

Coming back to the workshop, it focused on several aspects. The first part presented the experience of the study visit in Budapest and outlined the main goals of the Y-E-N and their campaign. After receiving the expert input on human rights and social rights, the participants were invited to brainstorm together on creating an activity plan for their community that would touch upon the issue of social rights.

The atmosphere was productive, with participants showing their interest in getting involved in something that would require them to learn new skills and work together as a team, and we are looking forward to their activities!