BELGRADE – On April 21, the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation and USAID formally launched a new two-year Divac Youth funds project that will support youth projects in nine municipalities. What makes this project unique is that the project funds are managed by youth who decide about the priorities in their local communities.  

The funds provided by USAID, through the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation, will be matched with funds by local businesses and partner municipalities, which is proof of the importance local governments place on youth engagement. The Divac Youth Fund partner municipalities are: Vlasotince, Blace, Vladičin Han, Prijepolje, Aranđelovac, Obrenovac, Lazarevac, Vršac, Kanjiža.

“I congratulate the Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation for the great results in working with youth. Divac Youth Fund projects have been successful at engaging previously inactive youth and including them in the decision-making process at the local level,” said Mrs. Snežana Klašnja, the Assistant Minister at the Ministry of Youth and Sport.

“USAID has been supporting youth initiatives in Serbia for over a decade.  We have done so because we believe that engaging and investing in Serbia’s young people is crucial for Serbia’s overall development,” said Mr. Peter Wiebler, Director of USAID Office for Democracy and Governance.

Mrs. Ana Divac, President of the Managing Board of Ana and Vlade Divac Foundation, thanked USAID and partnering municipalities for their support and invited young people to take an active role in changing their local communities.  

In 2014, through the Divac Youth Fund pilot project, 94 youth projects were completed by 12,000 young people mobilized in nine municipalities.