As part of the project “Stronger Voices for Better Choices-YHWBT”, during May 2025, Beyond Barriers Association organized a series of local meetings to present the Regional Youth Participation Index in the southern Albanian municipalities of Saranda, Gjirokastra and Tepelena.

In each municipality, we held two meetings, one with local government representatives and another with young people and youth organizations, making it a total of six meetings.

The main goals of these meetings were to:

• Present the main findings of the YPI 2023, especially about how young people participate in politics, society and the economy in the region.
• Encourage open dialogue between youth and local institutions, focusing on ways to improve youth involvement in local decision-making.

The meetings were met with great interest. Young people were actively involved in the discussions, and local government representatives showed willingness to listen and cooperate. These conversations showed the importance of building stronger bridges between institutions and youth.