Mapping of local issues begins in Kruševo, Dolneni, and Krivogaštani

At the end of June 2024, the youth associations EMPOWERING from Kruševo and Urbano Gnezdo from Krivogaštani, along with the Youth Centre Pelagonci – ETNOS from Dolneni, held workshops in their communities. These workshops involved 5 to 10 representatives from local authorities, civil society, and young activists.

ETNOS held their workshop on 27th June at the Stanica PET-Prilep premises, focusing on the topic of “Health and Fire Protection.” It was opened by Tomo Stefanovski, a firefighter with years of experience, who noted that most fires are caused by livestock farmers, with some even being a result of political retaliation. Dr. Ivana Stojcheska Dimeska from the Private Health Institution (PHI) St. Spas – Ropotovo highlighted the challenging state of healthcare in Dolneni. “There are no state health facilities, and the private ones have limited working hours,” she said. Participants proposed securing a fire truck and an ambulance equipped with a doctor and nurse as a solution to these local issues.

EMPOWERING held their first working meeting for sectoral analysis on the topic “Environmental Protection in the Pelagonia Region” on 24th June in Kruševo. Due to the scope of the topic, the working group decided to focus the sectoral analysis on the subtopic “Waste – an Unresolved Issue for the Pelagonia Region.”

“Through this project, I want to help in the development and progress of my town, and for that, other young people need to get involved and fight for greater representation in decision-making processes in Kruševo, such as addressing waste management issues,” said Stefania Kočoska, a member of the working group. Soti Maja, representing the Sports Fishing Association “ZSRK Mrena-1987” from Kruševo, emphasised the lack of awareness on this issue. “I believe the waste problem will start to be overcome by raising awareness about sorting and recycling, but also by installing machines that reward citizens for each piece of plastic they recycle,” she added. Some participants highlighted the lack of a local landfill, complicating the disposal of sorted waste. Through the discussion, sharing positive and negative experiences, the expert mapped the needs of Kruševo residents regarding waste management.

The workshop organised by Urbano Gnezdo in Krivogaštani focused on “Local Economic Development in the Pelagonia Region.” Stevce Jancheski, the project coordinator, presented the project’s activities so far and the plans for future phases. The needs of the youth population in the region were analysed, and based on the discussions, the expert will prepare a sectoral analysis.

Participants were pleased with the opportunity to share their opinions and ideas and are looking forward to seeing their implementation in practice.

The three workshops are part of the project “Youth Policies Tailored to Young People,” implemented by Pro Lokal in partnership with the youth associations Empowering from Kruševo, Urbano Gnezdo from Krivogaštani, and the Youth Centre Pelagonci – ETNOS from Dolneni.