Youth Network of Montenegro is the umbrella alliance of 42 youth organisations that together advocate for young people before institutions, create non-formal education and build opportunities for participation in public policies.
Empowering young people and their organisations to shape public policies and be recognised as partners of institutions in Montenegro.
A Montenegro where every young person has equal opportunities for participation, education, employment and a quality life.
Values aren't posters on a wall — they're the test for every decision, project and partnership of the Network.
Pljevlja, Plav, Rožaje and Ulcinj have the same voice in the Network as Podgorica. Resources and opportunities aren't shared by centre — but by need.
No document on young people goes into procedure without consultation with at least 200 young people from different municipalities.
Annual reports, financial overviews and meeting minutes are available online within 30 days.
Roma, young people with disabilities, LGBTQ+, those from rural areas and marginalised groups have a quota and focus in every programme.
The Network does not support any political party. We work with everyone who works for young people — and we criticise everyone who doesn't.
Our positions are built on research, fieldwork and statistics. If we don't have the data — we say so openly.
Zalažemo se za međusektorsku saradnju i uključivanje mladih u planiranje, pripremu i sprovođenje javnih politika.
6 years of work, divided into 4 mandates and 8 key moments.
17 organisations sign a Memorandum of Cooperation in Bijelo Polje. The first Assembly is held in October with 32 delegates from 12 municipalities.
The Network becomes the national coordinator of the EU's Structured Dialogue with Youth programme. Consultations cover 1,400 young people in 14 municipalities.
Our position adopted at 80% — including a mandatory youth worker in every municipality and a fund for youth initiatives.
Launched a yearly programme for 30 young people who learn to write and advocate for public policy. By 2026 — 5 cohorts, 142 alumni.
All work moved online in 2 weeks. A Solidarity Fund was launched — €18,000 transferred to the most vulnerable member organisations.
The conference "A Decade of Youth in MNE" in Cetinje gathered 380 participants and 12 institutional partners. The first White Paper of policies was published.
The Network is an umbrella association — the highest body is the Assembly of all members, while operations are led by an elected Presidency and a secretariat.
Strategic governance
Board of Directors
7 members · 2-year mandate · one re-election possible
Executive and operational management
General Secretariat
Professional and administrative-technical work · led by the Secretary General
Oversight and control
Supervisory Board
3 members · 2-year mandate · oversees the legality of the work of MMCG bodies
A youth umbrella organisation is an alliance of youth organisations with a shared goal — to make the voice of young people heard more powerfully, in a coordinated and systematic way, rather than one organisation at a time.
Youth umbrella organisations are national alliances of youth organisations. Their members aren't individuals but other organisations — associations, clubs, student unions, party youth wings — that jointly form an alliance to coordinate action and represent a shared youth voice before institutions.
Individual youth organisations often lack the capacity to influence laws, strategies or the public narrative around young people. An umbrella organisation changes that — through a unified voice and shared resources.
Concretely: umbrella organisations sit on government working groups, file written positions on draft legislation, coordinate responses to social crises, and participate in international networks (Council of Europe, EU YouthGoals, RYCO).
A typical umbrella organisation is structured around an Assembly (all member delegates), a Board (elected from member ranks), a Secretariat (staff running operations), and thematic working groups. Decisions are made by consensus or majority; public statements require backing from at least a majority of members.
Youth Umbrella Organisation of Serbia (KOMS) — federates over 100 youth associations in Serbia.
Council of Youth of Bosnia and Herzegovina — coordinates youth bodies at entity and cantonal level.
Slovenian Youth Council — advisory body to the Government of the Republic of Slovenia.
Youth Network of Montenegro is the only youth umbrella organisation in Montenegro — registered in 2012 and recognised by the Youth Law as a representative body. It represents its members in dialogue with the Government, EU partners and the media, and runs shared programmes (Youth Parliament, European Youth Capital, OPA).
Youth policy is the set of laws, strategies, programmes and institutions that shape the conditions in which young people grow up, learn, work and make decisions about their lives. It's not a single sector — it cuts across education, employment, health, culture and participation.
Youth policy covers all decisions and measures by the state and local authorities that directly affect young people — typically aged 15 to 30. It differs from broader social policy by treating young people as a distinct social group with specific needs and potential.
Education (formal and non-formal) — access to quality schools, extracurricular activities, and recognition of non-formal competencies.
Employment and entrepreneurship — first job, support for self-employment, prevention of brain drain.
Health — physical and mental health, prevention, reproductive health, addictions.
Participation and activism — the right to influence decisions affecting you, support for youth organisations.
Mobility — Erasmus+, ESC, regional exchanges through RYCO and bilateral programmes.
Culture and leisure — access to cultural content, youth clubs, programmes for creativity.
The state — Government (Ministry of Sports and Youth in Montenegro), Parliament, local self-governments.
Civil society — youth organisations, umbrella organisations like Youth Network of Montenegro.
Young people themselves — through youth parliaments, school and municipal councils, informal initiatives.
EU and international bodies — Council of Europe, EU Youth Strategy, UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Youth policy goes through the same stages as any public policy: problem identification → research and consultation → drafting → adoption → implementation → evaluation. At every stage, young people and their organisations have the right and responsibility to participate — this is called structured dialogue.
The foundational principle of modern youth policy in Europe: no measure, law or strategy concerning young people should be adopted without their meaningful participation. That doesn't mean just formal consultations — it means involving young people at every stage of decision-making, including drafting and evaluating measures.
Alongside the Assembly, Board and Secretariat, MMCG also operates through three thematic councils — bodies that bring together young people with specific experience and provide advice on advocacy directions in political participation, climate, and higher education.
Brings together representatives of the youth wings of political parties represented in the Parliament of Montenegro. The goal is not party politics — but to give young people who go through party 'schools' a space to talk to each other about youth issues across divisions.
The Council provides MMCG with recommendations on political education of young people, electoral participation, and the position of youth within party structures. It meets at least four times a year, and its conclusions are published on the Network's website.
A thematic body bringing together activists, students and young researchers working on climate and the environment. The Council monitors the implementation of the National Climate Change Strategy from a youth perspective and proposes concrete measures — from green jobs to education in schools.
Council representatives sit on working groups of the Ministry of Tourism, Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Region Development, and in international youth climate networks (YOUNGO, EU Climate Pact).
Council membership is open to representatives of MMCG members and, where relevant (e.g. student parliaments), to other recognised youth organisations. Calls for nominations are published once a year on the website and in News — follow the 'savjeti' tag or contact the Secretariat.
