North Macedonia

Youth information work in North Macedonia is partially coordinated by the Agency for Youth and Sport, an independent governmental institution in charge of the progress, well-being and future of Macedonian youth.

However, in North Macedonia, youth information work is still an underdeveloped concept in theory and practice. Currently, the youth information landscape is predominantly composed of youth and youth umbrella organisations that are filling the gap and providing timely and quality youth information, with some support from the state institutions and the Macedonian National Agency (NA).

In January 2020, for the first time since the independence of the country, the Law on Youth Participation and Youth Policies was adopted, defining the contours for the further development of youth work and youth information. The law is a pioneer document in this sense and obliges all state institutions and local governments to appoint a youth officer with a working portfolio in youth information. Concretely, for the municipalities, the law envisions the opening of youth centres administered by youth workers who would have the role of information officers as well.

This law defines a youth worker as “a qualified individual who possesses competences and knowledge to work with young people, creating and implementing activities to support their personal and social development through non-formal and informal learning.” A definition for a youth information worker has not been included.