On 10 December 2009, the Youth and Sports Committee held its fifteenth sitting in Kragujevac, on the premises of Kragujevac City Hall. The sitting was chaired by the Committee Chairman, Milan Vuckovic, and attended by Assistant Minister of Youth and Sport Snezana Klasnja, Head of the Ministry of Youth and Sport Department for the Cooperation with Young People Zorica Labudovic, members of Kragujevac City Council Branko Krsmanovic and Slavica Saveljic, representative of the Kragujevac Regional Youth Office Brankica Pavicevic and associates, representatives of the Youth Offices of Topola, Raca and Lapovo Gordana Djordjevic, Nikola Stojanovic and Aleksandar Popovic, members of the Municipal Councils of Knic, Raca, Batocina and Lapovo, UNDP Representative in Serbia Davor Salom, as well as representatives of high-schoolers’ and students’ organisations.

Greeting the deputies and guests present, the Committee Chairman Milan Vuckovic stressed the importance of holding a sitting outside of the seat of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, particularly when the Ministry of Youth and Sport Information on the implementation of the National Youth Strategy is on the agenda.

The participants were also greeted by Branko Krsmanovic, Kragujevac City Council member, who informed them that, before the beginning of the of the Youth and Sports Committee sitting, the councilors of the Kragujevac Assembly unanimously adopted a local Youth Action Plan at a City Assembly sitting.

Assistant Minister of Youth and Sport Snezana Klasnja stressed that, in addition to the adoption of a Youth Law, the young people can expect a continued opening of local Youth Offices next year, adding that the implementation of the National Youth Strategy would also continue which should help the information, education and employment of young people. Klasnja specified that seven local youth offices had been open by December 2007, 52 by December 2008 and by December 2009 a total of 101 local youth offices had been open. The data shows that the implementation of the Strategy is comprehensive, Klasnja added.

Representatives of pupils’ and students’ organisations, as well as local youth offices briefed all present on the offices’ work and organisation, as well as the problems they face.

The participants agreed in their estimate that the youth need more motivation to actively participate in society, that it is necessary to strengthen the youth information system on all levels and all areas, to improve youth safety, as well as provide young people with better opportunities to spend quality free time.