In the initial phase of the Erasmus + SPACE project, Placemaking Western Balkans held two focus group talks with the youth workers of Padinska Skela and Kačarevo, aimed at encouraging wider participation of youth in shaping the public spaces in their villages.

The first focus group brought together community members and local stakeholders from Padinska Skela. Community members and local stakeholders shared their views on current challenges and possibilities for improving the area’s public infrastructure, often pointing out the absence of support from the local governments.

The second focus group with participants from Kacarevo’s concerned youthworkers and other activists took place online. The group discussed the problems their community is facing in engaging youth and creating good public spaces for them, as well as general environmental problems evident in the public spaces of the village.

Both focus group conversations were very insightful and provided tangible evidence for the making of the SPACE project Baseline report.