Last week in Niš, a three-day meeting of the Hate Fighters Network and the Annual Conference of KOM 018 and HFN brought together more than 40 representatives of youth organisations, grassroots sports clubs, universities and schools from over 15 countries across Europe and beyond. It was an opportunity to reflect on the results achieved in 2025, plan new initiatives together, and openly discuss key issues affecting young people today.
This year’s conference was perhaps the most special one so far. Not because we are entering the new year with more than 20 newly approved European projects, but because we finally had the space to show how alive, practical and real all of this work is. Young people from our organisations spoke about their own experiences, their travels, trainings, new opportunities, and encounters with peers from different countries. The audience listened to their stories first-hand, and that authenticity, honesty and energy is exactly what makes events like this truly meaningful.
The long-term support we receive from the Municipality of Medijana was reaffirmed once again through their address at the conference. We were also joined online by a representative of the Delegation of the European Union to Serbia, whose participation means a great deal to us, as it highlights the importance of the international cooperation we continue to build. Representatives of the Tempus Foundation presented new calls and opportunities for 2026, giving organisations, schools and sports clubs clearer guidance on how to engage with European programmes. A representative of the CERV Contact Point in Serbia also joined online and shared the newest funding opportunities for the upcoming year.
The conference was a mixture of inspiration, hard work, emotion, new connections and a sense of pride in watching our community grow. It is our favourite event of the year, not because it is the largest, but because it brings together people who care, people who work, learn, try, and believe that change is possible. The energy created in Niš these past days is one of those forces that move things forward. And that is why we are already looking forward to the next gathering.
Written by Jovana Janković, Project Manager at the Club for Empowering Youth 018 (KOM 018).
