How does the Municipality of Tetovo spend funds for youth programs?
Young people are an important part of every local community. They are the future bearers of economic, social, and cultural development, which is why municipalities have an obligation to create conditions for their active participation in community life. One of the ways in which this is achieved is through financing youth programs and activities.
Although there is often talk about supporting young people, many citizens do not know how these activities are financed, how much money is allocated and where they can find this information. The answer is not always simple, because funds for youth are most often not presented as a separate budget item, but are distributed across several different programs and activities.
What are youth programs?
Youth programs are activities and projects that aim to improve the quality of life of young people and encourage their active participation in society. This may include educational workshops, training, cultural and sports events, volunteering activities, support for youth organizations, as well as initiatives that contribute to the development of youth policies.
According to the Law on Youth Participation and Youth Policies, municipalities have a significant role in creating conditions for young people and in the development of local youth policies. The implementation of these activities requires financial resources that are provided through the municipal budget.
How are funds planned?
Each year, the Municipality of Tetovo prepares its budget through a process that begins several months before the start of the new budget year. The Ministry of Finance submits budget guidelines, after which the sectors in the municipality submit their financial requests. The draft budget is then reviewed by the Mayor, and the final decision is made by the Municipal Council. This process is also determined by the Budget Calendar adopted by the Tetovo Municipality Council.
For 2026, the Municipality of Tetovo adopted a budget in the total amount of 2,734,977,606 denars, which will be used to finance all legal responsibilities of the municipality, including education, utilities, infrastructure, culture, sports, administration, and other public services.
How much money is allocated for youth?
The question of exactly how much money is allocated for youth programs is one of the most common, but also one of the most difficult to answer.
The publicly available Decision on the Budget of the Municipality of Tetovo for 2026 does not show a separate item that unites all funds for youth policies. The document shows the total revenues and expenditures of the municipality, but does not contain a detailed distribution of funds by specific youth activities.
This means that citizens cannot determine how much money is allocated for youth just by reading the basic budget document. For such an analysis, other documents would be needed, such as the annual programs of the municipality, the detailed budget by programs, and the reports on budget implementation.
Why is it difficult to get the full picture?
In practice, youth-related activities are often financed through several different budget programs. For example, certain activities may be part of programs for sports, culture, education or support for civic associations.
Therefore, the total funds spent on youth are not always shown in one place. To get the full picture, it is necessary to analyze several documents and compare the planned funds with their implementation.
Why is transparency important?
Public disclosure of budget documents allows citizens to monitor how public funds are spent and to demand accountability from institutions. When information is clear and easily accessible, young people, civil society organizations and other stakeholders can more easily engage in local policy-making processes and propose activities that meet their needs.
At the same time, greater transparency contributes to better planning of public funds and greater trust in the work of local self-government.
Where can citizens find this information?
The budget of the Municipality of Tetovo is a public document and is adopted by the Municipal Council. In addition to the basic budget, citizens can also follow other documents that the municipality publishes, such as annual programs, quarterly reports on budget implementation, and the final account, when they are publicly available.
If certain information is not published, citizens have the right to request it through a request for free access to public information. In this way, more detailed data can be obtained on how funds are allocated for individual programs, including activities related to youth.
What can we conclude?
The budget of the Municipality of Tetovo shows how public funds are planned for the functioning of the local self-government, but the basic budget document cannot precisely determine how much money is allocated exclusively for youth programs.
This indicates that, in addition to publishing the budget, the availability of detailed programs and reports that allow citizens to more easily monitor investments in youth is also important. Better availability and comprehensibility of this information is an important step towards greater transparency, accountability, and active participation of young people in the development of the Municipality of Tetovo.
Author: Angel Stojanovski
This activity is supported by the CIVICUS Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI)