This Assessment Report presents the findings of a multi-country empirical assessment examining youth resilience in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo. It is grounded in a regional framework that explores how young people navigate socio-economic vulnerabilities, engage with civic life, and respond to risks related to crime, violence, and extremism. The report combines quantitative and qualitative methods to generate evidence-based insights that can inform youth policies, programs, and institutional responses. The assessment is motivated by growing concerns regarding youth exclusion, underemployment, migration pressures, and exposure to violence in the Western Balkans. While national governments have made commitments to improve youth outcomes—through education reform, employment initiatives, and civic engagement strategies—significant gaps remain in the understanding of youth needs, aspirations, and lived experiences at the local level.

As asserted in the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security (2015), youth can play a decisive role in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and are a key aspect of the sustainability, inclusiveness and success of peace-building efforts. This report responds to that gap by collecting and analyzing data directly from young people. By doing so, it contributes to a growing body of evidence that links resilience not only to individual coping mechanisms, but also to systemic factors such as institutional trust, opportunity structures, and social cohesion.

The case studies, such as the tragic school violence in Albania, where a 14-year-old was fatally stabbed near a school in Tirana, underscore the critical need for effective school safety measures and the prevention of youth violence. Similarly, the 'Be a Man Club' in Bosnia and Herzegovina serves as a model of youth-led initiatives addressing violence and promoting healthy masculinity, offering concrete examples that illustrate the broader trends identified in the research. In Kosovo, the high rates of femicide and gender-based violence reflect the pressing need to address gender-based violence as part of youth resilience programming, a challenge that remains central to the region's social cohesion.

Authors of this publication are Dr. Erinda Bllaca, drejtore ekzekutive e Institutit per Aktivizem dhe Ndryshim Social dhe Dr.C. Ermonela Xhafa, studiuese e se drejtes penale.