n 2021, the European Union (EU) faced a concerning issue with a high percentage of young individuals aged 15 to 29 falling into the category of Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET). Specifically, 13.1% of young people were classified as NEET, which raised significant alarms, particularly in rural regions. This situation not only negatively impacted the well-being and living standards of NEETs but also posed threats to the social and economic sustainability of these areas.

To address this pressing challenge, the EU set a target to reduce the NEET rate to below 9% by 2030 and recognized the revitalization of rural regions as a shared European vision. 

In the period from October 2024 to June 2026, the Belgrade Open School team will provide expert support for the implementation of the project in Serbia, with the support of the Charity Foundation of the Serbian Orthodox Church "Philanthropy" and the Chamber of Commerce of Serbia.

In this period, the BOS team will work on:

• Developing curriculum modules for training mentors to work with NEET
• Designing and implementing training for mentors
• Developing a framework for effective mentor training
• Developing impact study and evaluation of a pilot program for mentors

Project Back on Track is coordinated by OJAB (Austria), and implemented by IPCenter (Austria), YESForum (Germany), DEX IC (Czech Republic), PRIZMA (Slovenia), ADEL (Slovakia), NERDA & MPTK (Bosnia-Herzegovina), Philanthropy (Serbia), SZ Reda (Bulgaria), ADR Sud Muntenia (Romania) und Pannon Novum & HICS (Hungary).