September 2025-July 2026
Slovenia

The EPEKA Association, Soc. Ent.., is launching the Youth Against Corruption: Tools for Transparency (Y-ACT) project in September, which will run from September 2025 to July 2026 in Slovenia. This pilot project addresses the pressing issue of corruption and lack of transparency, focusing on young people, especially from rural areas and socially marginalized groups.

The target group of Y-ACT is young people aged 18-35, especially those belonging to vulnerable groups such as Roma, LGBTQ+ youth, migrants and youth from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The project provides them with knowledge, tools and opportunities to identify and respond to corruption in local communities and strengthen their role as active citizens.

Main activities of the project:

  • Four workshops on transparency and ethics in the public sector, which will enable participants to understand the mechanisms of corruption and ways to increase their effectiveness.
  • Co-creation of a youth handbook on combating corruption, which will adapt the collected knowledge to the specific needs of young people and vulnerable groups.
  • Three awareness-raising events in local communities aimed at promoting dialogue and mobilizing young people for transparency.
  • A National Anti-Corruption Forum, which will bring together young people, decision-makers and experts to jointly design sustainable solutions and strategies.

Special emphasis will be placed on the inclusion of vulnerable groups so that their voices are heard and included in the process of change. The project results will be included in the long-term programs of EPEKA, presented on the website, youth portals and disseminated through a manual that will be available in schools, youth centers and NGOs.

The Y-ACT project is funded under the PROTEUS program, which is part of the European program CERV – Civil Society Empowerment (2023–2026). The involved financiers are the European Union, the City Municipality of Maribor and the Youth Office of the Republic of Slovenia.