Implementation Activities

The THRIVE partners delivered six Youth Employability and Digital Skills Workshops across Bulgaria, North Macedonia, and Serbia, with each partner organisation hosting two local workshops. The activities were designed for Roma and Roma-origin youth and responded directly to the employment, digital-literacy, confidence, and social-inclusion challenges identified during the project’s research phase.

The workshops focused on practical career-readiness skills that participants could apply when searching for employment or training opportunities. Topics included CV writing, job applications, interview preparation, job-search strategies, professional communication, creating and using professional email accounts, navigating online job platforms, and applying for opportunities through digital tools.

Participants learned through practical exercises, role-playing, group discussions, peer learning, and collaborative problem-solving. They reviewed CV examples, practised interview situations, discussed barriers experienced in the labour market, and explored how personal strengths, confidence, communication, and digital skills can support their professional development.

Short surveys completed before and after the sessions helped the partners understand participants’ starting knowledge, assess immediate learning outcomes, and collect feedback on the workshop methods and materials. Workshop resources were adapted to local contexts and made accessible in Serbian, Macedonian, and Bulgarian, supporting culturally relevant learning across all three countries.

The workshops strengthened participants’ employability skills, digital confidence, self-awareness, and readiness to pursue further education, training, and employment opportunities. Each partner documented participation, feedback, challenges, and lessons learned, contributing to a consolidated overview of the workshop series and to the continued improvement of the THRIVE Employability Toolkit.

The THRIVE partnership organised one Stakeholder Workshop in each partner country, bringing together representatives of local authorities, youth organisations, educational institutions, NGOs, employers, business-sector organisations, and community groups involved in employment, skills development, and social inclusion.

The workshops presented the aims and progress of THRIVE, shared experiences from the Youth Employability and Digital Skills Workshops, and introduced the project’s Employability Toolkit and practical resources. Participants considered the employment and digital barriers faced by Roma and Roma-origin youth and discussed how local support systems could respond more effectively.

Through interactive discussion and exchange of experience, stakeholders identified local needs, shared good practices, and explored opportunities for stronger cooperation among public institutions, civil-society organisations, educators, employers, youth workers, and Roma communities. Particular attention was given to improving access to career guidance, digital support, mentoring, training, and inclusive employment opportunities.

The stakeholder sessions created space for participants to propose practical recommendations and local measures that could strengthen employment support and social inclusion. By involving organisations and decision-makers from different sectors, the workshops connected community-level experience with broader discussions about services, policies, and action plans for young people and minority communities.

Feedback and recommendations from each workshop were documented and brought together in a final summary of the stakeholder-engagement process. The workshops strengthened local networks, encouraged continued communication among participating organisations, and supported the longer-term use and sustainability of THRIVE resources and approaches beyond the project period.