Balkan countries and Lithuania have a common history, but after the collapse of communist regimes, each country went on its own way of democratic development. Over the last 25 years each country has a different progress in the development of their economies and democracies. Unfortunately, cooperation between Balkan countries at the institutional level is not very effective, especially in the youth field where it is fragmented and mainly related to partnerships between organizations.This project brings together four national youth councils with five participants from each of the following countries Serbia, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Romania and Lithuania with the main aim to strengthen their capacity for advocacy campaigns towards youth related needs and topics. Specific aims of the project are: To give advanced understanding of the concept of advocacy in the context of the dialogue among the NGOs and the governmental sectorTo improve the understanding of advocacy as an instrument that can be successfully used by NGOs in the process of making institutional and legal changes on the local and national levelTo illustrate how advocacy can effectively be used by the NGOs in order to bring positive and lasting changes in the societyTo draft plans of future advocacy actions to be implemented by the participants in their countriesTo give a positive approach to youth policies as it sees the young people not as a problem but as right-holders.The course is planned in a manner that provides not only sufficient information for advocacy but also creates opportunity for reflection analysis and provoking changes in participants’ attitude towards their proactive behavior in own communities regarding issues relevant to their work. Since the NGOs often lack understanding of the necessity of institutionalization of the changes they want to see happen, the course provides time and experience for reaching this point of not only receiving load of information on the subject but also achieving utilization of gained knowledge. Mainly this will be achieved through planning and later implementation of a practical assignment, an advocacy action/campaign. Besides, the practical assignment will also ensure influence on the situation and raise public awareness with regard to their situation among the general population. Training course will be based on the non-formal learning methodology, learning from hands-on experience, reflecting on results and own learning, practicing things they learn, realizing some advocacy campaign steps during the TC and involving via social media channels their peers and members of their organizations, planning further advocacy actions to be taken in their communities. Activities will develop the attitude of the participant toward a “precision state” where the participants would be able to implement advocacy campaigns without the help of the trainer. And partly as follow-up, but mainly as practicing newly gained skills, participants will have to run at least one advocacy action when they get back home from TC and share it with other participants of the course. How Project is linked to Erasmus+ aims:The project reflects the specific aims of the program Erasmus+ in the field of youth, as it contributes to the improvement of the quality of youth work by putting together transnational non-formal based activities which seek to enhance cross-border communication and sharing of good practices. Project will support learners in the acquisition of competencies on advocacy, democracy, participation, communication which will support them in the promotion of change in their region. Moreover, through personal development of participants we will improve their employability. Participants will improve their ability to communicate various aspects of the culture and democracy practices in foreign languages. Participants will gain opportunity for participating actively in social life, through promoting changes in society with Advocacy and its tools, and develop a sense of European citizenship and identity.