Youth and civil society are vital to the Western Balkans’ cybersecurity future. As cyber threats escalate, OSF–WB is driving a people-first, rights-based, digital resilience approach to empower the next generation and align with Europe’s shared security goals.

A People-First Approach to Cyber Resilience

“If we want to build a more resilient Western Balkans, we must begin with people, not platforms. With talent, not just tools,” said Andi Dobrushi, OSF-WB Regional Director.

Cyber threats are growing more sophisticated by the day, targeting everything from governments to nonprofits. Civil society organizations (CSOs), vital defenders of rights and democracy, are now the second most targeted sector globally, right after energy, mining, oil and gas (Okta’s 2024 report). Threat actors are drawn to nonprofits because of the valuable data they hold, their access to third-party vendors, and the relatively low risk involved in attacking them.

At the same time, an entire generation of young people is brimming with potential, eager to contribute, yet often left without the means, access or support to do so. That is exactly why capacity building in this space is a necessity.

Youth and CSOs as Catalysts for Change

“The real question is how we shift youth from criminal digital capacities and streamline their skills into sectors of the economy that need them most. They don’t lack capacity. They need fine-tuning,” Dobrushi emphasized.

He emphasized that CSOs should play a reinvented role in the region’s cybersecurity ecosystem. “Instead of roundtables, they can start bridging the gap between skills and policy.”

At the OSF-WB, this challenge is seen as both an opportunity and a responsibility. Empowering youth in cybersecurity is about building real-world skills and creating job opportunities, which allow young people, especially those from underrepresented or underserved communities, to envision a future for themselves in this field.

The OSF-WB works to increase the employability of digitally skilled graduates in high-demand fields like cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, while strengthening the cyber resilience of civil society. This includes capacity building, fostering knowledge sharing on digital threats and advocating with partners such as European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) to ensure robust protections for digital rights across the region.

Building a Digital Future with Rights and Resilience

These efforts are already visible on the ground. Programs like the Summer School of Digital Rights and Privacy Week bring together youth from across the region to explore privacy, ethics and cybersecurity. These initiatives foster cross-border dialogue and peer learning, helping to build a generation of digitally aware and rights-conscious leaders.

Meanwhile, resources such as the Cybersecurity Toolkit and Cyber Intimacy Toolkit are equipping CSOs, activists and young people to recognize abuse, understand their rights and navigate the digital space with confidence. Training, digital tools and legal support for organizations targeted by cyberattacks are contributing to strengthening the region’s civil society infrastructure.

As the threat landscape evolves, so must the region’s strategies. In the Western Balkans, cybersecurity is a shared European concearn and no longer just a technical or even regional issue.

“From practical skills to policy alignment, youth must be part of the cybersecurity future,” Dobrushi said.

A Shared European Challenge

These ideas were shared during a recent, high-level panel on “Empowering Talent: Skill-Building for the Future in the Western Balkans” at WB CyberPulse 2025 in Podgorica. Convened by the Western Balkans Cyber Capacity Centre, together with the Regional Cooperation Council and the European Commission, the conference brought together leaders and experts to advance the region’s cyber resilience.

Other panel speakers included Igli Tafa, General Director at the Cyber Security Authority in Albania; Tamara Tafra, Advisor to the Ministe at Croatia’s Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs and Fabio di Franco, ITC Security Expert at ENISA in Brussels.

For OSF–Western Balkans, this was a strategic dialogue on youth and women inclusion as essential parts of regional digital security and resilience.

Learn more about OSF-WB work on the region’s digital transformation.