Dalj and Novi Sad: Together for an Innovative Village

The Danube is quiet when you look at it early in the morning from Dalj. It flows through villages and cities, through fields and forests, carrying the stories of generations and leaving you with the feeling that wherever you go, the Danube follows. That same Danube connects Dalj and Novi Sad, linking two shores, two countries, but also two generations of youth who don’t want to settle for leaving—they want to create change where they were born.

When we talk about innovation, we often think of big cities, startups with glass offices, and apps that change the world. But there is another kind of innovation—the kind that happens when young people decide to stay in their village and do something different.

In Denmark, Sweden, and Finland, villages have become digital laboratories where young people test smart agriculture, local energy cooperatives, apps for direct sale of agricultural products, and smart irrigation systems that save water and time. In Italy, small producers use drones to monitor the health of grapevines, and in Spain, young farmers combine agritourism and digital marketing to bring visitors directly to their farms.

So why couldn’t that happen here, too?

The YES DO IT project is initiating this change in the Dalj and Novi Sad region. Through hackathons, trainings, and workshops, young people get the opportunity to learn how to turn ideas from their notebooks into sustainable businesses. They learn how to use digital tools, how to create a business plan, how to test their products on the market, and how to involve their community in creating change.

When young people from Dalj and Novi Sad gather to share experiences, ideas, and the challenges they face, a space emerges for innovation that fits the local context. Because innovation is not just about technology—it’s a way of thinking, the ability to see solutions where others see obstacles.

YES DO IT enables young people to meet successful entrepreneurs from similar rural areas, hear how they started their businesses, and learn from their mistakes. That kind of contact and exchange—often more valuable than any book—gives young people the courage to try on their own.

Today, innovation might be a young woman from Dalj who wants to make natural cosmetics using herbs from her garden, or a young man from the Novi Sad region who wants to create a digital platform to market local products. It could also be a small cooperative using solar panels to power their farm or a local initiative that educates about composting and waste management.

The Danube that connects Dalj and Novi Sad is not just a river. It’s a reminder that connection brings strength—and that when we work together, borders become irrelevant. The innovative village is not a dream—it’s a process that begins with small steps, ideas that grow within communities, and projects that give young people the space and tools to stay, work, and thrive where they want to be.

If we want villages that stay alive, we must invest in those who will lead them into the future. And that is our youth—ready to work, learn, and create in the places where the Danube flows quietly but carries the strength of all those who believe that change begins with us.

The Youth Entrepreneurs Power – YES DO IT project is co-financed through the Interreg IPA CBC Croatia-Serbia program. The project is led by the European Youth Center of Vojvodina, with partners including the Green Sad Environmental Association and the Youth Center of Dalj.
The project duration is 15 months, with a total value of €258,866.00, of which the European Union has provided €220,036.00 in co-financing.