The Belgrade Youth Center, also known as Dom Omladine, served as a venue for major cultural events for over 40 years, but had fallen into disrepair. Some of Serbia’s first jazz and rock concerts were staged there, and the facility housed an important opposition radio station during the movement to force Slobodan Milosevic from power.

As part of the Community Revitalization through Democratic Action (CRDA) Program, funded by USAID and the U.S. Embassy, IRD rebuilt the Center to once again be the premiere cultural arts venue in Belgrade. The program included reconstruction of the mezzanine, the summer terrace on the roof, main entrance area, interior entrance area, main ballroom, stage, dressing rooms, dining buffet area, and the VIP gallery, as well as the installation of new air conditioning, insulation, and sound and lighting equipment.

The project began officially in January 2007, when the U.S. Embassy officially announced that Dom Omladine had been selected through text message/Internet voting competition in Serbia to receive $1 million in U.S. assistance for reconstruction. Reconstruction priorities for the Center itself were set in mid-2007 in consultation with representatives of the Youth Center.
Through CRDA in Serbia and Montenegro, which operated from 2001 to 2009, IRD worked with community groups to renew civil society, rehabilitate the local infrastructure, and enhance economic development activities. Over 1,600 projects were completed, benefiting 6.2 million people and generating over $40 million in revenue.

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