OVERVIEW

The Youth Card program in Montenegro, managed by the NGO Center for Youth Education (Centar za omladinsku edukaciju), identified the need to modernize its outdated website. The goal of the new EYCA Montenegro web presentation was to improve the user experience through a fresh, responsive design, enhanced performance, and expanded functionality. The platform allows users to explore card benefits, apply for the EYCA and Frendi cards, stay updated through news and offers, and access relevant partner information. Additionally, a robust admin panel was developed to support dynamic content management, statistical monitoring, and full integration with the European CCDB card database.

CHALLANGE

The existing system relied on outdated PHP code and a Svelte-based single-page application, which proved difficult to scale and maintain. It lacked proper optimization, interactive calls to action, and modern technical architecture. Moreover, key user flows - such as applying for a card or browsing discounts—were not clearly structured or tracked. The main challenge was to build a fast, secure, and scalable platform with multilingual support (Montenegrin and English), full administrative control, detailed statistical dashboards, and real-time synchronization with the European CCDB system.

SOLUTION

GoldBear Technologies developed a modern, responsive, and secure platform using Vue.js and Vuetify on the frontend, with Laravel 10 on the backend and MySQL 8 for data storage. The architecture is REST-based and fully integrates with the CCDB system for real-time updates on cardholders and discount partners. The website includes a detailed landing page, card descriptions, partner listings, discount directories with filters, news/blog sections, and contact forms. The admin panel allows the EYCA team to manage users, discounts, partner organizations, job listings, and applications (ambassadors, volunteers, vendors) - all in both languages, with auto-translation support. The system also supports scheduled CRON jobs, advanced statistics export, newsletter integration, and custom analytics tools tied to Google Analytics, Search Console, and Ads.

RESULTS

The new EYCA Montenegro website delivers a modern and engaging experience for young users, helping them easily access card-related information, apply online, and explore available discounts. The administrative interface empowers the NGO team with full autonomy in content management and partner coordination, reducing dependency on external technical support. With enhanced SEO, mobile responsiveness, accessibility options (+/- font size, contrast), and improved data collection tools, the platform is now a central hub for youth-related initiatives. It supports program growth, strengthens visibility, and lays the foundation for future service expansions across Montenegro and beyond.

TECHNOLOGIES

Technologies that have been used: Vue.js, Vuetify, PHP Laravel 10, MySQL 8, Nginx on Amazon infrastructure, REST API.