In developing countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, youth are largely neglected and pushed to the margins of the society. Youth are portrayed as irrelevant and their voices are stifled. Youth from remote and rural areas are particularly marginalized, and denied opportunities for individual and collective development.
Statistics paint a gloomy picture of what it’s like being a young person today. Youth comprise the majority of the unemployed, access to education and healthcare is not aligned with their needs, they have few options for spending their free time doing purposeful activities. It’s not surprising then that they are not hopeful when it comes to progress in the society they live in. These are some of the reasons why youth leave the country and never return: over 80,000 young people left the country since 2018, according to data provided by the Union for Sustainable Return and Integrations in BiH.
The unjustly neglected youth in Bosnia and Herzegovina need opportunities for development so they can grow into their role of leading the democratization process in Bosnia and Herzegovina and be recognized by local decision makers and partners in all processes relevant to young people.
The initiative #100DayChallenge will allow young people involved in the work of local youth organizations to spend 100 days implementing activities intended to address concrete problems and improve the position of youth in local communities. The initiative will empower young people and local youth organizations to use their skills and knowledge to motivate all stakeholders to get involved in driving progress.
Once they feel empowered, these local actors will remain as the driving force behind local development even after the initiative ends.
Contact information:
Zorana Tovilović
tel. +387 33 778 763
email: zorana.tovilovic@kultbih.org
Dunja Škaljo
tel. +387 33 778 763
email: dunja.skaljo@kultbih.org
Funded by:
United States Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina
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