Working with young people to empower them through non-formal education programs is one way the Institute for Youth Development KULT creates new generations of proactive individuals. Through the one-year program “Learn, Think, and Act!” young people develop personal and professional skills that prepare them for the future. The training course prepares them for active participation in processes that concern them in their local communities.
Adi Zahirović, UMiD training participant, is the coordinator of the local civil initiative “Find a solution to your problems.”
“The initiative includes education on political literacy and the participation of young people in local decision-making processes. It features a simulation of the city council’s work, allows young people to attend a City Council session in Visoko, and includes a thematic session of the Commission for Youth Affairs and Gender Equality. This will be the first thematic session focused on youth at the local level. Through this initiative, we aim to provide young people with a methodology for starting their own civil initiatives. We also want to support them in situations where laws are not being implemented. We will also be organizing a thematic session of the Youth Commission, which was not initially planned within this initiative. Together with 20 young people, we will develop initiatives and conclusions to propose to the Commission, in collaboration with local partners and based on research conducted by the Institute for Youth Development KULT,” said Adi Zahirović, UMiD participant.
The Institute has been organizing our UMiD training for seventeen years, with many former participants describing it as a life-changing experience. At the Institute, we view our training as an incubator for young leaders who will become and remain active in society, recognize the issues facing young people in their communities, engage in problem-solving, propose solutions and advocate for change. Mentoring and financial support provided to young participants of UMiD enable future youth leaders to immediately apply their newly acquired knowledge by proposing and implementing local civil initiatives.
Driven by a desire for concrete action, the 17th generation of UMiD listened to their peers in their communities and reflected on their problems and needs. With these insights, they came up with creative solutions and innovative ways to address these challenges, offering their peers fresh opportunities and support.
Naida Kustura is a UMiD training participant who decided on something a little different as part of her local civil initiative.
“Impakt was created in 2019 by me and another UMID participant, Elena. Both of us attended the ‘Upcycling Challenge: Eco-Friendly Fashion Designs’ training when we were students at the High School of Applied Arts. We became certified in the field, and organized our own fashion shows in Brno and Sarajevo. With this initiative, we aim to revitalize and enrich Bosnia and Herzegovina’s fashion and cultural scene, motivate young people to embrace their creativity and challenges, and introduce the BiH public to the concepts of sustainable fashion and conceptual art. The initiative will train 10 young BiH designers in sustainable fashion, who will create pieces from used clothing sourced from the Pomozi.ba bazaar and then show their work in a fashion show,” said Naida Kustura, UMiD participant.
Thanks to the hard work and creativity of UMiD students, by the end of this year, young people in Travnik, Hadžići, Mostar, Teslić, Banja Luka, Kalesija, Visoko, Sarajevo, and Donja Međiđa near Gradačac will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities offered through local civil initiatives. Some of these initiatives will connect marginalized groups, improve local infrastructure for youth, and help them build skills and capacities. Others will focus on promoting healthy lifestyles, sustainable fashion, conceptual art, and educating young people about how local administrations operate.
Support for young people in implementing their initiatives will be provided by the Institute for Youth Development KULT and the Embassy of the Kingdom of Sweden in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which allocated over 13,000 BAM for implementing these ideas.
With today’s signing of grant agreements awarding funds to young people and organizations, the Institute for Youth Development KULT continues to provide financial and mentoring support to young people throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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