The Institute for Youth Development KULT is supporting the City of Doboj in creating a youth policy that will help young people reach their full potential.
The second meeting of the Coordination Body and working groups for developing the youth policy began with a presentation of findings of the survey on the position and needs of young people, conducted by the Institute for Youth Development KULT with support from young Red Cross volunteers who carried out field surveys.
The survey gave us insights into the views of 383 young people from Doboj, allowing us to better understand youth needs and the challenges they face, while also formulating recommendations on what can be done to improve the lives of everyone in the community.
It’s particularly encouraging that young people recognized the City of Doboj’s efforts in addressing housing issues and stated that they feel safe in their community. However, it was disheartening to learn that despite the City allocating funds for student scholarships, 20% of young people couldn’t continue their education due to lack of resources. This recognition of the effective measures and efforts the City has made to support its youth gives city officials and experts working on the new youth policy encouragement to continue with innovative and effective approaches in the new policy to tackle barriers and challenges that young people cannot overcome without government support.
Alongside the field research, the Coordination Team and working groups, with support from the Institute, worked on mapping existing policies and mechanisms for youth care and support within the community in areas of education, employment, social services, healthcare, and safety, in order to understand what support is available for young people in meeting basic needs. Additionally, the working groups analyzed the current level of youth participation in decision-making, youth organizing, activism, volunteering, culture, and sports. The meeting brought together experts from all these fields to share information and review their analysis of youth support available in Doboj.
With a shared understanding that youth policy should address as many young people’s needs as possible, working group members began considering improvements in these key areas and started developing a strategic framework.
By identifying priority issues and defining a vision with strategic objectives, they established a foundation for creating specific measures and programs to improve the lives of young people in Doboj.
As a strategic document that provides a focused and realistic approach to fostering an environment where young people can thrive, the upcoming youth policy will give decision-makers clear guidance and concrete steps for strengthening youth opportunities – from boosting their job market competitiveness and improving educational and healthcare access, to expanding social support and creating an environment that encourages active community participation.
Through ongoing development of local youth policy and targeted initiatives to expand opportunities for young people, the City of Doboj reaffirms its commitment to promoting youth development and well-being.
These activities are part of the project “Designing, Developing and Adopting Youth Policies”, which is funded by the European Union and implemented by the Institute for Youth Development KULT in partnership with the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO), the Youth Council of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Network of youth centers for animation, development and training of Republika Srpska (M.O.C.A.R.T.) and the Association of Secondary School Students in BiH.
