We develop and advocate for legal and other strategic solutions, as well as build and strengthen the capacities of associations and authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region, all with the aim of successful and sustainable youth policy.
#QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUTH COUNCILS
Can you explain me the registration procedure for youth councils?
According to Article 15 of the Youth Law of FBiH, "The competent municipal office shall independently keep a list of youth associations..."
As is explained in the Guidelines for the Youth Law of FBiH, the municipal office will keep a list of youth associations which have their headquarters or a formally registered office in the respective municipality and which have met the criteria laid down in Article 4, paragraph 2, of the Law (they are registered as associations, 2/3 of young people are incorporated into their membership and governance bodies, their statutory activities are developed for addressing young people's issues, etc. - see p. 69 of the Guidelines). Upon meeting these criteria, a youth association will submit a request for incorporation into the list of youth associations to the competent municipal office which will correspondingly issue a valid document to confirm this status.
Only youth associations incorporated into the list maintained by the competent municipal office may establish a youth council, that is at least three organisations in the list (and more than 50% of the organisations in the list), in accordance with the Law on Associations and Foundations. Once incorporated into the list, and in case they wish to establish a "Youth Council of the Municipality XX", youth associations must address the competent municipal authority for prior approval to include the name of the municipality in its own name.
As stated above, the procedure is as follows:
1. Identifying the competent municipal office for coordination of youth issues (these are usually in charge of providing social activity services) – it is recommended to include the words "and Youth" in its name.
2. The act of creating the list of youth associations in the municipality. Only those associations which have met the criteria, in accordance with Article 4 of the Youth Law, and which have submitted to the municipality a request for incorporation into the list, accompanied by the required evidence.
3. More than 50% of the associations from the list, and a minimum of three youth associations, initiate the establishment of a "Youth Council of the Municipality XX." In order to do so, they should request the consent from the competent authority to bear the name of the municipality in the name of a youth council. They address the competent municipal office that will provide the required consent, after confirming their incorporation into the list and that the criteria for the establishment have been met.
4. After fulfilling all the requirements, the youth council of the municipality will be incorporated with the Ministry of Justice at the cantonal level.
Is it possible for the Red Cross of a municipality to become part of a youth council?
A youth association must be registered as an association, must have more than 2/3 of young people included in the membership and the management (15-30 years of age), its statute should specify that its objectives primarily relate to young people and it must be incorporated into the list of youth associations. Thus, the Red Cross youth members of the Municipality XX will have to be registered as a separate association.
#QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LAW ON VOLUNTEERING
What to do when a privately held company advertises vacancies for volunteers, or apprenticeship vacancies?
Unfortunately, volunteering in FBiH has not been properly regulated. Thus, the Law on Volunteering of FBiH has not been adopted yet.
The status of volunteers-apprentices is currently governed only by the Labour Law of FBiH, Article 28 (please follow the link here), which is unfortunately still in force and it serves as a legal ground for advertising vacancies. Thus, advertised vacancies are not inconsistent with the Law, however this can be interpreted as a hole in the Law. According to this Law, and this is the part you should draw your attention to, the time limit for a voluntary service cannot exceed one year. And sadly, this does not mean that you have gained employment. Making amendments and changes to this Law has been initiated, but once again the authorities have not excluded volunteers, so essentially nothing will change prior to adoption of the Law on Volunteering of FBiH. We are considerably committed to excluding volunteers from the Labour Law and adopting the Law on Volunteering. We have been actively involved in its creation and promotion.
#OTHER LEGAL QUESTIONS
I would like to find out whom I should get in touch with to discuss the possibility of obtaining project funding?
Your first option would be to present the concept to the representatives of your municipality. You can contact them in writing, by sending them a letter and the concept of your project. These would be sent to the attention of a youth officer (if there is any, however according to the Youth Law of FBiH there should be one). You can also try to arrange a meeting with a youth officer what would be the best option. If the position of a youth officer has not been established, ask for the person in charge of addressing youth issues. Furthermore, try to find out if it is common practice for your municipality to announce public calls for youth projects and whether these calls comprise business projects as well, and whether there are funds allocated for these purposes, since there are municipalities which do not offer funding allocations. Make sure to inform yourself well. A municipality has to be an institution we should be addressing and we should get used to doing so. Funds for small range projects developed by non-governmental organisations can be obtained from organisations such as SHL (up to 4.000 BAM) and the Centre for Promotion of Civil Society, but we are not sure if these funds incorporate business initiatives. The best thing for you to do would be to visit their websites and learn more about the possibilities they offer. The Delegation of European Commission to BiH also provides funds for business development but only in case of large scale projects.