“When we support each other and learn together, we come up with better ideas, share good practices, and design more effective activities for young people,” said youth officers from Livno, Zenica, Vlasenica, and Sapna who took part in the Job Shadowing for Youth Officers: Local Practice, Shared Knowledge! program at Centar Municipality Sarajevo.
The Job Shadowing program, implemented by the Institute for Youth Development KULT with support from the FBiH Ministry of Culture and Sports and the Embassy of Sweden in Bosnia and Herzegovina, once again gave youth officers the opportunity to learn from Centar Municipality’s experience in working with young people.
During the two-day visit, representatives of local communities explored concrete examples of good practice, ranging from youth budgeting and strategic communication to designing spaces that allow young people to connect, create, and launch their own initiatives.
The two days spent with hosts Samir Arnautović, the Municipality’s Youth Officer, and Lejla Dizdarević, Assistant to the Mayor for Education, Social Affairs, Culture, and Sports at Centar Municipality Sarajevo, offered participants a valuable opportunity to learn from a community that invests strategically in its youth. In cooperation with public institutions, the municipality develops and implements mechanisms that ensure a sustainable system of youth support.
By joining in the daily activities of Centar’s Youth Office, participants gained a deeper understanding of communication strategies, methods, and tools used to better inform young people about available opportunities, as well as the process of planning, developing, and implementing a youth budget.
The visit began with a meeting with the Mayor of Centar Municipality, Srđan Mandić, who, together with his team, emphasized that youth policy is one of the municipality’s strategic priorities. He noted that there is a strong consensus within the Municipal Council to invest even more in youth.
“The Centar Municipality always strives to give young people as many opportunities as we can, within the constraints of our budget. We make sure that funds go to those who want to work and create. We never question whether investing in youth is the right choice – for us, the answer is always yes,” said Mandić.
Benjamin Isović, Chair of the Municipal Assembly, who also attended the meeting, added that he would like to see more instruments and resources to support young people and create better opportunities. However, he stressed that the most important thing is to learn how to motivate young people and show them respect, so they can show us what they are capable of achieving.
The first day of the visit focused on strengthening dialogue and cooperation between youth officers and representatives of youth organizations. At a working meeting with representatives of the Youth Council of Centar Municipality Sarajevo, the Youth Council of the Federation of BiH, the Chair of the Municipal Commission for Youth Issues, and the Association of Medical Students, participants discussed youth participation, collaboration with local authorities, challenges, and good practices. Through this exchange, the participants witnessed a genuine partnership in addressing youth organization and engagement and in involving young people in decision-making processes.
The second day continued with visits to the municipality’s public institutions dedicated to young people: the Centar for Culture and Youth, the Centar for Sports and Recreation, and Vili Braun, where participants learned about the importance of interdepartmental cooperation within local government and shared experiences in cross-sector collaboration and support.
Centar Municipality’s approach to youth budgeting provided participants with valuable insight into best practices in strategic planning and allocation of funds for projects, programs, and support measures available to young people.
“Observing the Youth Officer’s work improved my skills in professional networking, information sharing, and collaboration. Going forward, I will analyze the current situation, then launch an initiative and form a working group to develop a clear plan, secure funding and support, and effectively promote activities among young people,” said the Youth Officer from Vlasenica who took part in the visit.
The Job Shadowing program will continue with a visit to the City of Banja Luka, further extending the process of mutual learning, cooperation, and building a stronger network of youth officers across Bosnia and Herzegovina.
