Youth officers provide crucial support and assistance to youth organizations and young individuals, helping them navigate daily challenges and empowering them to contribute to community development. The Institute for Youth Development KULT places special emphasis on enhancing the role and promoting the empowerment of youth officers, so we can work together on improving the social standing of youth and giving them more opportunities.
Azemina Gubeljićis a youth officer in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton. She graduated from the Faculty of Education at Džemal Bijedić University in Mostar, and her extensive work experience has provided her with valuable knowledge and competencies that she can draw on in her current position. After getting her degree, Azemina worked in several primary and secondary schools. She completed the basic training for youth officers organized by the Institute for Youth Development KULT. She currently works for the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton.
She also serves as a member of the Working group for reducing risk factors affecting public health in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a member of the Coordination Team combating human trafficking in the Herzegovina-Neretva canton, and a member of the Working Group for developing the youth strategy in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton. She organized multiple workshops addressing violence prevention, addiction, human trafficking, misuse of firearms, and other anti-social behaviors among youth, in collaboration with representatives from the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton. These are only some of the initiatives and activities she has taken part in.
Azemina particularly emphasizes the importance of her formal education for the successful career path she continues to pursue today: “Formal education has been invaluable, as pedagogy and psychology enrich us and deepen our understanding of young people and their needs. I am especially grateful for the influence of my wonderful professors, dr. Mirjane Mavrak and dr. Lidija Pehar, who taught me how to be kind and empathetic, but also a top expert in my profession.”
When describing the role of a cantonal youth officer, she says: “I understand my role as a civil servant for youth according to its core meaning: a civil servant serves the state, and the state consists of citizens. Our target group is young people, so I am their advocate and support, working with them to improve their standing in society. My goal is to empower them and make sure they are involved in creating youth policies, rather than making decisions on their behalf.”
Azemina spearheaded the initiative to develop and adopt a youth strategy for the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton. She describes the process of creating and adopting a strategic document: “From the very beginning of the initiative to develop and adopt a youth strategy under the motto ‘YOUTH ARE OUR PRESENT – Young people create youth policies in Herzegovina-Neretva Canton,’ I can proudly say that I was fortunate, honored, and pleased to work with hardworking, competent, innovative, and responsible young people. They actively participated in making crucial decisions, developing questionnaires and surveys to assess the needs of young people, conducting qualitative and quantitative analyses, and organizing numerous meetings, workshops, focus groups, and public hearings in four cities in the canton.” The cooperation yielded a highly successful outcome, as evidenced by the unanimous adoption of the Strategy, following presentations at a session of the Cantonal Government on March 30, 2023 and the Assembly on April 27, 2023.”
When asked about the changes she has observed in the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton since the adoption of the document, she fondly remembers a message from a member of the Working Group for the development of the youth strategy: “Thank you for creating opportunities for young people.”
In addition to the implementation of numerous activities defined in the four goals of the Strategy in 2023, as “the wind under young people’s wings” she also lists five new budget items in the Budget for 2024: budget funds for subsidizing real estate sales tax and rents to address housing issues faced by young people, budget funds for the implementation of measures from the Youth Strategy, budget funds for co-financing projects in the youth sector, budget funds/grants to schools for purchasing textbooks, budget funds for implementing compulsory preschool curricula and planning new curricula, in accordance with the needs of young people, EU funds and other donors.
Photo credit: Stolac.city
Photo credit: Stolac.cityRightfully proud and full of motivation, Azemina shares her plans for the future: “I plan to implement a project with 4 existing youth councils (Mostar, Čitluk, Jablanica and Konjic), together with young people. The project is called Cultural Routes from the Perspective of Young People, and it is supported by the competent Minister and the Head of the Government of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton with Grant for Youth funds. The goal of this project is proactive action and improving opportunities for youth culture, sports, aesthetics, ethics, ecology, spirituality, humanistic values, personal and social responsibility, and youth tourism. We want to organize a unique trip for young people who want to share the culture and history of their cities. Youth from the four mentioned cities will act as both guests and hosts to each other, so they can become co-creators of cultural and tourist experiences in their cities. In addition to exploring cultural and historical landmarks, each excursion will include interactive educational, environmental, sports, and cultural workshops. This approach will facilitate mutual understanding, socialization, and learning among participants as they engage in these activities,” explains Azemina.
She also wants to encourage young people from other cities to start working on establishing youth councils and then begin the procedure for forming the cantonal youth council.
Azemina’s message to young people is: “Be honest, kind, persistent, cheerful, and active. Educate yourselves, because knowledge is something no one can ever take away from you. Fight for yourself, but not at the expense of others, be responsible, support each other, and especially those who really need a helping hand. Be good human beings, and please build your lives here and stay in your heart-shaped country, Bosnia and Herzegovina!”
The Institute for Youth Development KULT delivers youth officer trainings and certified courses for expert youth work associates employed in city, municipal and cantonal administrations. The training program consists of basic and advanced training. The basic training program qualifies participants to fulfill the duties of an expert on youth issues in public administration. Participants are expected to meet the criteria from the Rulebook on training procedures and certification of youth officers of the FBiH Ministry of Culture and Sports. Advanced training is available to individuals who have completed the basic training program and received a certificate. The advanced training builds on their skills and provides further professional development. The basic youth officer training program consists of multiple modules and lasts a total of 120 hours.
The latest Public Call for Basic Youth Officer Training is currently open and closes on 10 April 2024. More information is available HERE.
