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 is dedicated to 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.
Mirela Dupovac is a youth officer in the Municipality of Hadžići. She graduated in journalism and earned a master’s degree in communication from the Faculty of Political Sciences in Sarajevo. She worked as a journalist, then switched to marketing, before going down a different path which led her to the hotel industry, where she worked for several years as a hotel manager of a global hotel group. Two years ago, Mirela became a youth officer in Hadžići municipality, marking the beginning of her journey in youth work. She now works as an expert advisor for youth, inter-municipal cooperation, project monitoring, and project cycle management in the mayor’s cabinet.
When reflecting on her formal education and its impact on her career, Mirela notes: “Formal education has greatly influenced my career path. The ability to interact, thrive in dynamic work environments, work with diverse groups of people, and communicate effectively has been integral to all my professional roles, including my work with young people. Communication is an essential tool for cooperation, negotiation, lobbying, and leading and coordinating various activities. Listening to young people, providing advice, and approaching them in a way that is tailored and adapted to their needs is crucial, and my education in communication has been immensely helpful with this.”
Mirela completed both the basic and advanced training for youth officers conducted by the Institute for Youth Development KULT and became a certified youth officer: “I find it important to mention that at the very beginning of my career in youth work, I had the opportunity to participate in the basic training for youth officers. At first, I thought I may have gotten ahead of myself by applying to the Public Call because I had just recently become a youth officer and didn’t have much experience. However, over time, I realized that it was actually an advantage. I began applying what I learned directly in the field alongside attending the training, which helped me organize things effectively in my work with young people right from the start.
The topic of her final paper during the training was ‘The Importance of a Youth Strategy in Supporting Youth in Smaller Local Communities – A Case Study of Hadžići Municipality,’ which served as an introduction to the development of the youth strategy in this municipality. Mirela credits her professional development not only to training but also to the valuable insights shared by experienced colleagues from various municipalities and cities.
Beyond the knowledge she gained, Mirela values her ongoing connection with youth officers from various communities across Bosnia and Herzegovina: “Even after the training, we continue to frequently share ideas and suggestions and discuss activities aimed at improving the position of youth in our local communities. Encouraged by these good experiences and practices, youth officers from Sarajevo Canton have also started holding meetings and sharing examples of good practices in our work. We held the initial meeting in Ilijaš Municipality and arranged quarterly meetings in other municipalities as well. The Institute’s training has significantly boosted my professional growth and development, and it has been on an upward trajectory over the past two years.”
Mirela explains the importance of the role of the youth officer: “Youth officers are intermediaries between administrative bodies and young people, and they make sure that youth have appropriate support. They are the link between young people and government institutions. I take my role as a youth officer seriously and I try to be available to them both during working hours and after work. I try to build friendly relationships with them, so they can communicate with me openly and know that my door is always open to them.”
After the training, Mirela initiated and diligently worked on the development and adoption of a youth strategy for the municipality of Hadžići. She notes, “Hadžići previously had two adopted youth strategies and was among the first communities in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to have a strategy in accordance with the FBiH Youth Law.” Given that the latest strategic document had expired, I applied to the Institute’s Public Call for support to government institutions in conducting research and developing a new youth strategy. Our application was accepted, and we started a collaboration that ended up being very productive and successful.”
She notes that other crucial factors in the process included her having “complete freedom” to manage the process and being able to count on the wholehearted support and trust of the municipal mayor, Mr. Hamdo Ejubović. The process of creating the Strategy took a year, with young people from the municipality involved in developing various strategic activities from the start.
“There was not a single active youth association in our local community, and the results of our research showed that nearly 85% of young people in Hadžići are not members of any organization. Therefore, it was necessary to engage and encourage young people to get organized in our municipality. In the process of drafting the Strategy, I held dozens of meetings with young people, pupils, students, informal youth groups, the student council, and representatives of various sports organizations. The meetings led to a group of young people coming together, and in July 2023, forming the first active youth association in our municipality named “STARt.” This association has been carrying out its activities in the local community for six months and has completed a significant number of projects. The municipality supported these projects through professional support from the youth officer, but also by providing space and funds,” says Mirela.
She also highlights the valuable cooperation with the Institute, stating, “Their expert, professional, and mentoring support, along with the most appropriate methodological approach, guided us throughout our one-year collaboration in developing a comprehensive strategic document for the next five years. The starting point for creating the document was a survey on the problems and needs of young people in the Hadžići municipality. In the action plan, we included activities that are realistic and achievable and that are aimed at solving the problems of young people in our community. Finally, the document was unanimously adopted by the Municipal Assembly, and now we intend to implement it.”
Mirela is talking about the progress achieved from the beginning of the process of drafting the strategy until its adoption: “The Rulebook on Enrollment in the Register of Youth Organizations was adopted, a permanent Public Call for Enrollment was published, and so far two youth associations have been registered. The first youth association in our municipality was established and is actively engaged in various activities. Also, the K-HUB, a space for young people that the municipality renovated as part of the Center for Culture, Sports, and Recreation Hadžići, has been in use more frequently. Through the strategy development process, young people became more familiar with the roles and responsibilities of youth officers. They learned about all stages of strategy development and actively participated in the process. They also created a Viber community, which we use every day to communicate and share information. The development of the Strategy has been very beneficial, and several goals we set at the beginning were already achieved during the development process.
When it comes to plans for the future in cooperation with young people, Mirela states that her goal, together with other municipal staff, is to continue supporting young people and providing them with various opportunities in all relevant areas.
“The Hadžići Municipality has recently established nearly all the institutional mechanisms necessary for successfully implementing youth policies. Moving forward, it is crucial for us to focus on carrying out the activities outlined in the action plan of the Youth Strategy. I want to strengthen cooperation with the youth sector, increase fieldwork, and grow and improve as a youth worker so I can find all the ways we can improve the position of young people in our community. In cooperation with the director of JU KSIRC Hadžići, we plan to increase and intensify youth-centered activities at the K-HUB this year. Our goal is also to have three youth organizations entered into our Register so that we can form the Youth Council of the Municipality of Hadžići. “You can count on professional and financial support from the municipality and me as your youth officer,” says Mirela.
She tells the young people in Hadžići: “Study, chase your dreams, seize opportunities, and get involved both in and outside the community. Dispel the prejudices of those who unfairly judge us for coming from smaller municipalities. And of course, stay in Hadžići, because we need to work together to improve our community and our lives.”
The Institute for Youth Development KULT designs and 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.
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