Representatives of the Institute for Youth Development KULT held a meeting with a representative of the Ministry of Civil Affairs of BiH, Education, Science, Culture and Sports Advisor Sanja Vlaisavljević and a representative of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of FBiH Ana Tolo.

The meeting was an opportunity for the Institute to present our work and discuss opportunities for cooperation with the Ministry of Civil Affairs on issues that concern young people.

The Institute presented our efforts on creating and implementing legislation regulating youth issues, our partnerships with other CSO and the support we offer, with a special emphasis on our cooperation with the Youth Council of Brčko District of BiH, Youth Council of Republika Srpska and Youth Council of FBiH. The Institute also presented our programs supporting young entrepreneurs and innovators in cooperation with local self-government units in BiH, trainings and grant opportunities for young people.

The Institute particularly focused on our cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and Sports of FBiH through the Basic training for Youth Officers which the Institute and the Ministry have been implementing together since 2012, in accordance with the Procedures for training and certification of Youth Officers.

Vlaisavljević noted that the Ministry’s priorities include cooperating with umbrella youth bodies and ministries competent for youth issues and establishing a functional Commission for the Coordination of Youth Issues in BiH.

Given our two decades of involvement in youth policy development and implementation, these priorities set by the Ministry encourage us to keep working, receiving feedback and sharing information on youth work and youth policies, and we look forward to having more opportunities to cooperate with the Ministry.

Youth from across BiH: Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Goražde, Tuzla, Kakanj, Mostar, Živinice, Gradačac, Ljubuški and Laktaši attended the first production workshop held in Tuzla as one of the activities of the It is About You (#AboutU) project. The project is funded by the U.S. Embassy in BiH and implemented by the organization Ja BiH u EU. The Institute for Youth Development KULT and Munja Incubator are friends of the project. The workshop was conducted by Elmir Jukić, a director and Academy professor. 

The workshop started with an introduction to film and theater directing, the first directors, the basics of directing and filmmaking terminology. The participants also learned about the importance of character building in film. Jukić talked to participants about the differences between a frame, scene and sequence, which will be very helpful for them in their future activities within the project.

The goal of the workshops is to teach young people to produce video stories and use them to share their opinions about important issues in BiH.

The group was very dynamic and diverse. Investing in learning something new and gaining experience is always worthwhile. Every project that offers this is always interesting and motivating for me as an individual and professional. I wanted to get involved because I feel it’s a noble cause that makes absolute sense - said Elmir Jukić.

At the end of the workshop, the participants chose their topics, and each of the five teams with work on presenting their creative vision on Euro-Atlantic integration in democracy, rule of law, human rights, economy.

- The workshop was excellent, such a great opportunity for personal and professional growth. We learned about producing and directing, and the topics we chose for our group work, said Mihajlo Pašić.

- I’m happy we had a chance to learn from an acclaimed director who gave us a lot of advice we can use for the project. I’m looking forward to spending the next few months producing and directing a video with my team dealing with Euro-Atlantic integration. It will help me improve my film-making skills, said Kristina Gadže.

- I’m glad we had a chance to learn something new about the history of theater and directing and all the elements of filmmaking. Our lecturer is a treasure trove of knowledge, and it was an honor to attend his workshop. This workshop, and the one that will soon be held in Mostar, will be very helpful to us. The practical knowledge about film and production will be used to produce video material on the topic of Euro-Atlantic integration, said Haris Harbaš.

Workshops will continue in Mostar, and the next one will be conducted by Pjer Žalica. It is About You (#AboutU) is a chance for young people in BiH to produce short videos that show their perspective on topics relevant to youth.

Today, the Youth Council of the City of Mostar celebrated their 10th anniversary, marking one decade since this city got its umbrella youth body. The Institute for Youth Development KULT attended the celebratory session and commended the hard work of young people in Mostar.

The session was attended by 40 guests, eminent individuals from Mostar’s cultural, social and public life, neighboring municipalities, representatives of the FBiH umbrella youth body and partners of the Youth Council of the City of Mostar. Chief Advisor to the Mayor, Radmila Komadina, addressed the guests on behalf of the City Administration of Mostar, taking this opportunity to note the importance of the European Charter on the participation of young people in municipal and local life, which provided the foundation for establishing a common youth organization even before the Youth Council was formed. Komadina noted that umbrella youth bodies are a crucial part of decision making and ensure that youth voices are heard and their needs are met.

Youth Officer of the City of Mostar, Sabina Memić, also addressed the guests at this special session. She said that the City of Mostar has been supporting the Youth Council for 10 years, adding that the city administration is looking forward to seeing more people get involved and is happy to be the first point of contact for everything they need. 

The General Secretary of the FBiH Youth Council, Jasmina Banjalučkić, expressed hope that the efforts everyone has been investing will result in the founding of the cantonal youth council of the Herzegovina-Neretva Canton. Although there is no cantonal youth council, Banjalučkić said that the FBiH Council maintains excellent cooperation with the Youth Council of the City of Mostar, adding that the Council’s 10 year anniversary coincides with 10 years since the adoption of the Youth Law of FBiH, which defines the process of founding and competencies of youth councils in FBiH.

The celebratory session was closed by the President of the Youth Council of the City of Mostar, Vedran Raguž, with a presentation of the Council’s work plan for the period of 2020-2022. Some of the key processes that the Council hopes to initiate in this period include: development of the City of Mostar’s Youth Strategy, cooperating with neighboring municipalities to establish a cantonal youth council, and continuing the implementation of projects that they’ve been implementing for years.  

Today’s session is a perfect example of successful institutional cooperation between youth councils and local, cantonal and higher levels of government. This Youth Council decade of successful work proves that young people are capable and willing to work in the interest of their peers. The Institute for Youth Development KULT once again offers sincere congratulations to the Youth Council of the City of Mostar, all its members and the young people of Mostar.