How are we doing with the implementation of youth laws in BiH at all levels of government? This was the topic of the third seminar for youth officers, held by the Institute from September 30 to October 3, 2019, at the Hotel Hills in Ilidža.
Bosnia and Herzegovina regulated youth work in three laws, in all three administrative units. These laws have the same definitions of youth and share some youth work mechanisms. Still, the role of Youth Officers is not equally recognized in all local self-government units, and the implementation of the legal mechanisms is not happening at the same pace in all parts of BiH.
Lack of communication and cooperation of local communities with higher levels of government, lack of alignment of local strategic documents for youth with the cantonal and entity-level documents are some of the problems that youth workers identified as something they want to work on.
The seminar included a discussion of the topic “How can youth support the implementation of youth laws?”, which involved representatives of all umbrella youth bodies, Youth Council of FBiH, Youth Council of RS/Youth Council of Brčko District.
The Youth Officer seminar titled “How to Build a Youth-Friendly Community – Implementation of Youth Laws” is intended for Youth Officers interested in learning more about the mechanisms defined in youth laws, how they are implemented in local communities, and exploring possibilities for cooperation with other Youth Officers.
Participants from 26 communities from various parts of BiH had an opportunity to share their experience and discuss models of good practice, as well as challenges they are facing in their local communities. This encounter of umbrella youth bodies and youth officers was a unique opportunity to initiate an institutional dialogue among those responsible for the implementation of youth laws.
Leave a comment