Measure I.2: Cross-border initiatives targeting the exchange of people and ideas to enhance the professional and civic society cooperation.
Project Title: “Youth – Most Important Driving Engine of Our Region”
Project Budget:
| Project Value | EU Contribution | |
| Republic of Serbia | € 42.355,95 | € 35.943,26 |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | € 47.085,00 | € 39.765,00 |
| TOTAL | € 89.440,95 | € 75.708,26 |
Beneficiary of funds in the Republic of Serbia: Center for Equitable Regional Development- CenTriR
Beneficiary of funds in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Republika Srpska
Partners:
Area of implementation:
- Serbia: Municipalities of Čajetina, Užice, Prijepolje, Nova Varoš, Inđija, Ruma, Stara Pazova, Valjevo, and Sremska Mitrovica,
- Bosnia and Herzegovina: Municipalities of Bijeljina,Šamac, Orašje, Brčko, Višegrad, Foča, Srebrenica, and Goražde
The target groups of the project: Young people from all 16 targeted municipalities in both countries, active in the youth sector; 16 local governments and local youth offices
Project duration: 01.06.2013. – 30.06.2014.
Project objectives:
The overall objectives:
The project’s overall objective is creating preconditions for sustainable development of cross-border region between Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H) through the means of strengthening institutional, human and civil mechanisms for promotion of position of young people who are the bearers of development in both countries.
The specific objective of the project:
Specific objective 1. Analyzing the work of local youth commissions/offices in 16 target municipalities in B&H and Serbia by means of conducting research on their performance over the previous period;
Specific objective 2. Improving capacities and skills of young people for advocating changes which will improve their current position in 16 target municipalities;
Specific objective 3. Establishing an informal network of young people who will be focal points in promoting cross-border cooperation and youth activism in these regions
Activities and results of the project
Youth policies in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina still do not satisfy needs of a young population and do not offer wanted solutions. Youth participation in decision making is different in each individual case because local government and youth often do not have enough knowledge or skills for actual participation in the process. This is why the idea of the project was to create mechanisms which should improve position of the young in the cross border region.
Project activities included young people from 16 border municipalities in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Bijeljina, Gradačac, Orašje, Doboj Istok, Srebrenica, Foča, Goražde, Višegrad) and Serbia (Čajetina, Užice, Prijepolje, Nova Varoš, Inđija, Ruma, Stara Pazova, Sremska Mitrovica).
At first project initiated large research on the current state, mainly into the work of youth offices in Serbia and commissions for young in BiH. The research included the needs and problems of young people with the aim to define how the situation can be improved. The research actually showed that young people in both countries have similar problems, such as unemployment, poverty, low quality education.
Total of 64 high school students from cross border municipalities participated in seminars. They learned about human rights in general, minority rights and protection of those rights, prejudices, stereotypes, and non-violent conflict resolution. They learned about activism and volunteering.
