Young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina have been facing a serious crisis for years when it comes to their future. According to data from the BiH Labor and Employment Agency, the youth unemployment rate (aged 15-24) in the first quarter of this year was 30.2 percent, which places Bosnia and Herzegovina among the countries with the highest youth unemployment rates in Europe.
In addition, a large number of young people are neither employed nor in education or training (NEET category), which further worsens the situation, according to the Local Democracy Agency (LDA) Mostar.
The unfavorable economic environment, the lack of systemic solutions and the lack of political will to put young people at the center of development policies further aggravate the situation.
While institutions are slow to react, the non-governmental sector in BiH is taking on a role in empowering young people and providing support that should primarily come from the state.
One example of such engagement is the work of LDA Mostar, which has been continuously building the capacities of young people for 20 years through various non-formal education programs.
From developing civic competences and strengthening leadership skills, to encouraging employability and entrepreneurship, LDA Mostar offers young people tools that help them be competitive and active members of society.
An example of this is the recent workshops on employability that LDA Mostar conducted as part of the Erasmus+ project “YAMNFL2”, which gathered around 30 young people from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Special emphasis was placed on the inclusion of young people with disabilities, who were given support through informal education for easier access to the labor market.
Two cycles of workshops, held in June and September, were realized by LDA Mostar in cooperation with a human resources expert, and covered topics from CV writing and interview preparation to job interview simulations, case analysis and optimization of professional online profiles.
Thanks to the high-quality program and work methodology, the workshops were extremely well attended, and the young participants expressed great satisfaction that they had the opportunity to be a part of them.
Referring to the value of informal education and its application, training participant Teo Milanković stated that after this education he better understands how to use the acquired skills in real situations.
“I have more self-confidence in working with people and solving practical tasks,” added Teo, while Eiman Sabljaković, also a participant of the training, thinks that quality and interesting educations like this are definitely worth allocating time and are an investment in the future.
The young people’s statements additionally confirm that this type of content is exactly what they lack in formal education and that can open the door to the labor market at home and abroad.
“LDA Mostar has recognized the importance of informal education for two decades and continuously provides young people with the opportunity to develop skills that are not part of the formal system. While in EU countries informal education is a standard and an added value when hiring, in BiH it is rarely appreciated, especially in the public sector. This is precisely why we consider it our mission to offer young people quality tools so that they can be more competitive on the labor market and have more reasons to stay in their country,” says project coordinator Merima Bećirović.
This is just one of the examples that clearly shows that young people in BiH do not lack potential, but rather support and systematic solutions.
While they are still seen as a problem, LDA Mostar and similar non-governmental organizations prove that young people are society’s greatest resource, said the Mostar non-governmental organization.
