Youth officers provide support and assistance to youth organizations and young people to overcome everyday challenges in their work and be strong actors for the development of the communities in which they operate. The Institute for Youth Development KULT particularly emphasizes the improvement of the position and promotion of the role of youth officers, with the aim of making joint efforts to work with and for young people a step forward towards their better position in society.
Marija Jozić has been working in the Municipality of Vitez since 2012. She initially worked in the Finance Department, and then, since 2020, as an employee of the Social Services Department, where she is a Senior Professional Associate for NGOs, Sports and Youth. She was born in Travnik, completed primary and secondary school in Vitez, and graduated from the Faculty of Economics, University of Zagreb.
He describes the role of youth officer in local government as a great pleasure and a great responsibility.
“As an institution, we must introduce young people to the fact that we exist and that we have certain roles in working with young people, because many young people do not know about us. Through our work, we must provide young people with certain opportunities for their participation in society and for developing their potential, because we are a link between young people and institutions ,” she says.
He considers education, both formal and informal, to be very important and states that it is the only correct way to progress and develop civilization.
“I believe that education is important for every individual and that it not only gives us knowledge in various fields and sciences, but also the opportunity to gain experience in what interests us. It builds us as people, so that by acquiring the necessary skills, we do different jobs and thus contribute to making our environment a better place to live. Formal education teaches us how to make independent decisions and how to have a sense of responsibility for our work and actions. I understood graduation not as the end of education, but as the beginning of constant upgrading of me as a person. In addition to formal education, I believe that informal education is also very important, various forms of acquiring knowledge and skills that together form a whole of lifelong learning and applicable knowledge and personal development. I consider the education of women to be particularly important,” Marija points out.
During her many years of work with young people, she has undergone various trainings and educations. She states the basic training for youth workers as the most complete because it includes very important areas that can be applied not only in working with young people, but also in numerous other situations.
“The training is exhaustive and requires a very good organization of time and obligations, especially for women who are mothers. All this is justified, because this is training that, in addition to new knowledge, provides special support and opportunities outside our local communities, which is very motivating in further work,” he says.
It was important for her to meet new people and hear that other local communities have the same or similar problems that civil servants for youth face. She also considers the time she had to meet other participants with whom she gladly exchanged experiences and good and bad practices and policies towards youth from different parts of BiH as a very important segment of the training.
“This training was important for my professional development because with it I built the foundation for my workplace, which I continue to build for the benefit of young people in Vitez. Also, the training had a significant impact on my personal development because I am richer for a lot of acquaintances from various local communities with whom I am still in contact today ,” she stated.
The Municipality of Vitez has adopted the Youth Policy Strategy of the Municipality of Vitez 2023-2030. In the coming period, Marija says that they will continue to actively work on the implementation of all activities from the Strategy, all with the aim of improving the position of young people in Vitez. The Municipality of Vitez worked on the document in cooperation with the OSCE and it is the third Youth Policy Strategy in Vitez. In addition to this document, another document was adopted in parallel, namely the Guidelines for Citizen Participation in the Development and Adoption of Municipal Policies.
“In our local community, there is a space for young people, that is, a youth center. The municipality of Vitez ensures the conditions for the normal functioning of the space for young people, in accordance with the FBiH Youth Law. The Service for Social Activities is responsible for the use of this space. The space has been adapted and is used for various purposes such as galleries, exhibitions, art workshops, citizens’ forums, various seminars and educations, music schools and everything else that enables a more meaningful life for young people in Vitez”, he proudly states.
In addition, Marija points out that in the budget of the Municipality of Vitez there is a budget item Transfer for youth , which enables young people to implement certain activities faster for a better position of young people. Recently, the Youth Council was established with new members who, as Marija says, show a desire to act and participate in processes related to young people and their life in Vitez. A new Committee/Commission for youth was also appointed. Each year, the municipality of Vitez publishes an independent public call that covers various areas, including a youth component, so that active youth non-governmental organizations can come forward and show their potential in this way as well. Another form of support for young people is municipal scholarships. Every year, the municipality of Vitez gives scholarships to students and high school students and in this way gives importance to the education of young people.
“Our local community helps successful young athletes in various ways, such as direct financing of sports clubs, organizing the best athlete of the year event, co-financing athletes’ trips to various competitions, rewarding those who have won certain titles at competitions, and more ,” he adds.
Marija believes in the strength of young people and says that they are the bearers of the future activities of a society.
“I would tell the young people in Vitez and in general in Bosnia and Herzegovina that anything is possible when they truly believe in it. Of course, behind the realization of the possible there must be desire, effort, work, discipline, continuous growth in every sense and ultimately not giving up on one’s desires and goals regardless of obstacles and problems. Young people should create their future the way they want, and we are here to guide them, to be good examples and to make that path easier for them. They must primarily know what they want and what they don’t want, they must be loud, consistent and strong and find a way to be able to change the situation they are not happy with. In this way, we can hear their voice, understand them so that we can help them in creating their future. Young people must not forget, i.e. they must be aware of how important, precious and how much they are needed in today’s society” , he says in the end.
The Institute for Youth Development KULT plans, organizes and implements training programs for youth officers and certification of officers who work with youth in city, municipal and cantonal government bodies. The training program consists of basic and advanced training. The basic training program trains the participant to perform the duties of a professional in the state youth service and is attended by persons who meet the criteria for applying for a public call according to the Rulebook on Training Procedures and Certification of Youth Officers of the Federal Ministry of Culture and Sports. Advanced training is attended by persons who have a certificate of the basic training program for the purpose of advanced training and further training. The basic training program for an officer lasts 120 working hours, divided into modules.
Source: mladi.org
