In a significant step towards empowering the youth, the City of Gradačac will serve as a positive example of transformation due to its support in developing the Youth Strategy for the City of Gradačac 2024-2027, advocated by young activists from this local community.

Youth organizations from Gradačac, such as the Association KULT Gradačac, the Youth Council of the City of Gradačac, the Association of Youth "Futura," and the Local Team Gradačac of the Association of High School Students in Bosnia and Herzegovina (ASuBiH), united under the joint initiative "Strategy of Change." They have been working to create more favorable conditions for young people in this local community.

The motivation behind launching this initiative was the desire to involve young people in decision-making processes at the local level. The Local Youth Council, in accordance with the Law on Youth of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, represents the overarching body for this population and should advocate for mechanisms and institutional approaches to young people by local authorities. At the end of 2018, the Youth Council initiated the development of the first strategic document of this kind. Unfortunately, when the drafting process was completed, the draft strategy did not receive the necessary majority support from the City Council for adoption. Accordingly, our efforts did not stop. Strategically, through the campaign "Strategy of Change," from the very beginning, we engaged in collaboration with the city authorities, involving them in all processes to ensure support in all fields this time. – stated Ammar Grabić on behalf of the "Strategy of Change" initiative.

The recent crucial decision by the Mayor of Gradačac, Edis Dervišagić, to develop a Youth Strategy for the period 2024-2027, confirmed the commitment of local authorities to address the challenges facing the youth. In this way, the "Strategy of Change" initiative is one step closer to involving younger generations in decision-making processes at the local level, as advocated in their campaign.

The Initiative states that the Youth Strategy is a strategic document for the City of Gradačac, defining a programmatic approach to working with young people. It represents one of the minimum measures that local authorities are obliged to ensure for young people in accordance with Article 14 of the Law on Youth of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This strategy establishes the basis for providing substantial support to young people, ensuring that their needs are recognized and addressed.

According to the adopted decision, a working body will be formed, responsible for drafting this strategic document. The Mayor will appoint the members of this body by a special resolution, and public institutions, educational institutions, youth organizations, and other non-governmental organizations operating in the area of the City of Gradačac will participate in the document's development process. This is an important step towards ensuring broad participation and diverse contributions.

The "Strategy of Change" initiative has established good cooperation with the authorities of the City of Gradačac.

We received the greatest support from the Mayor, Mr. Edis Dervišagić, who invited us to a meeting, where we presented our plans and the methodology we planned to use in drafting the youth strategy. To our joy, he fulfilled his promise and, with his decision on December 27, 2023, confirmed the readiness of the City of Gradačac to develop this essential strategic document for us young people. – added Ammar Grabić.

Sufficient funds for the development of the Youth Strategy of the City of Gradačac for the period 2024-2027 have been secured in the City of Gradačac Budget for the year 2024. The deadline for the preparation of this document is six months from the date of the Decision, i.e., by the end of June 2024.

In the call to action, youth organizations invite citizens, media, and all interested parties to actively engage in the "Strategy of Change" initiative. Open communication and collaboration with the local community are emphasized as key elements that will guide the success of this initiative.

The "Strategy of Change" initiative plans to conduct research on the state and needs of young people in the upcoming period. The research will be conducted on a sample of approximately 350 young people from the area of the City of Gradačac. It will serve for the preparation of an analysis covering all crucial areas for the daily lives of young people, such as education, social care, healthcare, safety, leisure time of young people (culture, sports, and activism), housing concerns, and (self)employment of young people.

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