The Center for Sustainable Development "COR" Bihać organized a panel discussion today, where participants spoke about the necessary measures to help stop the trend of young people leaving Bihać. From improving education to creating more employment opportunities, the youth emphasized that applying various tools and strategies aimed at young people can contribute to halting their departure.
Prior to the panel discussion, a number of preparatory steps were taken, including the development of an Analysis on Youth Migration Trends, a Roundtable event, and the submission of an Initiative to the City Administration to improve the status of students as one of the measures to prevent youth migration. The Initiative called for an increase in the City of Bihać’s budget for student scholarships based on identified student needs, as well as for improvements in student living standards through the provision of discounts that would also stimulate the local economy.
Participants highlighted the urgency of addressing this issue, concluding that improving the status of young people could indeed make staying in Bihać a viable option—but only with greater youth involvement in decision-making processes concerning their future.
“Panel discussions like this are valuable, especially for students, since we exchanged ideas that are important for our community. Their implementation could contribute to the progress of our society and to improving the status of youth in Bihać. I’m proud to have shared my experience today and to have been a voice for youth, advocating for concrete measures to stop our exodus from the homeland,” said Merisa Nesimović, Assistant at the Faculty of Law, University of Bihać.
The event brought together representatives from civil society organizations, government institutions, students, and experts in demography and development, who shared best practices for addressing this issue systemically from their respective perspectives.
Panel participant Alma Remić from the association “Lan” stated, “I’m pleased with the discussion because I believe that, together with young people, we can improve our local community, raise the standard of living for students, increase employment levels, and thereby retain young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In doing so, we can serve as a positive example to other communities in BiH facing similar challenges.”
Representatives of the Center for Sustainable Development “COR” emphasized that the goal of the panel was not only to analyze the current situation but also to engage in long-term policy planning that could contribute to the sustainable development of the community.
“The participation of young people in this event shows their willingness and readiness to solve this problem. Only through joint and strategic efforts and the involvement of various stakeholders can we stop the uncontrolled outflow of young people—not just from Bihać, but from all parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In that spirit, the Center for Sustainable Development COR Bihać has submitted initiatives to the City Administration and looks forward to the next steps of implementation,” representatives of COR Bihać stated.
This campaign is part of the PRAGG project funded by the Government of Switzerland and implemented by a consortium consisting of HELVETAS and NIRAS, in partnership with local partners Centers for Civic Initiatives (CCI) and the Institute for Youth Development KULT.
