More and more young people are leaving small local communities – and the municipality of Srbac is no exception. The reasons are many: a lack of educational opportunities, limited employment prospects, and, crucially, the feeling that young people are excluded from decisions that directly affect them.

At the national level, there is no law that clearly defines the rights and participation of youth. The Republic of Srpska does have a Law on Youth Organizing, but it dates back to 2004. Although this law mandates that local governments must adopt youth strategies and allocate budget funds for youth programs, this has not been the case in Srbac for years.

"Unfortunately, despite having active and engaged young people, the municipality of Srbac has not paid sufficient attention to youth policy for a long time. Without a youth policy, it is impossible to systematically address key issues such as youth outmigration, unemployment, and exclusion from decision-making," said Ljubiša Popović, an English teacher in Srbac and an activist with the “Cezar” Association, in a statement to Odgovorno.ba.

The last Youth Policy of the Municipality of Srbac was adopted by the Municipal Assembly for the period 2012.–2016. However, once that period expired, the document was never revised or replaced. Although the law obliges municipalities to adopt new strategies and involve young people in their development, this has not happened in Srbac.

The “Cezar” Association, which has been working with youth for many years, has now launched a campaign with the support of the PRAGG project demanding that the local authorities finally adopt a new youth policy. They believe that such a move would open the door to real change.

Concrete benefits could include: paid internships, youth representation in local commissions, more scholarships for active young people, and the creation of a Youth Cooperative as a service for temporary jobs. Through such a cooperative, young people could engage in seasonal or part-time work – for example, a few hours a day – and get paid. This would allow them to gain experience and motivation to stay. The goal is for the municipality to allocate dedicated funds for this purpose and appoint an official responsible for its implementation, said Tanja Šnjegota, president of the “Cezar” Association from Srbac.

Young people in Srbac want to be part of the solution – but they need institutional support to do so. By adopting a new youth policy, activists say, conditions could be created for young people to see their future right here – not somewhere far away.