After the Youth Council of the Municipality of Odžak carried out a street action in the town center, in which more than 230 citizens took part and clearly and loudly expressed their support for young people and their demands by signing, two initiatives were officially submitted to the Municipality of Odžak. This action was not just a symbolic gathering of young people and citizens around shared ideas, but a strong and unequivocal message to the local authorities that the issue of youth must not and cannot be treated as secondary or temporary, but must take a central place in the municipality’s development policies and strategic documents.

The first submitted initiative refers to the allocation of adequate and permanent premises for the work of the Youth Council—a space that would be available to all young people and developed as a center for planning, education, creative expression, networking, and carrying out socially useful activities. The aim is for the premises to gain the status of a genuine resource center for youth.

The second initiative focuses on introducing systematic and annual funding of the Youth Council of the Municipality of Odžak (VMOO) from the municipal budget. For the first time, this would ensure long-term stability, institutional support, and financial predictability in a structured and transparent manner, enabling the Council to plan and implement projects of public interest for young people. Together, these two initiatives are not merely formal requests, but essential prerequisites without which young people in Odžak cannot reach their full potential, nor systematically engage in the social and political life of the community.

In addition to the street action, the Youth Council organized a public citizens’ forum and a series of focused discussions with the authorities. Parallel to the submission of the two initiatives, the process of preparing a third initiative has begun, which concerns the drafting and adoption of the “Youth Strategy of the Municipality of Odžak.” This Strategy will serve as a long-term framework for planning and implementing youth policies, ensuring that individual measures and activities are not carried out sporadically and without planning, but instead form a comprehensive, coherent, and strategically guided policy for youth.

“What we have done is not just another formal act, but a real step toward a systemic solution, as the initiatives clearly show that young people need a space that will serve as a resource center for gathering, learning, developing ideas, and launching socially beneficial activities. Equally important is to ensure stable and predictable funding so that plans and programs can be implemented continuously and without interruption. The Youth Council also conducted surveys and open conversations with young people of different age groups and interests—including pupils, students, young entrepreneurs, and representatives of NGOs—and it was precisely their proposals and opinions that served as the foundation for shaping these initiatives. The third initiative, which is in preparation, relates to the Youth Strategy and represents a framework for long-term programs and a document that will clearly define the direction of youth policy development in our municipality. Drafting this document involves research and analysis of the state and needs of youth in the community, and once the results are consolidated, the Youth Council will shape a strategy proposal and submit it to the municipal authorities. A particular satisfaction is the fact that in our first street action we collected more than 230 signatures of citizen support, which gives us additional strength and responsibility to move forward, organize new events, and involve even more young people and citizens. The collected signatures are not just numbers on paper, but clear proof that the proposals of the Youth Council of the Municipality of Odžak enjoy broad social support and reflect the real needs and aspirations of the younger generations,” said Iva Dujaković, President of the Youth Council of the Municipality of Odžak.
In the month when International Youth Day was marked, these initiatives gain additional weight as a reminder of how important it is to provide young people with space, financial support, and a strategic framework for their development and participation in society. Space for young people does not mean just walls and a roof, but a dynamic center where ideas are generated, training sessions are held, workshops are organized, cultural and sports events take place, and a sense of belonging and connection to the local community is built. Systematic funding enables programs and activities to run continuously and in line with long-term plans, while the Youth Strategy provides the framework and institutional guarantee that such programs will be stably supported and coordinated. The combination of all three initiatives thus forms the foundation on which a lasting and high-quality youth policy in the Municipality of Odžak can be built.

The Youth Council expects the competent authorities to recognize the importance of these initiatives and to promptly initiate all necessary procedures for their realization. At the same time, a call is extended to all stakeholders in the community—educational institutions, associations, the business sector, media, and citizens—to support and partner in creating a better environment for young people. The Youth Council of the Municipality of Odžak continues its campaign and on September 18 will organize a new street action to further inform citizens about the current state and progress of the initiatives.