A Decade After Dayton, Youth Eager to Invest in their Future
More than 530 young people from all over the country gathered together at a U.S. Government-sponsored conference to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Dayton Peace Accords. Discussions centered on ways to create a brighter future for themselves and for Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH). The commemoration activities, titled “BiH Youth, Let’s Make Our Future!” emphasized youth as a force for change and encouraged them to take the lead through entrepreneurship. Activities generated broad interest and brought together members of BiH’s three major ethnic groups --Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats. The highlight of the activities was the “BiH Youth, Lets Make Our Future!” youth conference, implemented by USAID in cooperation with the World Bank and Canadian CIDA.
After the conference, a participant stated. “We got great information about entrepreneurship, information that was useful and inspiring.”
All activities organized for the Dayton commemoration were suggested and carried out by youth organizations in BiH. The activities received very positive reviews in the media including the US Ambassador being named Person of the Day in the daily newspaper Dnevni Avaz for his promotion of youth entrepreneurship.
Encouraging Youth Entrepreneurship
Sarajevo’s citizens were treated to a variety of activities and exhibits organized by USAID during the week preceding the youth conference. Daily exhibits at the Bosnian Cultural Center and the Sarajevo Economics Faculty included 42 booths representing youth non-governmental organizations (NGOs), banks, Micro Credit Organizations, employment agencies and leading American international companies. One highlight of the week was the opportunity for 50 young people to receive individual 30-minute consultations with a team of successful entrepreneurs and local business and legal experts who advised them on best ways to start and run a business.
A timeline documenting the milestones of BiH development and the achievements of BiH youth since the signing of the Dayton Accords was on display. USAID also organized popular nightly discussions on opportunities available to youth in the areas of business and NGO development. Films of successful entrepreneurs played all day showing examples of organizations and individuals advocating for change and making a difference in their country.
Bringing Youth Together
The culmination of the week-long activities was the “BiH Youth, Lets Make Our Future!” conference, implemented by USAID in cooperation with the World Bank and Canadian CIDA. More than 530 young people participated including entrepreneurs, advocates, political leaders, journalists, and unemployed youth from all over the country. The Conference gave participants a sense of the practical skills needed to find a job, get an internship, or open a business.
“Considering the number of participants and the interest of youth, we consider the conference a pure success,“said a small business owner and panelist from Bania Luka. “We hope that this is just the beginning of a series of steps that will bring this country closer to the community of developed and politically-stable world countries.“
Participants queried representatives of the government, NGOs and businesses leaders about existing programs and policies that support youth employment. They also heard inspiring stories from their peers on how to overcome challenges and take responsibility for making changes in their own lives.
Interactive presentations and panel discussions allowed participants to meet local entrepreneurs and experts who shared stories and provided advice. Forty-seven panelists spoke at the conference sessions, including successful entrepreneurs, professors, government representatives, civil society leaders, journalists and foreign experts. Those giving inspirational talks at the conference included the U.S. Ambassador, Mary Wilson (founding member of the Supremes and American music legend), the USAID Mission Director and the Canadian Ambassador. A representative of Microsoft in BiH also spoke about the future of IT. Break-out panel sessions covered the following topics: Academic Approaches to Entrepreneurship, Youth Employment Policy, From My Idea to My Own Business, NGO Entrepreneurialism, World Bank Youth Voices, Traditional and Non-Traditional Small and Medium Enterprises, Marketing, and Career Development and the Job Market -Education and Training Programs.
Youth who came to the conference expecting state institutions to create job opportunities for them were given a wake-up call. Questions and answers were honest and direct. Panelists encouraged youth not to wait for the government to change their lives, but to take initiative to educate themselves and to acquire skills that will make them employable and marketable.
One of the participating panelists, a youth leader, remarked, “Youth here have intelligence and the spirit of entrepreneurship, but they need the environment to raise it up. This conference showed that a program is needed to stimulate that spirit.”
More to Come
Following the conference, activities will extend outside the capital to cities and towns around the country. A local partner, the Youth Information Agency (OIA), will travel to 15 cities and towns throughout BiH to organize group discussions that bring together young people, entrepreneurs, government officials and professors. Discussions will focus on youth entrepreneurship, employment opportunities and youth employment policies in BiH. In total, the tour will reach more than 600 young people from 70 different BiH municipalities. During the tour, OIA will interview event participants and create forty films each five minutes long that will showcase successful entrepreneurs. BH TV1 will broadcast each film in November and December as a way of encouraging youth around the country to take initiative to change their lives for the better.
In addition, USAID will sponsor a TV show through “LUNA, Rudo”, titled “Promoting Entrepreneur Leadership with the Youth,” that will be screened on OBN TV in November and December. The show will broadcast a national competition on best ideas for new business start-ups. The best three plans, as judged by a panel of business leaders, will receive an award to assist in the start-up of new businesses.
USAID will use the recommendations resulting from the “BiH Youth, Let’s Make Our Future” events to create additional programming to support youth employment in BiH.
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Ambassador MacElhaney joins crowd at the USAID 10th Anniversary
Photo Exhibit at the Youth Conference Exhibit Hall
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Panelists share business expertise to encourage young entrepreneurs |
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