Historical developments

Working with young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina is not a new phenomenon. During the existence of Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY), there were various youth organizations, such as Pioneers, Scouts, the League of Communist Youth of Yugoslavia and others. The main purpose of the above-mentioned organizations was to promote Yugoslav patriotism, volunteerism, brotherhood and unity, collective action and uniformity, which were the basic values ​​promoted by political structures.

After the fall of socialism and the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992-1995), it was necessary to start rebuilding infrastructure, the economy, various institutions, but also interethnic relations in Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, ethnically homogeneous territories were created, and there was almost no communication between people of different ethnicities in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Realizing this, progressive young people, with the help of the international community in the form of funds and various types of training, decided to organize and contribute to the re-establishment of interethnic ties damaged by the war. In this way, formal and informal youth groups take on the role of peacekeepers and contribute to the reconciliation process in Bosnia and Herzegovina by making youth work as peace building tools.

After the war (1992-1995), it was necessary to reconstruct the infrastructure, institutions, economy and everything else necessary for the functioning of the state. Recognizing this, young people in the late 1990s began various forms of self-organization, trying to respond to the needs of their peers in their communities, and thus contribute to both development of their communities and improvement of the status of their youth. The need for youth participation in the development of local communities and Bosnia and Herzegovina is recognized by the international community, which, through donor funds and organizing various trainings for youth workers, helps develop organized youth work according to the "western" model, while respecting the needs of young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The activities involving young people at that time covered various areas of interest to young people, from music, theater, travel, ecology, culture, sports to various seminars, training and courses needed by young people to become agents of change in their communities. Through these activities, youth workers tried to influence the value system of young people and help them overcome any prejudices they had.

The political elites of the time saw the youth as a problem, not as a resource. There was high unemployment among young people, the memories of war have not disappeared yet, and there was a noticeable tendency for young people to turn to ethnonationalism and other destructive behaviors. 

At that time, youth organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina dealt with a wide range of topics such as peace building, social justice, human rights, social inclusion of young people and similar. However, they had one goal in common, and that is to improve the status of young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina society. They are no longer under the direct influence of the state apparatus, but act at their own discretion, and try to recognize and respond to the needs of young people in the communities where they operate.

It is not possible to find out the number of organizations dealt with youth work in Bosnia and Herzegovina at that moment, nor the exact number of youth workers who engaged in this profession daily on a voluntary basis or were employees of youth organizations. This is partly due to the fact that there is no generally accepted definition of youth work and youth worker in the country, while the competence framework for validation also lacks.

Some of the most noticeable organizations that pioneered the youth work at that time were PRONI Centre for Youth Development, Helsinki Citizens Assembly and South-East European Youth Network. During the first half of 2000, the number of youth organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina grew, including the Institute for Youth Development KULT, IPAK - Youth Build the Future, Centre for Peacebuilding, Perpetuum Mobile, Youth Information Agency, etc. 

All these organizations are dedicated to youth work, and through non-formal education they work on issues of peace building, social inclusion of young people, personal development of young people, and using young people as a resource to develop local communities and Bosnia and Herzegovina in general.

In recent times, youth work has gained the dimension of responding to challenges such as unemployment, migration, violent extremism, and radicalization. Organizations such as the PRONI Centre for Youth Development and the Institute for Youth Development KULT use non-formal education to address these issues. According to the "Youth Study Bosnia and Herzegovina 2021" (Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung), only 15% of young people actively participate in initiatives, indicating the need to strengthen youth work.

 National definition or understanding of youth work

At the national level in Bosnia and Herzegovina, youth work is not defined. At the entity level, definitions vary:

• The Law on Youth of the Republic of Srpska (Official Gazette of Republika Srpska, 98/04, 119/08, 1/12), Article 4, defines youth work as "planned, purposeful, and conscious support to youth through voluntary participation of young people".

• The Law on Youth of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Official Gazette of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 36/10), Article 2, defines youth work as "part of youth activities organized with and for youth, which takes place in the free time of young people and is carried out to improve conditions for personal and social development of young people and general social benefits, in accordance with their needs, opportunities, and voluntary participation".

• The Law on Youth of Brčko District (Official Gazette of Brčko District, 18/17), Article 2, defines youth work as "forms of socially useful work in the field of youth interests in which young people are involved and which contributes to improving the position of young people". This law is the only one that defines a youth worker as "a person who works with young people in non-formal and formal contents, focusing on personal and social development through one-on-one relationships and group activities".

According to the research "Unlocking Potentials of Youth Work in the Western Balkan Region" (2024), the lack of a unified definition hinders the recognition of youth work as a profession.