In the Strategic Framework for Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2015, the Bosnia and Herzegovina Council of Ministers emphasizes the extreme importance of creative industries and states that: "Creative industries are becoming an increasingly important component of the development of a modern post-industrial economy, based on innovation and knowledge." The reasons for encouraging the development of such industries lie in the proven economic growth and development, and the creation of jobs, but also in the promotion of cultural identity and highlighting cultural diversity around the world. 

Acquiring cultural and creative competences through education and training

Bosnia and Herzegovina’s formal education system includes a range of subjects and curricula that contribute to young people’s cultural and creative development. Entity-level curricula for primary and secondary schools incorporate artistic and cultural content such as visual arts and music, which aim to build foundational creative skills and cultural literacy among students. In terms of cultural and artistic formal education and the development of creative potential, young people throughout the country can achieve them through secondary and higher public and private education. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are 329 secondary schools, eight academies, with  90 faculties, which are treated as higher education establishments, and art academies.

Beyond regular subjects, many schools implement local cultural and public activity programs which involve students in music, theatre, exhibitions and other creative activities as part of school life and community engagement.

Alongside formal education, youth in Bosnia and Herzegovina benefit from EU-funded international programs such as Erasmus+ and Creative Europe, which offer grants, mobility opportunities, cooperation projects, and training that strengthen creative competences, intercultural dialogue and project-building skills.

The Creative Europe program in particular supports cultural organizations and creatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina through culture and media sub-programs as well as info days, workshops and guidance for applicants, helping local artists and youth organizations access international platforms and funding.

When it comes to non-formal learning and youth work, the European Youth Card (EYC), which has been implemented by the PRONI Center for Youth Development,  is active in Bosnia and Herzegovina since 2019. Through this project, which offers the possibility of formal, informal, professional affirmation and training of young people, encouraging mobility and networking, young people are also offered various benefits based on which they can be directly involved in the cultural and every other segment of society's development. Based on these benefits, young people can consume and enjoy different cultural contents in different cultural public institutions, which were unavailable to them until the beginning of the project implementation. It is intended for young people from 15 to 30 years of age. The benefits of the program, except in Bosnia and Herzegovina, are used in other participating countries (37 European countries), which encourages both national and international cultural upgrading.

The Art Remains project is a program intended for young people, high school students, and it is implemented by the Youth Advisory Committee at the Embassy of Switzerland in Bosnia and Herzegovina , the PRONI Center for Youth Development and the JU Center for Culture and Youth of the Municipality of Center Sarajevo, with the support of the Embassy of Switzerland in BiH. The project was implemented in ten different municipalities/cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Sarajevo, Kiseljak, Bihać, Prozor, Banja Luka, Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Foča, Gradačac, Pale and Srebrenik. Through this project, over 100 young people had the opportunity to learn more about stage and film art during one-day training. The goal of the project was to point out the problem of young people leaving Bosnia and Herzegovina, and art and creativity were taken as the main resource and method of presenting that problem. Those 100 young people found themselves in the main roles of the final product - movie entitled "Where you goin'?". This project is the first of its kind in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Workshops and training on culture, intercultural dialogue and creative project development are regularly offered. For example, international open calls and workshops for artists and youth from organizations like the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) provide practical skills for cultural project design and intercultural understanding.

Festivals and cultural events such as the SOS Design Festival (a major student-driven design platform) and InterDance Fest (contemporary dance festival with workshops and performances) offer informal environments where young people can learn through participation, collaboration and exposure to contemporary creative practices. 

Youth-oriented film events, including the Sarajevo Youth Film Festival, provide platforms for young filmmakers to showcase work and engage with peers and mentors, fostering both creative expression and professional networking. 

Specialized training for professionals in the education, culture and youth fields

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, there are no trainings directly organized or financed by the highest-level authorities, which are available to teachers/teachers/professors in formal education, youth workers, as well as professionals (artists, managers of cultural institutions, curators) and young people. Such opportunities often arise through international NGO and EU-funded initiatives. These include training courses for youth workers that strengthen non-formal education methods and intercultural learning. For example, Erasmus+ supported courses aimed at inclusive youth work practices. Additionally, collaborative programs linked to cultural events and festivals often offer tailored sessions for educators and cultural professionals to update creative teaching methodologies and arts-based facilitation skills (e.g. events supported by Europe House and festival partners for film and media training).. 

Providing quality access to creative environments

At the state level, incentives related to the improvement of the cultural sector, intended for museums, libraries, cinemas, galleries, theaters, cultural centers, centers of culture, archives, orchestras, philharmonics, institutes for the protection of cultural heritage, academies of science and art, art and music academies, performing arts academies, amateur theaters, choirs, culture festivals come through Public competition for the allocation of funds from the current grant "Co-financing of Cultural Projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina" , which is managed by the Bosnia and Herzegovina Ministry of Civil Affairs. Although youth are not explicitly named in the grant criteria, they remain eligible as part of the broader applicant pool. This ensures that opportunities and support are available for projects specifically focused on young people. At the entity level, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Ministry of Culture and Sports established the Transfer for Youth public call. A key general criterion of this initiative is its contribution to improving the social standing and affirmation of young people within the Federation, including the projects related to creativity and culture.

In Republika Srpska, the Ministry of Education and Culture regularly issues public calls for the financing of cultural activities. These call are published in accordance with the Rulebook on the Criteria and Procedure for Awarding Grant Funds to Associations of Public Interest. While these opportunities are not exclusively tailored to young people, both youth and youth-led organizations are eligible to apply. 

The Brčko District of Bosnia and Herzegovina also provides support programs for cultural institutions, non-profit organizations, and associations. While these programs may not define a standalone category for youth culture, they facilitate funding for cultural initiatives that satisfy the established criteria and are financed through the Public Calls for Financing and Co-financing Projects of Public Interest, issued by the Government of Brčko District.

Facilitating quality access to creative environments and implementing programs in which creative ideas and young talents are developed are usually the responsibility of institutions at the lowest tiers of government, which are financed from the budget of the founding institution/city/municipality. Some of these programs are:

• International theater festival "TKT Fest - Days of Academic Theater" in Tuzla, which affirms theater artists and students of academies from Bosnia and Herzegovina, the region and Europe.

• Sarajevo International Guitar Festival, which aims to enrich the cultural scene through the presentation of top classical guitar artists from the country and the world. Part of the April Sarajevo program is dedicated to young artists through competitive programs and workshops.

• The MESS International Theatre Festival (MESS) provides opportunities for young theater creators to perform.

• West Herzegowina Fest strives to encourage young creatives and authors to create, and by presenting their works, encourages others to do the same.

• As the region's premier film event, the Sarajevo Film Festival (SFF) showcases a diverse selection of domestic, international, and commercial cinemas. Beyond awarding the prestigious Heart of Sarajevo, the festival fosters youth development through its Talent Campus and workshops for young critics, while driving industry growth via the CineLink co-production market. The Council of Europe and the Sarajevo Film Festival present the Special Youth Perspectives Award. The award is valued at 7,500 euros and will be presented over the next three years. It was awarded for the first time at the 31st Sarajevo Film Festival.

• Tuzla Film Festival (TFF) is an annual festival event in Tuzla, focused on the promotion of Yugoslav cinematography. It was founded in 2012 and is organized by the non-governmental organization Magic Factory.

• The "Novosarajevo Literary Meetings" as an international event promotes the literary creativity of young authors from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region.

• International festival "Student Summer" Maglaj - The "Student Summer" festival is intended for young and unestablished singers.

• The international festival of high school drama creation "Juventafest" was created in 2013 with the intention of offering quality cultural content intended for a young audience. During the five days of the festival, participants get to know different theater models through socializing and work and attend a series of workshops in the field of stage movement, dance, mask, puppetry and music led by experts, specialized in certain fields.

• European Theater Night in Zenica is an event with an emphasis on student and dramatic creativity.

• Sijelo in Paklarevo aims to pass on the old customs of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the young generations through original dance, song and speech, which will act in a culturally educational sense.

• International Festival of Children's Theatres – Banja Luka promotes faster development of puppetry and theatre arts in the Republic of Srpska and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and it is considered one of the most important festivals for children in the Balkans.

• Poetry Festival for Children and Youth in East Sarajevo is an annual literary event dedicated to promoting creative writing and linguistic expression among young people by hosting poetry competitions, workshops, and gatherings of renowned regional writers.

Beyond local initiatives, international opportunities play a vital role, most notably through the EU Creative Europe Program. As detailed in the previous sections, this program serves as a primary gateway for Bosnian and Herzegovinian cultural actors to access global creative environments. In 2024, Bosnia and Herzegovina organizations secured a record-breaking 3.6 million EUR, demonstrating the increasing capacity of local actors, coordinated by the Ministry of Civil Affairs of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to utilize international funding, networking, and professional training to scale their creative activities on a European level.

The Western Balkans Youth Cultural Fund (WBYCF) is a regional and international initiative implemented by the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO). This multi-year initiative supports youth cultural activism and creative solutions to social challenges across the Western Balkans. The fund provides individual grants of up to 3,000 EUR and CSO grants of up to 6,000 EUR, alongside awards for contributions to peacebuilding.

Through local capacity-building workshops, such as Sarajevo’s “From idea to project”, RYCO provides practical training in project design and intercultural dialogue. These sessions act as networking hubs where young artists and organizations develop professional skills and competitive proposals for regional calls, ultimately strengthening cultural cooperation and social engagement across Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Institutions such as contemporary art galleries and music centres provide ongoing creative cultural venues for artistic engagement. Manifesto Gallery of Contemporary Arts (Sarajevo) is a hybrid cultural platform that supports production and presentation of contemporary art, enabling young artists to exhibit and interact with creative communities. Pavarotti Music Centre (Mostar) offers music education, workshops, and performances for children, teens, and adults, helping cultivate musical and creative skills in community settings.