Our goal is to fight apathy, hopelessness, disillusionment, and pessimism among young people and give them the courage to fight for the causes they are passionate about.

Based on numerous studies published, the majority of today’s youth in the EU and the Western Balkans are the least politically engaged generation – both formally and informally. They often claim that authorities do not care about their needs and problems and young people cannot have any impact at all on the current direction of their country – their voice is unheard even through elections since their level of participation is low. Young people tend to be passionate about a single-issued topic, e.g. climate change, poverty, individual freedoms, LGBTIQ+ rights, etc., which often not necessarily translates into votes. The youth is becoming more and more socially inactive, detached from the local and national policies.

Throughout the project, young people will:

• get involved in real and actual political various issues that challenge the nation,
• solve problems faced by nations modeled by a variety of actual problems,
• learn about the importance of leadership, organisation, and getting involved with local and national activism, and
• adapt their knowledge and skills to be able to become an active citizen promoting democracy.

The aim of the project is to increase the interest of young people about issues that surround them– from politics to how government work and how they could contribute to their community. Democratic maturity influences patterns of political participation of the youth: while individuals situated in established democracies are politically more active, youth engagement in new democracies could be improved. Throughout the project, young people will get involved in real and actual political various issues that challenge the nations.

This project is generously funded by:

This project is lead by:

This project is implemented in partnership with:

Project Activities:

3rd International Meeting In Sarajevo, July 2-5, 2021

Between July 2-5, 2021, the Humanity in Action Bosnia and Herzegovina, in cooperation with partners organized in person the 3rd International Meeting in Sarajevo.  The participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Montenegro had the opportunity to participate in lectures of the two modules set up by the project– Project Management and Critical Thinking. The two modules were covered by the experts representing the implementing consortium from the Western Balkan and Visegrad 4 countries. 

 Topics covered by interactive lectures were the following:

• Fake News and Disinformation Narratives, Dina Arnaut, Euro-Atlantic Council of North Macedonia
• Situation Analysis, Filip Gabor, Be International, Czechia
• Steps to Building a Stakeholders Map, Todor Lakic, Alfa Centar, Montenegro
• Active Listening, Alexandra Tothova, Strategic Analysis, Slovakia
• Fake News, Agata Domachowska and Szczepan Czarnecki, Institute of Central Europe, Poland
• People/Event Management, Balint Caesar, AEGEE Budapest, Hungary
• Argumentation, Ivana Kesic, Humanity in Action, Bosnia and Herzegovina
• NGOs and CSOs Project Management, Jan Cingel, Strategic Analysis, Slovakia

During the event, participants had an opportunity to practice their negotiation skills and teamwork in the international environment created by the framework of the project. First, they had to unite the political and economic arrangement of their fictional countries. Second, they had to initiate joint international projects that demonstrate that the six fictional can cooperate effectively and unite for mutual benefits.

The participants also met with Patrik Turosik, the Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of the Slovak Republic in Sarajevo and with Lejla Mamut, the Programme Officer, Gender Issues, OSCE Sarajevo to discuss the current challenges the region of Western Balkans faces. Ivan Iliev, Research Fellow, Strategic Analysis presented the birth of the Visegrad Four cooperation platform. Matus Babulik, the Vice-Chairman of Civic Democratic Youth talked about how engagement in politics can be beneficial both for development as well as for one`s carrier opportunities.

2nd International Online Meeting, May 7-9, 2021

Between May 7-9, 2021, the Humanity in Action Bosnia and Herzegovina, in cooperation with partners organized the 2nd International Online Meeting.  The participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Montenegro had the opportunity to participate in lectures of the three modules set up by the project– Local Politics- the vertical division of power, Active civil sector, and Communicaiton and Campaigns. The three modules were covered by the experts representing the implementing consortium from the Western Balkan and Visegrad 4 countries. 

 Topics covered by interactive lectures were the following:

• More Human Rights, Less Human Wrongs`: A Brief Introduction to the Issue, Agata Domachowska, Institute of Central Europe, Poland
• Civil Sector as a Watchdog of Democracy: Filling the Gaps in Developing Countries, Dina Arnaut, Euro-Atlantic Council, North Macedonia
• Rhetorics, Public Speaking and Persuasion in Elections and Accountability Post-Elections, Reka Salamon, AEGEE Budapest, Hungary
• Innovative Public Management, Alexandra Tothova, Strategic Analysis, Slovakia
• Tools for Inclusive Decision Making, Zuzana Kasparova, Be International, Czechia
• Pitch It: A Guide to Selling Your Ideas, Filip Gabor, Be International, Czechia
• Public Finances and State Budget, Jan Cingel, Strategic Analysis, Slovakia
• Digital Age and Political Campaigns: The Role of Social Networks in Political Campaigns, Todor Lakic, Alpha Centre, Montenegro
• Engaged Citizens- Fight For the Rights of the Invisible, Anja Jusic, Forgotten Children of War
• Human Rights Tools and Monitoring, Ivana Godulova, Education for Equality and Ecology, EDEQEC, Slovakia

Prior to the Second International Online Meeting, participants elaborated the political regime and economic arrangements of their fictional countries– Terra Verde, Terra Azul, Terra Marron, Terra Negra, Terra Amarilla, and Terra Roja, all located in the Ereb continent, as their Second Assignment. Based on the description of their countries they had to create strategies for mitigating a global pandemic and its effects within the Third Assignment. During the Second International Online Meeting, the participants representing each fictional state led negotiations for redistributing the post-pandemic recovery package given by the Ereb Communities.  

1st International Online Meeting, February 19-21, 2021

Between 19-21 February 2021, the Humanity in Action Bosnia and Herzegovina, in cooperation with partners from Western Balkan and Visegrad 4 countries, including Strategic Analysis Slovakia, organized the 1st International Online Meeting.  The participants from Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Montenegro had the opportunity to participate in lectures of the two modules set up by the project– the Introduction to Democracy and Linking Legislation to Practice. The two modules were covered by the experts representing the implementing consortium from the Western Balkan and Visegrad 4 countries. 

 Topics covered by interactive lectures were the following:

•  Pillar of Democracy, Alexandra Tothova, Strategic Analysis, Slovakia
• Democratic Challenges in Multiethnic Societies, Dr. Damir Kapidzic, Humanity in Action Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Political Polarization as a Threat to Democracy, Dina Arnaut, Euro-Atlantic Council of North Macedonia
• Legislation Shaping the Business Environment, Jan Cingel, Strategic Analysis, Slovakia
• Gender-Based Politics, Veronika Kusyova, Humanity in Action Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Division of Powers- Comparative Politics, Todor Lakic, Alpha Centre, Montenegro
• Lobbying and Advocacy, Szczepan Czarnecki, Institute of Central Europe, Poland
• Lobbying: The Success Story of the Bologna Process, Reka Salamon, AEGEE-Budapest, Hungary
• To Centralize or to Decentralize?, Zuzana Kasparova and Filip Gabor, Be International, Czech Republic

International Online Meeting, participants were working on their joint essays on the topic, how they see the future of their countries. The original assignment was: „Imagine you have a Genie`s lamp which allows you to gain limitless executive power in your (real) country, that enables you to immediately solve three problems that concern young people the most. What policy issues will you be focusing on and why?“. Seventeen essays were submitted, written by 17 teams of young leaders from 3 project countries. The essays were focusing on various topics that young leaders found the most pressing in their countries — education, corruption, law enforcement and transparency, youth unemployment, housing, brain drain, radicalization, digital transformation, climate change, and pollution.

Kick-off Coordination Meeting, October 6, 2020

Official kick-off coordination meeting of participating organizations ogranized via video conference with the aim of fine-tuning and approving the project timeline, selection criteria for participants and team coordinators, discussions about project materials, creating the layout of project materials used through the implementation of the project.