From May 9 to 11, 2025, the Active Youth Forum was held in Sarajevo, bringing together over 70 young participants from across Bosnia and Herzegovina. The forum's main theme was youth public advocacy, aiming to empower young people to actively engage in driving social change. Over the course of three days, participants had the opportunity to learn from leading experts in the field. Ilija Trninić, an advocacy expert, introduced the basics of advocacy and its key steps. Katarina Vučković, Program Manager at the War Childhood Museum, led a workshop on identifying target audiences and allies, while Dženana Alađuz, Director of the INFOHOUSE Foundation, focused on effective communication in advocacy processes. A valuable contribution to the Forum came from representatives of the partner organisation NIT – Bryan Carey and Mirela Popaja-Hadžić, who held a workshop on gaining allies for advocacy initiatives. The Forum also had an international component, featuring guests from the Romanian organisation Polylogos, who shared their experiences from previous editions of the Active Youth Forum held in Romania.

  
In addition to workshops, the program included inspiring talks with key figures from the public and civil sectors. Belmin Zukan, a member of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, spoke about the role of young people in political decision-making. Amila Čengić, youth worker and former Project Coordinator of the Youth Council of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, shared her insights on youth engagement and activism. After the Forum, participants will continue working on their advocacy initiatives with mentoring support from Youth for Peace and NIT. The most active participants will have the opportunity to travel to Brussels, where they will connect with peers from Romania and Italy to present the outcomes of their work and their advocacy ideas.

The ASPYRE EUROPE project is coordinated by the organisation Polylogos (Romania) and is implemented in cooperation with partners Cooperativa Agorà (Italy), as well as Youth for Peace and Nit (Bosnia and Herzegovina). ASPYRE EUROPE is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.