Mission
OIA is a non-governmental and nonpartisan organization operating on level of Bosnia and Herzegovina as an independent institute in the field of youth policy development, with the aim of improving the position of youth and increasing their participation in society. OIA cooperates through three sectors: Info Service, Youth Policy Sector, Capacity Building , with more than 50 government bodies and more than 200 youth organizations in BiH and the South East European region, as well as international organizations and young people.
Foundation
In the fall of 2000, UNDP publishes Human Development Report - Youth. During that same period Open Society Fund BiH finalizes its three year long Strategy for youth which is based on recommendations from the Report. OSFBiH starts the partnership with other international organizations through Joint Youth Program around which many young people with long experience in youth work gather. Strategy and program were enforced with the conclusions of the Millenium Youth Conference held from 6.-10.12.2000 in Bugojno. More than 100 young people from 80 organizations participated in the Conference. Among the conclusions the idea of founding local youth councils appears, and they start forming all over BiH in the beginning of 2001.
In 2001 Joint Youth Program builds the capacities of Local Youth Councils and in April 24 Local Youth Councils meet and, beside the presentation of Slovenian experience, youth policy is discussed in BiH as a specific and coherent state policy for youth. From that time Joint Youth Program turns to advocacy of youth policy as a way to start systematic problem solving of youth and to stimulate their participation in society. The program transforms into a particular non-governmental organization OIA by the end of the year, with a clearly defined mission and program fields: informing youth, capacity building and youth policy advocacy.
In first half of 2002 OIA organizes a campaign called 'We Cannot do it?' as, among other things, an answer to the unsuccessful OSCE campaign (We Can Do it, 2001) , with the aim of affirming the theme of youth policy and obligating the government to start caring for youth. In June 2002 as one of campaign products OIA organizes the 1. BH Youth Parliament gathers youth organizations, the Prime Minister and 1/5 of BiH Parliamentary Representatives belonging to different parties. Only a month later, on the basis of BHOP's recommendations, the Parliament Assembly of Bosnia-Herzegovina accepts Resolution on Youth in BiH as a first state document on youth policy. In the second year Youth Information Agency (OIA), formed from the Joint Youth Program of Open Society Fund BiH, focused mainly on three fields: advocacy of creating basic mechanisms in the governmental sector for youth, building the capacities of the key factors in the process of development of youth policy (youth, youth NGOs and governmental bodies), and the formation of youth information service in BiH. OIA also developed an intensive international cooperation, especially in the South East European region, promoting BiH good youth sector abroad, as well as youth policy development in BiH (specific conditions in BiH, lessons learnt, advantages and disadvantages).
OIA became a recognizable institution and a key factor in the development of youth policy in BiH by initiating about 30 institutional changes in the field of youth, becoming a member of some 10 advisory bodies for youth at all state levels (among which is Board of the Council of Ministers for organization of Regional Youth Forum, as well as Executive Board for the European Youth Peace Summit), leading the OSFBiH work group for youth policy of the international community in BiH (with some 20 international organizations involved), publishing reports that were later quoted and used at many meetings, seminars and other publications, organizing six Youth Parliaments at state level with more than 200 participants, speaking for 80 media and at most important youth meetings in Europe in 2003 about the position of young people and youth policy in BiH. Dealing with research, political analysis, writing of policy documents in the youth field and lobbying, and possessing a number of training programs, OIA was slowly becoming the first institute for youth or youth policy, which exists in different forms in many European countries, but not yet in Bosnia and Herzegovina or the Balkans.
The most important thing is the measurable results which had an effect on the overall development of youth policy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the relation of government towards young people, developing state system for caring for youth, and more activities and youth participation and youth organizations in the society.
In 2003 alone OIA:
- influenced the realization of over 30 institutional changes in the field of youth policy at all levels of authority in BiH
- lobbied some recommendations pertaining youth policy through six Youth Parliaments, three expert publications (14,500 copies) and through more than 1,000 meetings with some 50 governmental institutions, some 30 international organizations etc., as well as through a dozen advisory positions in the governmental bodies of BiH, FBiH, RS and local level.
- produced regular weekly electronic news releases about youth (total of 1,000 news) to over 4,000 e-mail addresses in BiH and the region of South-East Europe and created several databases for youth at www.mladi.info.
- participated at a great number of relevant gatherings and conferences in the world, particularly in South-East Europe , and in more than 80 media, speaking about the status and activism of youth in BiH
- educated – through training programs (more than 80 workshops)- more than 1,250 young people from some 50 towns on the issues of youth activism, advocacy and youth policy, and 60 young people have passed trough special OIA's semi-annual or annual licensed courses.
- financed directly, through the Youth Fund, 50 mini projects of youth in BiH in the total amount of over 100.000 KM , and participated, in the capacity of expert in the selection of youth projects in scores of local and regional programs of grant allocation.
- became the national for BiH of the European Agency for Youth Information and Counseling (ERYICA), and the member of the South-East European Youth Network (SEEYN).
Membership/Partnership
OIA is implementing agency of Joint Youth Program of Open Society Fund BiH through which it was founded. OIA implements a two year long program of youth capacity building in cooperation with the British Foundation Allavida . OIA represents regional programs in BiH: youthNET and youthEXCHANGE.SEE, and is a member of South-East European Youth Net (SEEYN). OIA is the BiH national partner for European Agency for Youth Information and Counceling (ERYICA). In 2004 OIA became Action Partner of the OXFAM International Youth Parliament from Sidney. In the governmental sector in BiH OIA participates in the advisory bodies for youth at all levels, and is a member of the Advisory Board of UNFPA/IRC project about sexual and reproductive health of youth, and of Volunteering coalition UNV/NVO Fondation/Altius/OIA and other.
Many youth organizations from BiH and Europe , governmental bodies and international organizations participated in OIA projects. Partnership projects OIA had with IBHI, hCa Banja Luka and hCa Tuzla, SHL, Allavida, UNV, UNFPA, Roudel (France), VIA (Germany), Sohnenberg (Croatia), SEEYN network Members, Gender Center FbiH, NVO foundations, Altius, Student eFM Radio, BH Radio 1, NTV Hayat and more than 200 youth organizations in BiH.
Donators
Open Society Fund BiH
Allavida/DFID
OLOF PALMA
Care International
GTZ
SDC/DEZA
Heinrich Boell Stiftung
UNDP/UNV
UNICEF
UNFPA
YOUTH Programme/EU
youthNET
SEEYN/FRESTA
and others
Annual Report
NEWS
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OIA – 3. anniversary (22.12.)
The annual meeting of OIA was held on Wednesday, 22.12.2004. in the MUSIC CLUB SLOGA. The last year results were presented… the numbers speak...
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Annual Meeting of OIA, SIROP 5 (27.12.2003.)
OIA annual meeting was held in Music Club Sloga on December 27th, with around 150 participants: OIA staff, associates, users, participants in projects from all over...
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