Bosnia Think Tank Center gives Youth4Values a place to continue beyond its original project period. Established as a core result of the partnership, the Center brings the experience of youth work into a wider institutional setting for examining public questions, sharing knowledge and supporting informed participation.
From a European partnership to a Sarajevo institution
Youth for Democracy and Values, known as Youth4Values, brought together organisations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Spain and Montenegro. Its original implementation period ran from 1 November 2024 to 31 October 2026 under Erasmus+ Capacity Building in the field of Youth, with project number 101185741.
Coordinated by BRAVO, the partnership included You in Europe, Asociación Mojo de Caña and PRONA. The organisations shared a concern with young people's opportunities to understand democratic life and take part in decisions affecting their communities. The project combined that purpose with a commitment to strengthen the organisations and practitioners supporting them.
Establishing a think tank in Sarajevo formed part of the original project design. The Center is now recorded as an established project result, giving that intention an institutional form.
The Center's mission
A home for research, learning and dialogue
Research
Examine public questions, explain the evidence and make methods and limitations clear.
Civic learning
Support practical understanding of democratic participation, rights and responsibilities.
Dialogue
Connect community perspectives with institutions and follow the response.
A lasting institution keeps the route from learning to participation open.
A practical legacy to build on
The project's documented experience includes a training course in Athens and a youth exchange in Sarajevo, alongside local activities, national action plans and learning materials. A toolkit produced in five language versions provides a basis for adapting methods to different communities. Five international Online Talks held in July 2026 also formed part of the project's awareness work.
Together, these resources connect learning, exchange and participation. A method developed through youth work can help a group frame a concern, discuss possible responses and prepare a proposal. An institution can then provide continuity: a contact point, a place to develop the question and a way to follow what happens next.
That continuity is central to the purpose of Bosnia Think Tank Center.
Research and participation in one place
The Center's mission brings together independent public policy research, democratic accountability, human rights, European integration and non-formal education. It is described in its founding framework as professional, non-profit and non-partisan.
This wider remit creates space to examine participation through several connected questions. Which barriers make it harder for people to contribute? How can evidence from communities inform a public decision? What makes a response from an institution understandable and useful?
Youth participation remains a visible part of that agenda. The Center's development can connect the experience of young people and youth workers with researchers, educators and public institutions, while keeping methods, limitations and different perspectives visible.
Photo by Necip Duman / Pexels
Building the next stage
The continuation framework covers November 2026 to October 2029. It proposes a manageable programme of civic learning, youth-led initiatives, focused research and dialogue, with activities developed through annual planning and available resources.
The immediate priorities concern dependable everyday work: maintaining a clear contact point, organising responsibility for project resources, developing relationships with local hosts and establishing a practical way to record follow-up. Proposed advisory and youth participation arrangements are part of this development process.
A lasting institution keeps the route from learning to participation open. For Bosnia Think Tank Center, the next stage is to give that principle a dependable form through accessible knowledge, careful inquiry and conversations that lead to visible next steps.
Explore the Youth4Values project overview for the partnership, programme, project number and implementation period.
