Taking part in public life involves understanding an issue, finding a way to contribute and knowing how to pursue a response. Youth4Values addressed these connected needs through civic learning, cooperation between youth organisations and opportunities to practise participation in local communities.
A shared purpose across four countries
Supported by the European Union through Erasmus+, Youth for Democracy and Values ran from 1 November 2024 to 31 October 2026. BRAVO in Bosnia and Herzegovina coordinated the project with You in Europe in Greece, Asociación Mojo de Caña in Spain and PRONA in Montenegro.
The partnership's original objectives connected active citizenship with human rights, democratic participation and the rule of law. It also set out to improve the capacity of youth organisations and the quality and accessibility of non-formal education.
Young people facing barriers to participation were central to that design. The intention was to create opportunities to learn, exchange experiences and develop the confidence and skills needed to engage with questions affecting everyday life.
Reported project delivery
Learning across four countries
54 Local activities
Reported across the four partner countries.
4 Partner countries
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Spain and Montenegro.
13 Activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Included within the 54 project activities.
8 Communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Reached through those 13 local activities.
A toolkit in five language versions supports adaptation and continued use. The 13 activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina form part of the project total of 54.
Participation becomes more useful when learning is connected to a clear next step.
Learning through exchange and local practice
The project design linked international learning with activity in participants' own communities. Training was intended to help youth workers analyse participation challenges and translate that understanding into methods they could use with young people. The youth exchange focused on active citizenship, democratic principles and rights.
The project's recorded legacy includes the training course in Athens and the youth exchange in Sarajevo. These experiences sat alongside local activity formats that connected discussion with the concerns of communities.
Project reporting records 54 local activities across the four partner countries. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, the reported delivery included 13 activities across eight local communities. This geographical reach gives the Center a practical starting point for considering how future cooperation can extend beyond the capital.
Resources that can travel further
The Youth4Values toolkit brings learning methods together in five language versions. The original design envisaged a practical resource that young people and practitioners could use to identify an audience, choose an approach to civic engagement and reflect on their work.
Five international Online Talks took place in July 2026 as part of the awareness campaign. Alongside the toolkit, they illustrate the different formats used to connect the partnership's themes with people across borders.
National action plans also form part of the documented project legacy. Their continuing value lies in the possibility of following selected recommendations: identifying the relevant institution, presenting a clear request and recording the response. Future follow-up is part of the continuation framework; a recommendation itself does not establish that a policy change has occurred.
Photo by Sandin Redzo / Pexels
Keeping participation connected to a response
The project leaves a foundation of methods, materials and relationships. Bosnia Think Tank Center was established as a core project result to give that foundation a continuing institutional home.
Its proposed programme links civic learning with youth-led initiatives, small research projects and dialogue with institutions. These are directions for the Center's development, to be shaped through planning, local cooperation and available resources.
Participation becomes more useful when learning is connected to a clear next step. The task ahead is to keep that connection visible: helping people develop a question, supporting them to explore it and making room for a meaningful response.
Explore the Youth4Values project overview for the partnership, programme, project number and implementation period.
