As one of the activities within the Western Balkan Civil Society for Youth Employment Support (WeB4YES), the Institute for Youth Development KULT organized a one-day workshop intended to build the capacities of local units of self-government to support youth in launching and running their own businesses. The workshop was held on December 8, 2020 at Hotel Hills in Ilidža. 

The workshop included a presentation of the model for supporting businesses which was developed by the Institute for Youth Development KULT and implemented in cooperation with 8 local units of self-government in BiH, supporting over 50 businesses owned by young people. The workshop was attended by representatives from: Cazin, Modriča, Jezero,  Novi Travnik, Vitez, Orašje, Jablanica, Novo Sarajevo, Maglaj, Breza, Ilidža and Domaljevac – Šamac.

Sabina Viteškić, Advisor to Mayor on Economy and Tourism at the Municipality of Ilidža said that they used the model developed by the Institute to successfully support their young entrepreneurs.

Through discussion and interactive exercises, the workshop presented the key steps in the process of supporting the development of businesses from the perspective of municipalities/cities. The participants analyzed the different sections of the model, its advantages and potential gaps, and the applicability of the model in their local unit of self-government. 

Mr. Admir Pjanić, Head of the Department of Economy of Cazin Municipality and Alenka Ilovčević, Head of the Department of Economy and Business of Modriča Municipality, shared their experience with implementing the model for supporting youth launching their own business.

Admir Pjanić said that after their successful cooperation with the Institute for Youth Development KULT, the Municipality implemented this approach in their other support programs, noting that 55 out of the total 70 businesses have survived.

Alenka Ilovčević said it was important to provide youth with mentorship and expert advice, along with funds, as these types of support proved to be one of the crucial factors for the survival of their businesses.

The workshop was organized as a part of the Western Balkan Civil Society for Youth Employment Support initiative (WeB4YES) funded by the European Commission.