Looking Back on the Cooperation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports

After the adoption of the National Youth Strategy, in June 2008, the BOS team of professionals has started to support the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Serbia. Since then, BOS has significantly contributed to the creation of an institutional framework for the implementation of youth policy, career guidance and counseling systems, as well as to the process of implementing and promoting normative and strategic documents of importance for young people.

The adoption of the National Youth Strategy (NYS) has been the first step towards a systematic solution of the position of young people. The Strategy has positioned the Republic of Serbia and the Ministry of Youth and Sports so that that the systemic regulation of the position of young people is regarded as a necessity and priority, so that young people in Serbia will have the opportunity to express themselves and realize their potentials and ultimately contribute to society and the state.

The first project implemented by the Support Team in the period from June 2008 to January 2009 in cooperation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports resulted in the adoption of the Action Plan for the Implementation of the National Youth Strategy. By adopting the Action Plan for the Implementation of the National Youth Strategy, the basic preconditions for the drafting of the Youth Law and prerequisites for quality implementation of the National Youth Strategy at all levels have been created.

Thanks to the great efforts and dedication of the BOS professional team and the great successes in the implementation of projects that have aimed at empowering young people to develop and actively plan their careers and that have later provided the basis for the development of the first proposal for a document related to the introduction of career guidance and counseling in Serbia. In 2009, The Ministry of Youth and Sports took the initiative and started preparing a comprehensive strategy for the preparation of an adequate framework for the introduction of career guidance and counseling services in education and employment. The Career Guidance and Counseling Strategy in the Republic of Serbia (CGCS) was adopted in March 2010.

At the same time, in October 2009, as a result of joint efforts of the Ministry, BOS, and its associates, the Center for Career Guidance and Counseling for Young Talents was established. The Center was established at the Ministry of Youth and Sports for the needs of the Fund for Young Talents of the Republic of Serbia, and it has been professionally and organizationally supported by BOS. The main mission of the Center has been to provide career guidance and counseling services to the most talented young individuals in Serbia (scholars of the Fund for Young Talents), as well as supporting them in career development and further academic, professional, and personal advancement. Through its activities (i.e. organizing workshops for professional development, career counseling and information, linking youth with employers), the Center has contributed to increasing the employability of young talents in the labor market.

By adopting NYS and CGCS, the foundations for the continuous planning of the development of youth policy in Serbia have been provided. Nevertheless, the main progress in building the youth policy institutional framework, as well as the great contribution of the BOS's Support Team to the MOS, has been achieved during the process of creating and enacting the Law on Youth, which was adopted on July 5, 2011. This has lead to normatively regulating the issues of youth for the first time.

After successfully cooperating in the field of youth, the Belgrade Open School has continued to support the activities of the Ministry in the domain of international cooperation in the field of youth and sports.

Considering that the partnership cooperation is one of the Belgrade Open School’s basic principles, cooperation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports has been successfully carried out for eight years and it represents an excellent example of cooperation between governmental institutions and civil society organizations.

Since its founding, The Belgrade Open School has been supporting the strengthening of the capacity of public administration in a number of areas: education, youth, and European integration. In addition, BOS has worked on the introduction of new and innovative public sector labor mechanisms in a cooperative manner. As a result, within the Capacity Building Center, the Belgrade Open School’s Support Team was formed in 2008.

Immediately after the adoption of the National Youth Strategy in June 2008, the BOS Professional team began to support the Ministry of Youth and Sports of the Republic of Serbia. Since then, BOS has significantly contributed to the creation of an institutional framework for the implementation of youth policy, career guidance and counseling systems, as well as to the process of implementing and promoting normative and strategic documents of importance for young people.

The adoption of the National Youth Strategy (NYS) has been the first step towards a systematic solution of the position of young people. The Strategy has positioned the Republic of Serbia and the Ministry of Youth and Sports so that that the systemic regulation of the position of young people is regarded as a necessity and priority, so that young people in Serbia will have the opportunity to express themselves and realize their potentials and ultimately contribute to society and the state.

The first project implemented by the Support Team in the period from June 2008 to January 2009 in cooperation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports resulted in the adoption of the Action Plan for the Implementation of the National Youth Strategy. By adopting the Action Plan for the Implementation of the National Youth Strategy, the basic preconditions for the drafting of the Youth Law and prerequisites for quality implementation of the National Youth Strategy at all levels have been created.

Thanks to the great efforts and dedication of the BOS professional team and the great successes in the implementation of projects that have aimed at empowering young people to develop and actively plan their careers and that have later provided the basis for the development of the first proposal for a document related to the introduction of career guidance and counseling in Serbia. In 2009, The Ministry of Youth and Sports took the initiative and started preparing a comprehensive strategy for the preparation of an adequate framework for the introduction of career guidance and counseling services in education and employment. The Career Guidance and Counseling Strategy in the Republic of Serbia (CGCS) was adopted in March 2010.

At the same time, in October 2009, as a result of joint efforts of the Ministry, BOS, and its associates, the Center for Career Guidance and Counseling for Young Talents was established. The Center was established at the Ministry of Youth and Sports for the needs of the Fund for Young Talents of the Republic of Serbia, and it has been professionally and organizationally supported by BOS. The main mission of the Center has been to provide career guidance and counseling services to the most talented young individuals in Serbia (scholars of the Fund for Young Talents), as well as supporting them in career development and further academic, professional, and personal advancement. Through its activities (i.e. organizing workshops for professional development, career counseling and information, linking youth with employers), the Center has contributed to increasing the employability of young talents in the labor market.

By adopting NYS and CGCS, the foundations for the continuous planning of the development of youth policy in Serbia have been provided. Nevertheless, the main progress in building the youth policy institutional framework, as well as the great contribution of the BOS's Support Team to the MOS, has been achieved during the process of creating and enacting the Law on Youth, which was adopted on July 5, 2011. This has lead to normatively regulating the issues of youth for the first time.

After successfully cooperating in the field of youth, the Belgrade Open School has continued to support the activities of the Ministry in the domain of international cooperation in the field of youth and sports.

Considering that the partnership cooperation is one of the Belgrade Open School’s basic principles, cooperation with the Ministry of Youth and Sports has been successfully carried out for eight years and it represents an excellent example of cooperation between governmental institutions and civil society organizations.