OSCE Youth and Security summer school concludes in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Konjic, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 8 June 2018 – The fourth Youth and Security summer school, held from 4 to 8 June in Banja Luka, Sarajevo and Konjic concluded today.

The summer school, organized by the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), in co-operation with the BiH Council of Ministers’ Inter-Ministerial Working Group for Monitoring the Implementation of BiH Security Policy, gathered some 20 law, political and security studies students from universities in Sarajevo, Mostar, Bihac, Tuzla and Zenica.

During the five-day programme, students attended lectures by prominent experts and visited relevant state institutions and security and law enforcement agencies. The main goal of the summer school is to educate young people about elements that make up security policy and about security sector reform. The school also provides a forum for students to discuss a wide range of security and policy-related issues.  

“Following on the success of three previous years, this summer school will allow students to explore the security policy challenges facing BiH and understand good security sector governance,” said Alexander Chuplygin, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH. “It also provides a platform to make young voices from all around the country heard,” he added.  

During the visit to the Interior Ministry of Republika Srpska, students became acquainted with the work of the Ministry, while particular attention was paid to the use of social media platforms. Mile Sikman, Head of the Education Department at Ministry said: “We are well aware of the fact that young people increasingly use the Internet and social media in their daily routine and that such use could give rise to certain risks and concerns. For that reason, it is very important that the young people develop a clear understanding of these risks to be able to recognize them and react accordingly.”

Lejla Karic, a sophomore at the Faculty of Law of the University in Tuzla said: “By enabling us to visit security institutions in BiH, the OSCE summer school provided us with an insight into the overall security system of BiH, the functioning of security institutions and the oversight of their work.”

Karic added that “what made the summer school a very positive experience, in addition to the new knowledge gained, was networking with students from different universities and places in BiH, which is beneficial for our studies and even our future careers.”