Association for Youth Support and Development Plus Ultra (Udruženje za razvoj i podršku mladih Plus Ultra)

The association was founded as part of the project "Youth4Youth - Empowering young people through youth organizing", which was supported by the US Embassy in Sarajevo through the BOLD Small Grants Program. The project aimed to empower young people to take their first steps in the IT sector, to be more adaptable and ready for the labor market. The Plus Ultra association was launched on the initiative of people who recognized through their own experiences that formal education does not offer the skills needed to find permanent and stable employment. Plus Ultra was formed with the idea of ​​realizing "youth for youth", and is completely led by young people. The founding assembly was held on August 17, 2021 in Sarajevo, and the Statute was adopted and the Decision on the establishment of the Association was made, which was just the next step in the efforts that began earlier that year. From January to June 2021, a group of 5 young people, as an informal group of Plus Ultra youth, implemented a project called "Plus Ultra Programming School". Given that the IT sector in BiH is considered very promising, the project aimed to empower young people and offer them a quality supplement to their high school education, and contribute to combating the stereotype that programming is difficult and scary. The ultimate idea of ​​all this was that young people, by getting involved in the IT industry, would find it easier to find work. After the success of the aforementioned project, which proved that there is a great need in society for activities that support young people, members of the informal group wrote a project proposal for the BOLD small grants program and within the project proposal envisaged the establishment of the Association as a long-term mechanism for providing support to young people. In order for this support to be genuine and relevant, it was strategically decided that the Association would be youth-based, that is, that the management structures would be made up of young people, who would create a stimulating environment for others through their work. The goals and activities of the Association according to the statute are: - To increase the involvement of young people in the non-governmental sector; - Promotion and development of healthy lifestyles among young people, non-formal education, volunteerism, lifelong learning, intercultural learning, youth mobility, youth work and youth work; - Popularization and spreading awareness of the importance of youth work and access to youth; - Development and raising awareness of the importance of entrepreneurial and digital competences among young people; - Promotion of equality, fair treatment of young people, tolerance and democratic values ​​among and among young people; - Creation of a stimulating environment for the growth, development and active participation of young people in society; - Development of key competences of young people and people working with young people in the formal and non-formal education system; - Development of critical thinking among young people; - Contribution to the development of sports, culture, art, upbringing, education, volunteering and other spheres of life of interest to young people; - Encouraging young people to participate in the development of a democratic society, especially through responsible and independent action, critical thinking, as well as social and solidarity-based behavior; - Encouraging young people to mutual understanding and readiness to cooperate in society; - Advocacy for social inclusion and equal opportunities for all young people; - Development of abilities, skills and knowledge of young people; - Exchange of information, experiences and examples of good practice among young people; - Non-formal education of young people and individuals or collectives dealing with youth issues and work with young people; - Creation and production of relevant professional and educational publications; - Organization of conferences, trainings, professional seminars, round tables, debates, consultations, lectures, etc.; - Creation of adequate programs for the development and building of competences among young people; Public advocacy and representation of the interests of young people; - Organization of public debates, preparation of analyses and proposals for improving the position of young people, - Designing, developing, implementing and supporting programs, projects, campaigns and public initiatives to achieve the goals of the Association, - Providing advisory assistance to young people; Initiating projects that will deal with issues of particular importance for young people; - Educational, creative, sports and cultural activities for young people; - Informing young people; International work with young people, international cooperation and exchange; Exchange of information and experiences with the governmental, non-governmental and profit sectors in areas that involve the realization of common interests;