Building democracy through student councils in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Vedran Mustafic, 21, is helping to build the foundations for co-operative decision-making and conflict resolution in a country where a war that ended more than a decade ago still impinges on the political landscape.

He has been instrumental in establishing a number of student councils that span the ethnic boundaries of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Snjezana Djuricic is an Education Advisor for Civic Involvement at the OSCE Mission in the country and has worked with Vedran: "Vedran's commitment to civic involvement in education stems primarily from a critical sense of social responsibility and from his personal conviction that young people have a duty to 'do it now'."

Even in primary school, when most children have limited awareness of social and political issues, Vedran participated in a U.S. civic education programme, 'Civitas Project Citizen', which focuses on civic engagement to promote responsible citizenship and democracy.

A bellwether from his school days

"From my earliest Sarajevo school days, sitting on the student councils convinced me that, given the right skills and knowledge, students could play an important role in improving conditions in the classroom and community. Since then, my work with student councils and unions, involving Bosniak, Croat and Serb communities across Bosnia and Herzegovina has reinforced those feelings."

In secondary school, his professors nominated him as class president. He was a keen participant in reviving the local 33-member student council, from which he gained important experience for his later work in Mostar and Stolac.

"At this time I was also working with the Association for Conscientious Objectors by mobilizing youth to lobby for civil service jobs as an alternative to military service," Vedran says.

Bringing Mostar youth together

After graduation, the British Embassy gave Vedran a three-month assignment: to integrate Croat and Bosniak student councils in Mostar. "This proved to be a challenging task given the tension that exists in the city," he says.

While in Mostar, he recruited 10 students (5 Croats and 5 Bosniaks) to organize integrated student council elections. He continued his work through various organizations, such as the Nansen Dialogue Centre Mostar, an NGO that promotes democracy and tolerance, and the OSCE Mission's Education Department. This in turn led him to establish a union of secondary school student councils in Herzegovina that transcended existing administrative borders and ethnic divides.

These achievements are a reflection of his commitment to creating a better future for the students of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Vedran even turned down a scholarship to the prestigious Dartmouth University in the United States to continue his work in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which he finds rewarding, well-paid and with interesting prospects. "I still feel like I can do something here," he says.

Vedran has also worked with a number of NGOs and international organizations, including the OSCE.

Role of schools in instilling civic responsibility

Vedran's work with student governments around Bosnia and Herzegovina is particularly valuable because he is not just a source of knowledge, but is also a good facilitator of learning, Djuricic says. He creates a collaborative learning environment on the bed-rock principles of the student councils he has helped to found: co-operative decision-making and conflict resolution.

Training programmes aimed at the creation of student councils are invaluable because they encourage co-operation and discussion between various student bodies. Vedran's efforts tie in with OSCE training on such peer-to-peer transfer of knowledge.

Vedran's work is helping transform Bosnia and Herzegovina's political and social landscape into one that is more vibrant, transparent and inclusive. "This country would certainly benefit from committed young people such as Vedran in the years to come," Djuricic says.