The European Union strongly supports the networking of young people, access to information, and their active involvement in discussions on issues of public interest. In this context, the EU supports the Generation Change (GenChange) project in Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose third cycle began in October 2025. The programme brings together undergraduate students from public universities in Sarajevo, East Sarajevo, Mostar, Banja Luka, Tuzla, Zenica and Bihać.
The first phase consists of 90-minute discussions in which the EU Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Luigi Soreca, ambassadors of EU Member States in BiH, and young professionals engage with students, sharing their perspectives, examples of good practice and the opportunities offered by the EU. Each meeting is hosted by one university, with students from one or more other universities attending as guests, thereby fostering connections for future encounters. Bihać hosted students from Banja Luka, East Sarajevo hosted students from Sarajevo, Tuzla welcomed students from Zenica, while in Mostar a joint event was organised with students from both public universities. In this way, more than 1,800 students have taken part in discussions on a wide range of topics relevant to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s path towards EU membership.
“The topics change and are adapted each year, depending on the faculties involved. The aim is to engage students in a fun and dynamic way, which is why these Student Talks are much more than traditional panel discussions. We have music, entertaining ice-breaker activities, interactive cards and an open microphone that circulates constantly around the room, encouraging dialogue with all panellists, including ambassadors”, representatives of the EU Delegation to BiH explain.
At the end of each cycle, students are selected to move on to the next phase of the programme – the Media Boot Camp. This is a competition in which mixed teams of two students from different universities create campaigns and videos.
“Last year, they produced a video celebrating the traditional dance kolo as a unique element of cultural heritage that connects all people living in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and as part of the heritage that BiH, as a future EU Member State, brings to the European Union. The video achieved more than 2.1 million views”, the EU Delegation to BiH explains.
This year, among those selected were students from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the University of East Sarajevo.
“These discussions have been a wonderful experience. We had the opportunity to meet important people working for the benefit of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to talk about the use of artificial intelligence both in everyday life and in the learning process, to gain new ideas, and even new friends, as we met students from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Sarajevo and from the Faculties of Mechanical Engineering in both Sarajevo and East Sarajevo. We have stayed in touch”, says Marko Popović.
Una Mojsilović, also from this Faculty, welcomes the opportunity to meet new people and hear different viewpoints.
“We discussed artificial intelligence, its advantages and challenges, as well as important issues of ethics and digital privacy. These events represent an excellent opportunity for networking, exchanging experiences and learning. They allow our voices to become part of international discussions, while also enabling us to contribute to building a safer and more responsible digital world”, Una says, emphasising the importance of young people from BiH having a voice within the EU.
Student Dženana Beširović from Tuzla believes that these meetings represent potential for every young person.
“We talked about the importance of green energy, environmental protection and techniques for putting knowledge into practice. Meetings and discussions like these awaken a sense of responsibility towards the environment in which I live. They encourage me every day towards personal progress and initiating small changes that ultimately lead to major results, because if everyone improves their own actions and their relationship with the environment, even slightly, the world can become a much better place”, Beširović says.
Professors and teaching assistants coordinating the activities also highlight the benefits of these encounters.
“These are excellent opportunities for students to apply the knowledge acquired at university in practice, and to transfer it into the communities in which they live. They are also a great chance to ‘cross-fertilise’ perspectives with students from other cities and disciplines, thereby further refining their ideas. This is an excellent complement to formal education. In addition, my students travelled from Banja Luka to Bihać for the first time and returned with very positive impressions of both the city and the organisation and comprehensiveness of the event. They are looking forward to the next activities, particularly the part in which they will move from a passive to an active role”, says Nikola Vidović, Teaching Assistant at the Faculty of Economics, University of Banja Luka.
Nada Cincar, Vice-Dean for Teaching and Student Affairs at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the University of East Sarajevo, says that the event gave students an open and free space for dialogue.
“It is extremely important for them to hear different views on education, employment and mobility, as well as on the role of young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s accession to the European Union. As far as I am informed, the students have remained connected, formed groups in which they collaborate, and I am confident that some ideas for the future have already emerged”, Cincar says.
The European Commission’s office in BiH recognises the importance of involving their students in discussions about the country’s European path and motivating them to be proactive and to participate in initiatives such as these.
At the end of each cycle, students are selected to move on to the next phase of the programme – the Media Boot Camp. This is a competition in which mixed teams of two students from different universities create campaigns and videos.
“Last year, they produced a video celebrating the traditional dance kolo as a unique element of cultural heritage that connects all people living in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and as part of the heritage that BiH, as a future EU Member State, brings to the European Union. The video achieved more than 2.1 million views”, the EU Delegation to BiH explains.
This year, among those selected were students from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the University of East Sarajevo.
“These discussions have been a wonderful experience. We had the opportunity to meet important people working for the benefit of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to talk about the use of artificial intelligence both in everyday life and in the learning process, to gain new ideas, and even new friends, as we met students from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Sarajevo and from the Faculties of Mechanical Engineering in both Sarajevo and East Sarajevo. We have stayed in touch”, says Marko Popović.
Una Mojsilović, also from this Faculty, welcomes the opportunity to meet new people and hear different viewpoints.
“We discussed artificial intelligence, its advantages and challenges, as well as important issues of ethics and digital privacy. These events represent an excellent opportunity for networking, exchanging experiences and learning. They allow our voices to become part of international discussions, while also enabling us to contribute to building a safer and more responsible digital world”, Una says, emphasising the importance of young people from BiH having a voice within the EU.
Student Dženana Beširović from Tuzla believes that these meetings represent potential for every young person.
“We talked about the importance of green energy, environmental protection and techniques for putting knowledge into practice. Meetings and discussions like these awaken a sense of responsibility towards the environment in which I live. They encourage me every day towards personal progress and initiating small changes that ultimately lead to major results, because if everyone improves their own actions and their relationship with the environment, even slightly, the world can become a much better place”, Beširović says.
Professors and teaching assistants coordinating the activities also highlight the benefits of these encounters.
“These are excellent opportunities for students to apply the knowledge acquired at university in practice, and to transfer it into the communities in which they live. They are also a great chance to ‘cross-fertilise’ perspectives with students from other cities and disciplines, thereby further refining their ideas. This is an excellent complement to formal education. In addition, my students travelled from Banja Luka to Bihać for the first time and returned with very positive impressions of both the city and the organisation and comprehensiveness of the event. They are looking forward to the next activities, particularly the part in which they will move from a passive to an active role”, says Nikola Vidović, Teaching Assistant at the Faculty of Economics, University of Banja Luka.
Nada Cincar, Vice-Dean for Teaching and Student Affairs at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the University of East Sarajevo, says that the event gave students an open and free space for dialogue.
“It is extremely important for them to hear different views on education, employment and mobility, as well as on the role of young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s accession to the European Union. As far as I am informed, the students have remained connected, formed groups in which they collaborate, and I am confident that some ideas for the future have already emerged”, Cincar says.
The European Commission’s office in BiH recognises the importance of involving their students in discussions about the country’s European path and motivating them to be proactive and to participate in initiatives such as these.
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