Law to Recognize the Profession of Youth Worker

Youth work practitioners and representatives of relevant institutions gathered at a public consultative meeting organized by Forum for Youth and Nonformal Education – Forum MNE to discuss standards and criteria for the implementation of youth work in Montenegro. The aim of the meeting, titled “How to Ensure the Quality of Youth Work in Montenegro,” was to provide a platform for dialogue and discussion on youth policy and youth work.

Highlighting the importance of intersectoral cooperation in improving the position of young people in Montenegro, Ana Milačić, Advisor at the Ministry of Sports and Youth, reminded participants that the Ministry, in cooperation with local governments, has so far established youth services in eleven municipalities in Montenegro. The Ministry’s contribution, Milačić said, is also reflected in the planning of legal amendments that will more strongly recognize youth work and establish standards for working with young people. “Last year, the Youth Strategy for the period 2023–2027 was adopted, identifying the challenges young people face, as well as the measures and activities needed to address these challenges and find solutions,” she emphasized.

Ajša Hadžibegović, a long-standing youth worker with international experience, emphasized the importance of professional support for young people. “The profession of youth worker provides essential support to young people in their development. Legal support must be ensured so that every young person receives the help they need,” Hadžibegović stated. Comparing domestic and European practices, she noted that Montenegro does not lag behind European countries in terms of expertise, competence, and knowledge in youth work. However, she pointed out that the support young people receive often remains “only on paper,” and that the profession of youth worker is still not legally recognized. “There is also a lack of a cross-sectoral approach, where professionals from various fields would work together to support young people, instead of working individually and leaving the young person to navigate the system alone,” she added.

Katarina Vukadinović, Advisor in the Youth Office of the Municipality of Budva, expressed a desire to improve the current state of youth work in Montenegro. “Without clear standards and licenses, there is a risk that youth work may not be of sufficient quality, which could do more harm than good to young people. It is necessary to formally recognize the profession of youth worker to ensure the quality of services we provide to young people,” Vukadinović said. This sentiment was echoed by Sava Kovačević, a long-time youth and education worker, who reminded that the occupation of youth activist is currently accredited by the Vocational Education Center, with clear criteria and quality assurance standards. “The youth worker profession is compatible with other humanistic professions, with clearly defined competencies, and would enrich the approach to working with children and youth in both formal and non-formal education systems.”

Independent consultant Dejana Dizdar emphasized that consultative meetings like this one are key to improving the position of youth in Montenegro. “These types of meetings serve to map the current state, to understand where each of us stands in what we implement in our local communities. At the same time, they help us identify the next steps and the most urgent actions needed to improve the status of youth in Montenegro—and by extension, to ensure a better quality of youth work,” Dizdar stated.

Elvira Hadžibegović, President of Forum MNE, concluded that the meeting was successful and enabled the exchange of ideas and experiences among many youth policy stakeholders, as well as the planning of next steps in efforts to improve the position of young people. As the main takeaway, she emphasized the need to establish a professional association of youth work practitioners to strengthen the status of young people in society and the community of professions involved in their development. “At the consultative meeting, we heard that the interest is high, the need is great, and that we must be careful and persistent. This professional association will be committed to improving the youth work ecosystem in Montenegro,” she stressed. Forum MNE will support the further process of establishing the Association.

The meeting was organized with the support of the Core Grant of the Regional project SMART Balkans – Civil Society for Shared Society in the Western Balkans, implemented by Centar za promociju civilnog društva (CPCD), Center for Research and Policy Making (CRPM) and Institute for Democracy and Mediation (IDM) and financially supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NMFA)