Youth Conference

The Conference aims to create a platform for youth, students, undergraduates and graduates in arts, humanities and social sciences to assess, explore, promote and understand current trends and values of language learning, multicultural understanding, freedom, sustainability, democracy and equality in the contemporary world. Language does not only express facts and observations, but it is also a unifying force and medium for displaying and exchanging concepts, ideas, meanings and thoughts. Language depicts and transmits all the achievements of human civilization and all the features of the objective and subjective world.

Humankind has been facing unprecedented crises of environmental destruction, pandemics, wars and nuclear war threats. Now more than ever before, it has become clear that only by working together and joining forces, young people may face the challenges and build a better world for themselves and the generations to come.

The Conference offers students an opportunity to communicate their understanding of the current trends in language, literature and education in the changing world, to network and join forces in the pursuit of a better future. Participants are encouraged to explore interdisciplinary topics, assess and evaluate current prospects and challenges in relation to language, culture, environment, media and society in general. The Conference organizers invite youth participants from all over the world to exchange their ideas and experiences in an intellectually stimulating academic environment at International University of Sarajevo, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The fundamental objective of the Conference is to provide the youth with an educational experience that prepares them for their future and raises their awareness of the importance of partnership and collaboration.

Participants will have an opportunity to present their papers at the campus of International University of Sarajevo or in online sessions during the Conference. Submitted papers will be evaluated by the Scientific Committee, whereupon the participants will receive feedback on their work, while selected papers will be published in the Conference book of proceedings

The main theme of this year’s conference is “Education for Sustainable Development”. In addition, we welcome contributions related to the following broad topics:

Contemporary Trends in Language Learning
Interculturalism and Education
Language and Freedom in the Contemporary World
Democratic Values in Language and Literature
Critical Thinking and Language Education
Language as a Vehicle for Positive Change
Youth Perspectives on Global Challenges
Literature and Social Change
Innovative Approaches to Teaching Language and Literature
The Role of Language in Promoting Democracy and Equality
Interdisciplinary Approaches to Language and Culture
Education for Sustainable Development and Language Education
The Impact of Global Warming, Pandemics and Wars on Language Education
Green Education and Green Pedagogy
The Role of Language in Fostering Empathy and Understanding
Language, Literature and Identity
Philosophical Perspectives on Language and Society
Psychological Approaches to Language Learning
Visual Arts and Language Representation
Artistic Expressions of Interculturalism
Political Science and Language Policies
Legal Aspects of Language Rights and Freedoms
The Role of Media in Shaping Language and Culture
Ethics in Language Education
Language, Technology and Digital Humanities
Language and AI
Digital Citizenship in Language Education
Internationalisation of (Higher) Education

The Conference is organized by the English Language and Literature and English Language and Literature Teaching programs of International University of Sarajevo. This year, the Conference is organized in collaboration with Marmara University, the Republic of Turkiye, and New York University Tirana, Albania.

Assist. Prof. Dr. Emina Jelešković
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Almasa Mulalić
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ervin Kovačević
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vesna Suljić
Assist. Prof. Dr. Nadira Puškar Mustafić
Assist. Ajla Pervan
Lect. Anisa Eminović-Ljevo
Lect. Emina Lagumdžija
Lect. Damir Kahrić
Lect. Lejla Hamzakadić
Lamija Bećirović (student demonstrator)
Ahmed Pejković (student)
Halenur Hafsa Özcan (student)
Ayşenur Kalem (student)
Ilma Dizdarević (student)
Dino Ćosićkić (student)
Berina Nuhanović (student)

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gökçe Kurt Tiftik, Marmara University, the Republic of Turkiye
Prof. Dr. Ali Guneş, New York University Tirana, Albania
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Almasa Mulalić, International University of Sarajevo, BiH
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ervin Kovačević, International University of Sarajevo, BiH
Assist. Prof. Dr. Emina Jelešković, International University of Sarajevo, BiH
Assist. Prof. Dr. Nadira Puškar-Mustafić, International University of Sarajevo, BiH
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vesna Suljić, International University of Sarajevo, BiH
Lect. Anisa Eminović-Ljevo
Lect. Emina Lagumdžija
Lect. Damir Kahrić

Dr. Alma Žero, University of Sarajevo: “Sustainability for Inclusion in English Language Teaching”
Prof. Azra Bajrić-Polimac, Founder and CEO of Bosnian2GO: “How to get that teaching job, and how to keep it"

Applications are open to undergraduate and graduate students in humanities, social sciences, and technical sciences, as well as recent graduates (those who graduated within the last three years) who are already working in the public and private sectors and are interested in developing their knowledge and expertise in the topics discussed at the conference. Applicants need to provide proof of their university student status or documentation showing they graduated within the last three years. This can be a student ID or any other relevant documentation.

Abstract submission guidelines:

The Conference organizers welcome online abstract submissions written in the English language that are related to the specified broad topics. The Abstract template is available here. Abstracts are submitted as Microsoft Word documents with the following format:

- Paper title: font TNR, size 12, all capitalized, centred, bold

- Abstract text: font TNR, size 12, spacing 1.5, justified

- Abstract is followed by keywords: term “Keyword” font TNR, size 12, italic, indented, followed by a colon and 3-5 keywords, separated by commas, with no punctuation at the end.

Abstracts should be between 150 and 300 words long. The abstract must clearly indicate the aim of the paper, research methods, results, and conclusions. Submitted abstracts must adhere to the set format. Abstracts that exceed the word limit or include graphics and tables will be rejected.

Authors are advised to proofread their abstracts because abstracts will be reproduced from the online submission. Any error in spelling, grammar, or data will appear online or in print. Students are invited to submit their abstracts to lle25@ius.edu.ba by 1 October 2025. All participants should be aware that abstract submission does not guarantee inclusion in the program.

Paper submission guidelines:

Authors are requested to follow the set style and format.
Papers must be in English and should not exceed 10000 words.
Paper should not be less than 3000 words.
Papers must include title, author’s full name, affiliation or institution, country, abstract, keywords, the body of the paper and references.
Papers must display original thoughts and ideas. They must make concrete references to existing scholarship in the related area.
Citations and references should be made in accordance with the APA Style Manual.
Papers must be double-spaced with the space before paragraph added. Margins should be 2.5 cm, or 1 inch from all sides. Single-spacing should be used for block quotations.
The first line of each paragraph should not be indented. Block quotations should be indented 2.5 cm. or 1 inch from both the right and left margins.
Quotations should be marked with quotation marks or italicised, but not both.
Paper must be submitted in Microsoft Word document file format.
The text of the paper should be double-spaced with Times New Roman 12-point font; all illustrations, figures, and tables are placed within the text at the appropriate points, rather than at the end.
Papers will be accepted only if they meet the requirements.

The Scientific Committee will assess the quality of the papers and determine whether they will be suitable for publishing. Papers that have been previously presented or published will not be accepted. All submitted papers will undergo plagiarism check. Papers that include any plagiarism or AI generated text will automatically be disqualified.

Presentation guidelines:

The presentations will be presented in the English language.
Each paper will be allotted 10 minutes for presentation and 5 minutes for discussion.
Presenters may prepare oral presentations or poster presentations.
Due to time constraints presenters will not be permitted to exceed the time allotted for their presentation and for the question-and-answer session.

The participants will present their papers face-to-face, at the campus of the International University of Sarajevo, in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. In addition, there will be an online session, which will allow participants who cannot attend the live conference to present their papers online.

Participants will receive the certificate of attendance from the organizers

No participation fee is applied. The participants themselves need to cover the costs of their transportation to and accommodation in Sarajevo. The organizers will cover the costs of the paper publicatio

Prospective applicants should send their abstracts and papers to the Conference e-mail: lle25@ius.edu.ba

The results of the selection process will be communicated via e-mail within 10 days following the receipt of the application.

Abstract submission: 1 October 2025
Notification on abstract acceptance: 10 October 2025
Conference day: 7 November 2025
Full paper submission: 31 December 2025

It is strictly forbidden to plagiarize papers or use AI tools to generate texts. Such papers will be automatically disqualified and will not be included in the publication.