Language Beyond Borders: IUS Youth Conference Connects Participants from 13 Countries

How can language help young people understand one another across cultural and national boundaries? This question guided the 6th International Youth Conference on Language, Literature and Education, hosted by the English Language and Literature (ELIT) and English Language and Literature, Teaching (ELT) study programs at the International University of Sarajevo (IUS) on Friday, November 6, 2026.

Held under the overarching title “Joining Forces to Build a Better World,” this year’s conference focused on “Language Beyond Borders: Youth Voices for Intercultural Understanding.” It brought together 59 participants from 13 countries, who presented 50 topics spanning language, education, literature, artificial intelligence, visual arts, psychology and cultural studies.

Participants represented Bosnia and Herzegovina, Türkiye, Serbia, Slovenia, North Macedonia, Poland, the Czech Republic, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Oman, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. This international participation created opportunities for students and young people to share their work, encounter different perspectives and explore connections across disciplines.

Two keynote presentations offered complementary perspectives on the role of language in education and professional life. Dr. Melita Lemut Bajec from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, delivered “Every Language Counts: Rethinking Teaching in Multilingual and Multicultural Classrooms,” addressing teaching in settings shaped by linguistic and cultural diversity.

Research Associate Đermana Šeta, from the ERC BILQIS project at the University of Galway, Ireland, presented “How Studying Language Led Me to International Policy and Research.” Her presentation highlighted the connections between language studies and a career extending into international policy and research.

Together, the keynote talks connected the conference’s focus on intercultural understanding with questions about classroom practice and the opportunities that studying language can open. The wider program demonstrated how language, literature and education intersect with technological developments, artistic expression and the study of human behavior and culture.

Now in its sixth edition, the International Youth Conference has become a distinctive initiative of the ELIT and ELT study programs, strengthening IUS’s visibility in the region and beyond. By giving young people a platform to present their ideas and learn from one another, it continues to support academic exchange and dialogue across borders.