Schüler Helfen Leben (SHL) Sarajevo

What Schüler Helfen Leben (SHL) Sarajevo does

Schüler Helfen Leben (SHL) Sarajevo is the Bosnia and Herzegovina operating office of Stiftung Schüler Helfen Leben, a Berlin-based German foundation established in 2001 as the first student-founded foundation in Germany. Founded originally in 1993 by German students mobilizing aid for peers affected by the Yugoslav wars, SHL delivers non-formal education, civic engagement training, and inter-ethnic reconciliation programs to youth aged 15-30 across BiH. Its programmatic portfolio includes a tiered seminar series (Stand Up, Move On, Power Up, Street Art), the Academy for Young Leaders in Civil Society (220 contact hours), the Boost Up advanced activist training group, school-based and local community activism tracks, and youth mobility exchanges both within BiH and internationally through the SAME European network. The SHL House training center in Sarajevo serves as the operational hub.

The organization operates on a non-profit funding model with no fees charged to youth participants. Revenue flows through two primary channels: donations raised by the Social Day campaign, in which German students trade a school day for paid work and donate their wages, and foundation grants and institutional funding from partners including the German Foreign Office, the German Embassy in Sarajevo, and the Possehl Foundation. SHL is governed as a participatory youth organization, with a Management Board averaging age 21, and has helped establish durable civil society infrastructure in BiH including the Association of Secondary School Students (ASuBiH) and the Youth News Association (ONAuBiH). Beyond BiH, SHL operates a wholly-owned subsidiary in Kosovo (Rahovec), a joint program office in Lübeck with the SAME network, and an office opened in Ukraine in 2022. Reported impact metrics include over 2,000 youth directly engaged in mobility programs in 2022-2023, 300+ student volunteers mobilized across five cantons in 2023, and over 92% of mobility participants reporting a positive shift in perception of peers from other ethnic groups.

Name

Schüler Helfen Leben (SHL) Sarajevo

Legal name

Fondacija Učenici pomažu život / Stiftung Schüler Helfen Leben

Website

https://shl.ba

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Schüler Helfen Leben (SHL) Sarajevo is a non-profit youth foundation delivering non-formal education, civic engagement training, and inter-ethnic reconciliation programs to youth aged 15-30 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, funded by German student donations and foundation grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Education and Civic Engagement Programs

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Child and Youth Services (624110), Educational Support Services (611710), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Mentoring & Positive Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

K–12 Support & School Improvement Nonprofits (BPAGADAB), Peer Support, Mentoring & Student Leadership (SEL) (EDAKAMAO), NGO/Nonprofit Education Programs & Service Delivery (EDADALAC)

Keywords

• Youth education programs
• Non-formal education
• Youth activism training
• Intercultural exchange programs
• Civic engagement initiatives

Headquarters

HQ city

Sarajevo, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

HQ country

Bosnia & Herzegovina

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Social Day Campaign Donations: German students spend one day working and donate their wages to SHL. The first Social Day in 1998 raised over 920,000 marks. The campaign has grown to involve hundreds of thousands of students across Germany.
2. Foundation Grants and Funding: SHL operates as a foundation (Stiftung) providing long-term project financing. Major funding comes from the Social Day campaign donations managed by the foundation in Berlin.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Schüler Helfen Leben (SHL) Sarajevo is a non-profit youth foundation that delivers non-formal education programs, seminars, and activism projects for young people aged 15-30 in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Its offerings include the Academy for Young Leaders in Civil Society, the Boost Up Group, and a series of entry-level and advanced seminars (Stand Up, Move On, Power Up, Street Art), alongside school-based, local community, and broader social activism programs, plus domestic and international youth mobility exchanges. All programs are provided free of charge to participants and are funded through donations and grants.

Product overview

Schüler Helfen Leben (SHL) Sarajevo is a youth foundation operating as a multi-program organization rather than a single product. The organization offers a comprehensive portfolio of educational programs including the Academy for Young Leaders in Civil Society (Akademija za mlade lidere) with 220 contact hours, the Boost Up Group for advanced activist training, and various seminars (Stand Up, Move On, Power Up, Street Art). The organization facilitates youth mobility both within Bosnia and Herzegovina and internationally through exchanges and partnerships. Additionally, SHL supports youth activism projects across three levels: school-based initiatives, local community projects, and broader societal change campaigns. The SHL House in Sarajevo serves as the primary training and meeting facility. Programs are delivered both in-person and through online platforms, and the organization publishes youth-oriented media including the Karike magazine.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SHL Kuća (SHL House Training Center) Physical training and meeting center in Sarajevo that serves as a hub for SHL's youth education seminars, workshops, and community gatherings; open to all youth interested in SHL programs.
• Akademija za mlade lidere u civilnom društvu (Academy for Young Leaders in Civil Society)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 92% of mobility program participants reported learning something positive about peers from other ethnic groups
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• SAME (Solidarity Action Day Movement in Europe)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2018European youth network co-founded by SHL. Coordinates Social Day activities across Europe and organizes annual Youth Congress Act.ival for Future with 200+ participants. SHL co-established the Lübeck office for joint youth exchange activities.
• SBS (School of Business Studies) SarajevominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerListed as one of SHL's partners, indicating collaboration in youth education and business studies programs.
• Zasto Ne Association (Why Not)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivil society partner organization working on youth engagement and social issues in BiH.
• Association of Secondary School Students in BiH (ASuBiH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHL actively supported the establishment of ASuBiH, the first national student council in BiH. Ongoing partnership for student empowerment and advocacy.
• Youth News Association in BiH (ONAuBiH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHL helped establish ONAuBiH, which publishes youth magazine content regularly appearing in daily newspaper Oslobođenje.
• Center for Youth Activity (CROA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCROA successfully implemented youth volunteering program engaging 300+ student volunteers from 5 BiH cantons in 2023.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Caritas Bosnia and Herzegovina: Faith-based social services and youth programs organization in BiH. Comparable as a local social services nonprofit with youth-focused programming, though with a broader humanitarian and welfare mandate.
• European Youth Foundation (Council of Europe): Pan-European grantmaking entity funding youth-led civil society. Comparable as a funding infrastructure for youth civic projects across Europe, and a potential funding counterpart for SHL's programs rather than a direct competitor.
• SOS Children's Villages Bosnia and Herzegovina: International NGO operating child and youth support services in BiH. Comparable as a BiH-based social services nonprofit working with at-risk youth, but with a different core focus (alternative care vs. civic engagement).

Broad incumbents

• Save the Children (Western Balkans): Major international NGO with substantial youth programming in BiH. Comparable as a larger, institutionally backed operator in the same youth-development and education space, but with broader mandate (child welfare, education, emergency response) and significantly larger budget.
• UNICEF Bosnia and Herzegovina: UN agency delivering youth education, mental health, and civic participation programs in BiH. Comparable as a large institutional player in the same youth services market, with overlapping programmatic focus but vastly different funding scale and geopolitical mandate.
• OSCE Mission in BiH (Youth Programs): International governmental organization running youth civic engagement and inter-ethnic dialogue programs in BiH. Comparable mission and target demographic, but with government funding and diplomatic mandate rather than donor-driven foundation structure.

Direct peers

• Fondacija CURE: Bosnian women's and youth empowerment foundation. Comparable as a BiH-based grantmaking and capacity-building nonprofit working on civic engagement, though with a feminist focus; serves similar youth and civil society audiences.
• PRONI Centre for Youth Development: BiH-based youth organization providing non-formal education, youth work training, and community engagement. Highly comparable as a regional nonprofit focused on youth worker capacity building and civic participation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• Institute for Youth Development KULT: Leading Bosnian youth civil society organization focused on youth participation, civic engagement, and volunteerism. Directly comparable as a BiH-based nonprofit delivering youth empowerment programs with similar target demographic and grant-funded model.
• Nansen Dialogue Centre (NDC) Sarajevo: Bosnia-based inter-ethnic dialogue and reconciliation nonprofit. Direct peer in post-conflict youth reconciliation work, sharing geographic focus (BiH), methodology (dialogue-based), and target beneficiaries (youth from divided communities).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/SHLSarajevo
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/Sch%C3%BClerHelfenLebenSarajevo
• Facebookfacebook.com/SHLBiH
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shlbih
• Instagraminstagram.com/shl.sarajevo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Schüler Helfen Leben (SHL) Sarajevo