Prof. Šimo Maršić is the Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology at the University of Sarajevo, teaching also in the Interreligious Master Programme. He has a PhD in Youth Work from the Redemptor Hominis Pastoral Institute at the Lateran University in Rome. He has since published four books, several articles, and presented extensively on subjects related to youth work both nationally and internationally. His research publications focus on youth development, including Being Young: Attitudes of Young People and Ways of Dealing with the Problems of Growing Up (Biti mlada osoba: Stavovi i problemi mladih te načini suočavanja s problemima odrastanja), “Lay Youth Associations: A Place for Building Social and Religious Identity,” (Vrhbosnensia 10 [2006], 207-225), and “Laity in the Diocese and Democratic Society,” (Vrhbosnensia 12 [2008], 105-117).
It was during his undergraduate training in Dubrovnik when the Croatian War of Independence broke out, and Prof. Maršić has dedicated his professional career to helping young people impacted by armed conflict. He is also responsible for developing the youth work program for the Archdiocese of Sarajevo and the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Together with the group of enthusiastic Muslim, Orthodox, and Catholic young people, Prof Maršić runs the John Paul II Youth Center, which is responsible for creating of diverse programs to benefit young people in Bosnia and Herzegovinia, and in particular to build and sustain trust among them. His current research project is directly linked to his activities with the John Paul II Youth Center, and will be used to direct its program and planning.