The Academy for Young Leaders in Civil Society is a novelty in the field of informal education in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The first generation included 19 young people from different parts of BiH. The first generation of students achieved multiple benefits in terms of knowledge, skills, personal development, competencies, values and life circumstances. Through theoretical and practical work, they have been empowered to take on leading roles in their communities. The benefits existed for the lecturers as well, for whom the Academy was a challenge, gave them a sense of usefulness and inspired them for new approaches to work. Changes brought by the Academy were the result of the program, work with lecturers, but also of the „joint stay“ of participants. Participants' „joint stay“ has also led to an important additional benefit that was not the primary goal of the Academy, and it was the reduced socio-ethnic distance.