After a very successful seminar for high school students “Youth in BiH society”, that was held in Sarajevo in May this year, we are continuing with our activities. Summer is reserved for few of them, including “School of Peace”, a camp for young people from BiH and Italy. This year it will be 10th edition of “School of Peace” in Banja Luka, from August 22nd until August 31st. We decided to reward three participants from our seminar “Youth in BiH society” by giving them the opportunity to participate in this camp.
After the seminar, we asked our participants to write down their impressions about it. Soon, we got a lot of positive and encouraging impressions on our e-mail address, which have once more confirmed that our participants are extraordinary young people and that what we are doing with them is right and useful for them. First of all, we want to thank them for their written impressions and some of the most interesting you can read here and see for yourself. Three most interesting and most creative deserved direct invitation for Banja Luka. We discover the names of our winners on Thursday, July 14th 2016.
a)
Although we live in a divided country, full of prejudices, discrimination and passivity, the seminar gathered 38 young people, my peers, from the whole BiH. Those were 4 of days gathering, learning, getting to know others and different. It was amazing to be a part of the group that is open for all ideas, a group where every person has its own opinion and it is not afraid to express it. It was beautiful to get away from divisions that are woven into our lives and spend a couple of days with people who doesn’t ask questions such as: “What somebody’s religion is?”, “What is his/her name?”, “What does he/she do?”, “How he/she declares himself/herself?” All of us had the same goal and it was to hang out, met new people, exchange opinions and to learn something new from every person. The trainers had important role in the seminar, they prepared great workshops, put a lot of effort for us to enjoy, showed us trust and became friends with us. Besides that we relaxed soon, entered dialog, shared our opinions, discussed, become active participants, and as a reward we made new friendships, got memories and the most precious reward - we got knowledge. This seminar encouraged us in the idea to become more active, more organized in our communities and to try to contribute coexistence in our societies. It was beautiful experience that I’ll never forget, I’m grateful to the trainers, organization and colleagues who made those days interesting and useful. Hopefully we will meet each other again and we will enjoy in the company and in the workshops which will be prepared by excellent trainers. Regards from Žepče, that now has its own Youth for Peace members.
b)
I’m looking in the emptiness and I can’t believe it’s gone. Four days passed fast because we worked with the best people. I can say with pride that seminar “Youth in BiH society” positively changed me and changed some of my attitudes. As a matter of fact, hard work of our best trainers made it possible. At the beginning I reluctantly filled the application excepting again some boring workshops and sleeping during workshops time. But, this wasn’t even close like that. If the team was better it wouldn’t work. Thirty-eight young people and 4 different religious groups. Someone would say this is too much, but on the contrary, that is just a small thing considering what we can do together. Those 4 days weren’t enough to solve our main gathering goal which is discrimination, but it was enough to solve some problems that I had, and that’s the beginning. The program was fulfilled with different workshops, interactive and group work. That brings us to the unity, and when you enter to the hall you could see 38 people and 5 trainers that worked as one. It was amazing experience that I would recommend to everyone and I would be happy to talk about those 4 days and those people. It would be great if everyone had the opportunity to attend Youth for Peace seminar that fight against big problem of today’s world – discrimination. It’s a special organization that brings humanity from everyone, and you don’t want the end because you finally have the feeling of unity and equality. The funniest was action “Let’s meet Sarajevo” where we had opportunity to visit and get to know the city through different tasks. For our trainers I have words of praise, because we got the best. Our Error, Blankica, Mebru, Dajči and Alen for 4 days were active and worked with us, what surely wasn’t easy, and I can certainly say they made it. I want to thank, first of all, to them, than to the team that is the best, and to everyone who contributed to the seminar. We learnt a lot, had fun and crashed down some barriers that were hampering us. I hope that the same team will gather again with same, the best, trainers and that we will continue where we stopped this time.
c)
There is always something that makes strong impression on us, so strong that is impossible to erase it. Nice things and events stay forever in our hearts, so it’s hard to forget them. It was a seminar “Youth in BiH society”, organized by Youth for Peaces in Sarajevo. Team of 38 people, 5 trainers – which I’ll never forget. We functioned as one without any prejudices and more importantly without burdened nationality. Everyone with same attitude “love yours – respect others”, the God is one, only we call him differently. Workshops were educative and more importantly they were not boring, but the biggest impression was made by “Let’s meet Sarajevo”. Trainers – great, funny people, my friends. Now, when the seminar is finished I feel like a great men because I had an honor to meet great people, my new friends. Thank you for every single smile that you put on my face, thank you for every minute I spent with you!
d)
Youth for Peace seminar was the first seminar that I attended and for sure it made high starting point for the next seminars. Before I came to the seminar I knew this is going to be more than just nonformula education. I could feel your care for the participants and for me that was proof that you enjoy in your work and that you wanted to make the trip and our staying at the hotel pleasant for us. Because I was the only person form my city I was very nervous that I won’t fit in. I thought that I will close myself in my anxious shell that I live in and that I won’t be able to communicate with others. Even your first workshop helped me to remember many names, a lot of similar and different persons than me that I got to love. The thing that fascinated me the most was learning about other cultures that are so close to me, but I didn’t have a chance to meet them earlier. I noticed that youth form across BiH is really similar despite our religious or any other orientations. We were there for similar reasons – to try to create coexistence. I think that you – trainers helped us to free ourselves from paranoia which is called nationalism and hatred. I know that we need to put a lot of effort to free youth from traditionalistic chains, but not a single person came out from seminar with the same consciousness as he/she entered. You had immensely big tolerance towards our behavior; I perceived that you understand us and that you are not here to intimidate us with your authority, but you were our friends, our coordinators, and you were always dedicated to your work. I want you to know that it’s amazing what you are doing and that I will always remember you. It’s enough to say that the persons I met on this seminar mean to me more than persons that I have met during my 4-year high school educations. Through the trembling voice and barely refraining my tears I said goodbye to these special persons and this wonderful weekend. I wish you a lot of luck in further work and I hope that we will meet again. Thank you for this seminar and the opportunity to learn through fun. You are really the ones who can change the world, this Bosnian consciousness and make our future brighter.
e)
In the country where they teach us to hate, we want to change our daily routine. Here, where the cooperation between “this” and “that” is just abstraction, we want to cooperate. In the country with a lot of different cultures, religions and nations they want us to despise each other. And we – we want coexistence. We want to build future on the foundations of true cooperation and love. We don’t want succumb to the pressure and fall to the stories of those who want us feud because their own interests – they aren’t welcome between us. We don’t look at diversity on the same way as they are. We only divide people on the good ones and bad ones. For us it’s not important the way that we prey to our God or who is cheering for which football team. And you are going to ask why? Just the small part of us knows that our strength is in our diversity, that our diversity is admired in Europe and in the world. That’s what we want. We want be admired from others because of our diversity, we want respect because of our perseverance, to get love because of our success. We believe that our future depends on us, we don’t want to mess it because of our differences, which are at the end, the least important. It’s important to be a human. We are not the same, but our ideas are. We are Youth for Peace, be the part of us!
f)
Success means accept failure after failure and without losing enthusiasm. Maybe this is the best way to start this story. Application after application, seminar after seminar and always negative respond: “We are sorry; your application isn’t good enough”. My mother often told me: never lose hope, follow your dreams and be persistent, fight for what you want and every obstacle to the goal you will overcome successfully. I have been listening different stories from my colleagues about their travels, participation on the seminars and how they met young people from whole Bosnia. When I saw the application for this seminar I thought “another one”, but I didn’t give up, I filled the application and send it, and this time respond was positive. For the first time I packed my bag and move on into the unknown. Those were four days, 38 participants, 5 trainers, 4 religious groups and countless number of memories. This are the words I could use to describe the 4 unforgettable days, spent with Youth for Peace team. We were 38 different young people who breathed as one, supported each other, gave opportunity to meet each other and to present themselves to others. It wasn’t important are you a Catholic, Muslim, Orthodox or Jewish, are you from countryside or from the city, the important thing was gathering. For the first time I felt that I can belong, no matter that I am Bosniak and my religion is Islam, there wasn’t wall with war messages in front of me, the war criminals weren’t my reflection, my religion wasn’t convicted regardless events in the world. I learned that we are all the same no matter what, 3 nations in BiH can be united, that future of this country isn’t so black and when we work together we can achieve everything. We proved that we are ready to forget what happened and we can move on. For us it wasn’t important is Serb, Croat, or Bosniak next to us, it wasn’t important do we share a room with Catholic or Orthodox, we enjoyed in every day without prejudices and discriminations, we enjoyed in workshops and challenges, we enjoyed in socializing and games. I came with small bag and I’m leaving with suitcase full of memories, I hid tears when we were leaving and I’m going miss the people that I met here. I will miss the conversations until morning, our jokes and silliness. I’m going to miss the feeling of acceptance which I had for the past 4 days. Many thanks to Youth for Peace team, thanks to Blanka, Dajana, Daniel, Alen and Mebrura for being there for us and for sharing their knowledge with us. And thanks to my friends for 4 unforgettable days and for every smile which you put on my face. I hope that destiny will bring us together again at the same place.
g)
With one word: “Unforgettable”. Since we arrived on the seminar the interaction among youth has began. We connected quickly with each other. Different religions, different nationalities, but still similar. All together as one well-oiled machine, without prejudices, without nationality, led by 5 extra trainers who behave friendly since the first day. In the Bosnia, which is presented as deeply divided, it’s unbelievable to see coexistence as this, friendship like this, the strength of youth at the one place as this one is. All for the one goal – future without division, based on love and friendship. Whoever says that it’s not possible cooperation in Bosnia and Herzegovina among Bosniaks, Serbs, Croats and Jewish – should come to YFP seminar. I believe that person, from the seminar, would go with different view on the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Workshops were fun and educative, and I liked the most “Let’s meet Sarajevo” – European Jerusalem through photography and selfies. All in all this was one unforgettable experience with Youth for Peace.
h)
We spent 4 unforgettable days in Sarajevo, made new friendships and learned something new. I thank to Youth for Peace team for beautiful experience. I met a lot of new friends from different cities from BiH. The team was excellent and we stayed in contact. Workshops were more than fun. I want to comment access to youth; you were on our level, taught us different important things on interesting way. Those important things, usually, we neglect in our lives – assertive communication, discrimination and so on. I think that we learned how to behave, how to look on the people who surround us. If you gave 20 sentences about assertive communication we, probably, wouldn’t remember not even one word. Your approach allowed us to learn on interesting and fun way. I think that everyone left the hotel with new knowledge. I want to emphasize especially Mebrura, I’m impressed with her. Her words are so honest, full of love and from the heart. I didn’t meet a person for a long time, who really loves and gives the best of herself for her work. She was some kind of a role model. Although we belong to different religious groups I learned, from her, how to respect my own religion. I can say that I got a role model in my life. Everyone who knows her will understand. I got the model in religion, although she is different religion. That’s what you learned us at the role seminar. It doesn’t matter who belongs to which religion, which nationality, its important is to be a good person. We can learn from every person. You taught us that we need to be a human, at first, and religion is private thing among us and God. We supported each other during the seminar; I found out different stuff about others religions and I feel richer for that knowledge. It wouldn’t be interesting if we are the same, if we live the same life. As I said during one workshop, the most interesting was the fact that we actually, didn’t know the names of each other although we spent hours and hours together (still, it was 38 of us). That lack of knowledge showed us that we are the same; we can function together when we don’t know each other’s names. That helped us to understand how we need to appreciate each other, and that we shouldn’t create prejudices based on the names. This is my first seminar and I’m impressed, my expectations are exceeded. Everyone should attend this kind of seminar. I miss you and I hope that we will meet again.
i)
When you attend a gathering of 40 young people from different parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which for a few days made lifelong friendships, when in relaxed atmosphere and conversation without barriers youth makes grounds for solving crucial problems in Bosnia and Herzegovina, when for 4 days diversity from BiH society becomes richness, than you are happy to be a part of Youth for Peace.
j)
I learned something that really wanted to know, but I didn’t have the opportunity before to learn it. It is important for me that I am slowly conquering my fear to say what I think, I am not afraid to look somebody in the eyes, I do not see everything in black color and I do not think anymore that I am less worth than others. As a matter of fact, we are all equal, but it depends how each of us will manage in life. You managed to make lectures interesting thanks to your positive energy, to explain everything at the best possible way and to give good examples. We were all interested, happy to be a part of it. Besides that, unfortunately, to most of us parents told that our religion is different than others religions, that we are different. Thanks to you, to this seminar, I met other religions and I have different point of view now. I spent time with persons who belong to different religion, slept in the same room, under the same roof with them. I felt equality, love among us, that we are all one, that we are all youth who wants to live a life without war and bad memories. I met good persons, with the similar view on the world, people with whom I would like to have lifelong friendships. I saw role model in trainers, their attitude, kindness, understanding, positive energy, the big intelligence and skills. I want to say that I’m thinking for a while to study psychology and I just needed encouragement, something to help me to understand it better and you succeed in that. This was my first meeting with something like this, like this seminar, so maybe I wasn’t the best, but I hope that I’ll have opportunity to be a part of this again. This will stay in me forever, in my heart, as one beautiful memory and experience.
k)
If you asked me the first day of seminar why do I like this idea, I would say because I came to another city and because I don't have to attend classes in school. But after four days, my answer is a little bit longer. Honestly, I had big expectations for the seminar, but I couldn't imagine something like this. Until now, every seminar that I have attended was similar with previous ones, but this time that wasn't the case. This time we were one team, without small groups and gossiping. We didn't have to worry what will somebody say behind our back, will somebody gossip about our clothing choice or about our religious option. We were all equal, and our trainers take biggest credit for that, trainers who made this seminar educative holiday from dreams. The workshops were very interesting. Even the theoretical part wasn't boring. Just when we think it is enough theory for today, our trainers surprise us with some game or with pause. We learnt that is not important are you a Muslim, Catholic, Orthodox or Jewish, it is not important are you coming from Republika Srpska or from Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, it is not important do you consider yourself Serb, Croat or Bosniak, the only important thing is that you are a human. Five trainers taught 38 young people to open their heart and their mind to diversity, that we should think about present, and not about events from the past for none of us is quilty and which nobody can change. We learnt that we all can hang out without prejudices and discrimination, that it is not important how somebody is called or where somebody was born. It is important for me to feel welcome to Sarajevo, Gračanica, Bugojno, Žepče, and that my friends from seminar are always welcome to Banja Luka and that they have friend there. Many thanks to Youth for Peace for these wonderfully spent four days, for every opened arm, for every reciprocated smile, for every accepted diversity and I thank them for wonderful friends. I hope and I believe that one day, after we become great and influental people, we will meet again and organize Bosnia and Herzegovina to become a country for all of us, that we will feel that we are all just humans and that differences should connect us.
