BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA/KOSOVO/SERBIA – Within the second RYCO Open Call for Project Proposals co-financed by the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund, Balkans, let’s get up! Organization from Serbia, in partnership with 7 Arte from Kosovo and Sense from Bosnia and Herzegovina, implemented the project “Create! Include! Participate!”.
The project took place from January to November 2020 and gathered youth from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo and Serbia to enhance their participation and engagement at the local and regional level.
Youth participated in online seminars and worked together on developing project ideas for local actions. The project “Create! Include! Participate!” focused on youth participation, personal growth and development, by empowering young participants to take action, critically think of innovative solutions and shape their communities.
“It is always empowering to see how young people in the region care and feel invited to act when provided with the opportunity. We are proud of our participants who are on the way to be a part of the solution in their own community,” Project Representatives Ms Bojana Spalević and Ms Ljiljana Šotra stated.
Throughout the activities, participants were not only provided with an opportunity to engage actively and communicate openly but to also promote empathy, understanding and tolerance among them.
“I had done several researches and observations and found that by having people together, by increasing public initiatives, we can do great stuff. Since we are living in the Balkans, even though in different places, we have kind of the same problems and maybe, in some parts, we have common issues and solutions,” Ms Jona Osmani, project participant, emphasized.
Speaking of their personal experiences, Mr Luka Radičević, another project participant added: “What I am really grateful for during the project was the guidance that participants have received from facilitators and mentors, and I think the overall experience is really valuable since we learned how to assess a problem and formulate an idea.”
The project was finalized with participants’ presentations on their project ideas, some of which are going to be developed and implemented in their communities.
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*This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.